“Assessment of hybrid solar energy potential in semi-arid urban residential buildings: A study on Guelma town in northern Algeria”

Abstract

This study investigates the ability of urban areas to produce sustainable energy, focusing on three types of residential urban structures found in the semi-arid climate of Guelma, Algeria. The focus is on two types of renewable technology: solar photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal (ST). A bottom-up methodology focusing on energy modeling via CitySim Pro allows us to understand the solar potential of urban forms and identify better urban configurations for the integration of hybrid solar PV/ST systems. After conducting a thorough analysis of multiple parameters in previous scientific literature, five key indicators were identified to describe the morphology of the chosen models. These indicators are density, compactness, site coverage, height/width ratio, and floor area ratio. The correlation study found that urban form has a significant impact on the potential for hybrid solar energy production. However, morphological indicators have a different impact on the production of (PV) and (ST), implying that they influence photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal (ST) electricity production in different ways. In the absence of an optimal urban configuration for hybrid production, the archetypal large-scale housing estate built by the public sector in the 2000s appears to be an excellent model for the specific context of Guelma. This may lead to higher PV electricity production (992.25 kWh/m²/year) and lower ST output (193.2 kWh/m²/year). The obtained results are consistent with the findings of previous studies, confirming that the selected parameters have a high correlation with PV technology indicators and a low correlation with ST technology. The findings show that installing PV/ST hybrid panels on a section of the building's exterior can adequately meet their energy needs.