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Unlock city-scale energy saving and peak load shaving potential of green roofs by GIS-informed urban building energy modelling

Author

Listed:
  • Wang, Meng
  • Yu, Hang
  • Liu, Yupeng
  • Lin, Jianyi
  • Zhong, Xianzhun
  • Tang, Yin
  • Guo, Haijin
  • Jing, Rui

Abstract

Urban green roofs have emerged as a significant trend in urban architecture worldwide, offering numerous benefits, including enhanced energy performance, improved urban microclimate, and public health. This study proposes a holistic framework for assessing the green roofs' energy-saving potential at the city scale, achieved by scaling up building-scale energy simulations to city-scale energy demands. Firstly, massive building information is collected using Geometric Information System (GIS) technologies. Subsequently, prototype buildings are generated to accurately represent the geometric characteristics of buildings at the city scale. Building performance simulation is further conducted considering three types of plants on roofs. A case study in Xiamen, China, demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed framework to efficiently quantify the city-scale energy-saving potential of green roofs. By implementing green roofs in Xiamen, energy savings of 1.62–1.83% and peak load shaving of 1.10–1.63% can be achieved for the whole city. Overall, the proposed framework has the potential for widespread application in other cities with minor adjustments to accommodate variations in climate and building parameters.

Suggested Citation

  • Wang, Meng & Yu, Hang & Liu, Yupeng & Lin, Jianyi & Zhong, Xianzhun & Tang, Yin & Guo, Haijin & Jing, Rui, 2024. "Unlock city-scale energy saving and peak load shaving potential of green roofs by GIS-informed urban building energy modelling," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 366(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:366:y:2024:i:c:s0306261924006986
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2024.123315
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mihalakakou, Giouli & Souliotis, Manolis & Papadaki, Maria & Menounou, Penelope & Dimopoulos, Panayotis & Kolokotsa, Dionysia & Paravantis, John A. & Tsangrassoulis, Aris & Panaras, Giorgos & Giannako, 2023. "Green roofs as a nature-based solution for improving urban sustainability: Progress and perspectives," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
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    2. Deng, Yanqiao & Ma, Minda & Zhou, Nan & Zou, Chenchen & Ma, Zhili & Yan, Ran & Ma, Xin, 2025. "Provincial allocation of China's commercial building operational carbon toward carbon neutrality," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 384(C).
    3. Zhou, Jingfeng & Fang, Zigeng & Yin, Ge & Chen, Jiying & Zhou, Xiaochi & Jing, Rui & Wang, Meng, 2025. "Automated roof segmentation for assessing urban scale energy performance and indoor thermal environment of photovoltaic and green roofs," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 338(C).
    4. Buonomano, Annamaria & Forzano, Cesare & Giuzio, Giovanni Francesco & Maka, Robert & Palombo, Adolfo & Russo, Giuseppe, 2026. "Optimising renewable energy community aggregation for urban districts decarbonisation," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 226(PD).
    5. Tsurumi, Ryuta & Yoshida, Takahiro, 2025. "Impact of people flows on energy consumption in an office building in Tokyo using a state–space model," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 401(PB).
    6. Giuseppe Aruta & Fabrizio Ascione & Romano Fistola & Teresa Iovane, 2024. "The City as a Power Hub for Boosting Renewable Energy Communities: A Case Study in Naples," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-22, September.
    7. Zhao, Jing & Ren, Yujie & Tang, Xiaolan, 2025. "Advanced optimization algorithms for enhanced urban block-scale carbon accounting: A case study from Beijing, China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 394(C).
    8. Yuanfan Zheng & Liang Chen & Haipeng Zhao, 2024. "Assessing Building Energy Savings and the Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Potential of Green Roofs in Shanghai Using a GIS-Based Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-23, September.
    9. Zhang, Weiyi & Yang, Haibin & Cao, Xiangpeng & Bao, Xiaohua & Cui, Hongzhi, 2025. "A novel quantitative model for evaluating building energy resilience to maintain indoor thermal stability during peak power demand," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 399(C).
    10. Zhou, Jingfeng & Li, Jiantong & Xie, Jiayu & Dong, Xinqiao & Wang, Kaixuan & Jing, Rui & Tang, Rui & Wang, Meng, 2025. "State-of-the-art review of urban building energy modelling on supporting sustainable development goals," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 402(PA).

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