IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/appene/v395y2025ics0306261925008633.html

Holistic assessment of co-located solar photovoltaics and greenery in the tropics: Results on solar photovoltaic output, greenery growth, and roof surface temperature

Author

Listed:
  • Rahmaniah, Faizatuzzahrah
  • Lim, Joyce Hui Min
  • Poh, Choon Hock
  • He, Lian Sheng
  • Yeo, Jeb
  • Wang, James Wei
  • Valliappan, Selvam
  • Ang, Edward
  • Chen, Zhimin
  • Tay, Stephen En Rong

Abstract

Co-located solar photovoltaics and green roof systems have gained increased attention for generating renewable energy and incorporating greenery in urban environments. However, few studies approach the topic from a holistic approach of such a system in tropical climates. In this study, the impact of co-located solar photovoltaics and greenery in a tropical climate was investigated across three functional benefits: 1) solar photovoltaic output, 2) greenery growth, and 3) roof and ceiling surface temperature. Results revealed 1) an increase in photovoltaic performance ratio with greenery [absolute increase of 1.0 ± 0.8 %], 2) shade-tolerant plant species located under photovoltaic modules exhibited a significantly higher horizontal ground coverage with good health and vigour [absolute increase of 19.8 ± 8.0 %], and 3) lower roof surface temperature under co-located solar photovoltaics and greenery [reduction of 4.7 ± 0.1 °C]. To quantify the multi-functional impact of the co-located system, the Roof Equivalent Ratio is proposed, which was adapted from the Land Equivalent Ratio used in agrivoltaics, to which a roof equivalent ratio of 2.39 was obtained for the study. The results of this study could inspire similar research, especially in the tropics, to incorporate renewable energy generation through solar photovoltaic and greenery for sustainable urban environments.

