| dc.description.abstract | One viable solution for clean onsite energy production and utilisation is
Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV).
The available area for installation may not be
sufficient to meet the building energy
demand in high-rise urban buildings in
tropical climates, although rooftops are ideal
for photovoltaic (PV) module integration.
This causes a requirement for the utilisation
of facades. Furthermore, the unplanned
urbanisation in Colombo has resulted in a
difficulty in quantifying urban compactness
and solar potential in urban environments.
Therefore, there exists a requirement to
assess the applicability of urban
compactness indicators in quantifying solar
irradiation on building envelopes in the
urban contexts. This paper attempts to
evaluate the credibility of several urban
compactness indicators in relation to solar
potential and establish the most applicable
indicators in regard to the context of
Colombo. The results showed that the roof to
envelope area ratio provides optimum
accuracy for predicting solar potential in the