Suggested Citation

  • Rahmaniah, Faizatuzzahrah & Lim, Joyce Hui Min & Poh, Choon Hock & He, Lian Sheng & Yeo, Jeb & Wang, James Wei & Valliappan, Selvam & Ang, Edward & Chen, Zhimin & Tay, Stephen En Rong, 2025. "Holistic assessment of co-located solar photovoltaics and greenery in the tropics: Results on solar photovoltaic output, greenery growth, and roof surface temperature," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 395(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:395:y:2025:i:c:s0306261925008633
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2025.126133
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261925008633
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.apenergy.2025.126133?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jaffal, Issa & Ouldboukhitine, Salah-Eddine & Belarbi, Rafik, 2012. "A comprehensive study of the impact of green roofs on building energy performance," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 157-164.
    2. Jaiyoung Cho & Sung Min Park & A Reum Park & On Chan Lee & Geemoon Nam & In-Ho Ra, 2020. "Application of Photovoltaic Systems for Agriculture: A Study on the Relationship between Power Generation and Farming for the Improvement of Photovoltaic Applications in Agriculture," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-18, September.
    3. Quansah, David A. & Adaramola, Muyiwa S., 2019. "Assessment of early degradation and performance loss in five co-located solar photovoltaic module technologies installed in Ghana using performance ratio time-series regression," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 900-910.
    4. McMaugh, Teresa, 2005. "Guidelines for surveillance for plant pests in Asia and the Pacific," Monographs, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, number 114089.
    5. Roza Vakilinezhad & Navid Ziaee, 2024. "Assessing the combined effect of PV panels’ shading and cool materials on building energy loads in different climates," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(6), pages 16201-16221, June.
    6. Valle, B. & Simonneau, T. & Sourd, F. & Pechier, P. & Hamard, P. & Frisson, T. & Ryckewaert, M. & Christophe, A., 2017. "Increasing the total productivity of a land by combining mobile photovoltaic panels and food crops," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 206(C), pages 1495-1507.
    7. Wittkopf, Stephen & Valliappan, Selvam & Liu, Lingyun & Ang, Kian Seng & Cheng, Seng Chye Jonathan, 2012. "Analytical performance monitoring of a 142.5kWp grid-connected rooftop BIPV system in Singapore," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 9-20.
    8. Dupraz, C. & Marrou, H. & Talbot, G. & Dufour, L. & Nogier, A. & Ferard, Y., 2011. "Combining solar photovoltaic panels and food crops for optimising land use: Towards new agrivoltaic schemes," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(10), pages 2725-2732.
    9. Cavadini, Giovan Battista & Cook, Lauren M., 2021. "Green and cool roof choices integrated into rooftop solar energy modelling," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 296(C).
    10. Trommsdorff, Max & Kang, Jinsuk & Reise, Christian & Schindele, Stephan & Bopp, Georg & Ehmann, Andrea & Weselek, Axel & Högy, Petra & Obergfell, Tabea, 2021. "Combining food and energy production: Design of an agrivoltaic system applied in arable and vegetable farming in Germany," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    11. Shahsavari, Amir & Akbari, Morteza, 2018. "Potential of solar energy in developing countries for reducing energy-related emissions," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 275-291.
    12. Jerome Wei Chiang Teng & Chew Beng Soh & Shiddalingeshwar Channabasappa Devihosur & Ryan Hong Soon Tay & Steve Kardinal Jusuf, 2022. "Effects of Agrivoltaic Systems on the Surrounding Rooftop Microclimate," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-13, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Zainali, Sebastian & Lu, Silvia Ma & Fernández-Solas, Álvaro & Cruz-Escabias, Alejandro & Fernández, Eduardo F. & Zidane, Tekai Eddine Khalil & Honningdalsnes, Erlend Hustad & Nygård, Magnus Moe & Lel, 2025. "Modelling, simulation, and optimisation of agrivoltaic systems: a comprehensive review," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 386(C).
    2. Chopdar, R.K. & Sengar, N. & Giri, Nimay Chandra & Halliday, D., 2024. "Comprehensive review on agrivoltaics with technical, environmental and societal insights," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 197(C).
    3. Krexner, T. & Bauer, A. & Gronauer, A. & Mikovits, C. & Schmidt, J. & Kral, I., 2024. "Environmental life cycle assessment of a stilted and vertical bifacial crop-based agrivoltaic multi land-use system and comparison with a mono land-use of agricultural land," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).
    4. Carlos Toledo & Alessandra Scognamiglio, 2021. "Agrivoltaic Systems Design and Assessment: A Critical Review, and a Descriptive Model towards a Sustainable Landscape Vision (Three-Dimensional Agrivoltaic Patterns)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-38, June.
    5. Daisuke Yajima & Teruya Toyoda & Masaaki Kirimura & Kenji Araki & Yasuyuki Ota & Kensuke Nishioka, 2023. "Estimation Model of Agrivoltaic Systems Maximizing for Both Photovoltaic Electricity Generation and Agricultural Production," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-16, April.
    6. Mamun, Mohammad Abdullah Al & Dargusch, Paul & Wadley, David & Zulkarnain, Noor Azwa & Aziz, Ammar Abdul, 2022. "A review of research on agrivoltaic systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    7. Sahoo, Somadutta & Zuidema, Christian & van Stralen, Joost N.P. & Sijm, Jos & Faaij, André, 2022. "Detailed spatial analysis of renewables’ potential and heat: A study of Groningen Province in the northern Netherlands," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 318(C).
    8. Daniel Matulić & Željko Andabaka & Sanja Radman & Goran Fruk & Josip Leto & Jakša Rošin & Mirta Rastija & Ivana Varga & Tea Tomljanović & Hrvoje Čeprnja & Marko Karoglan, 2023. "Agrivoltaics and Aquavoltaics: Potential of Solar Energy Use in Agriculture and Freshwater Aquaculture in Croatia," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-26, July.
    9. Akbar, Asfandyar & Mahmood, Farrukh ibne & Alam, Habeel & Aziz, Farhan & Bashir, Khurram & Zafar Butt, Nauman, 2024. "Field Assessment of Vertical Bifacial Agrivoltaics with Vegetable Production: A Case Study in Lahore, Pakistan," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 227(C).
    10. Ji, Zhengsen & Li, Wanying & Niu, Dongxiao, 2024. "Optimal investment decision of agrivoltaic coupling energy storage project based on distributed linguistic trust and hybrid evaluation method," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 353(PA).
    11. Al-Amin, & Shafiullah, G.M. & Ferdous, S.M. & Shoeb, Md & Reza, S.M. Shamim & Elavarasan, Rajvikram Madurai & Rahman, Mohammed Moseeur, 2024. "Agrivoltaics system for sustainable agriculture and green energy in Bangladesh," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 371(C).
    12. Varo-Martínez, M. & Fernández-Ahumada, L.M. & Ramírez-Faz, J.C. & Ruiz-Jiménez, R. & López-Luque, R., 2024. "Methodology for the estimation of cultivable space in photovoltaic installations with dual-axis trackers for their reconversion to agrivoltaic plants," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 361(C).
    13. Kumdokrub, Tikumporn & You, Fengqi, 2025. "Techno-economic and environmental optimization of agrivoltaics: A case study of Cornell University," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 384(C).
    14. Mohd Ashraf Zainol Abidin & Muhammad Nasiruddin Mahyuddin & Muhammad Ammirrul Atiqi Mohd Zainuri, 2021. "Solar Photovoltaic Architecture and Agronomic Management in Agrivoltaic System: A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-27, July.
    15. Hyun Jo & Sovetgul Asekova & Mohammad Amin Bayat & Liakat Ali & Jong Tae Song & Yu-Shin Ha & Dong-Hyuck Hong & Jeong-Dong Lee, 2022. "Comparison of Yield and Yield Components of Several Crops Grown under Agro-Photovoltaic System in Korea," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-13, April.
    16. Jamil, Uzair & Hickey, Thomas & Pearce, Joshua M., 2024. "Solar energy modelling and proposed crops for different types of agrivoltaics systems," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 304(C).
    17. Sojib Ahmed, M. & Rezwan Khan, M. & Haque, Anisul & Ryyan Khan, M., 2022. "Agrivoltaics analysis in a techno-economic framework: Understanding why agrivoltaics on rice will always be profitable," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 323(C).
    18. Joshua M. Pearce, 2022. "Agrivoltaics in Ontario Canada: Promise and Policy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-20, March.
    19. Widmer, J. & Christ, B. & Grenz, J. & Norgrove, L., 2024. "Agrivoltaics, a promising new tool for electricity and food production: A systematic review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    20. Marcin Bukowski & Janusz Majewski & Agnieszka Sobolewska, 2021. "Macroeconomic Efficiency of Photovoltaic Energy Production in Polish Farms," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-19, September.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:395:y:2025:i:c:s0306261925008633. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/405891/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.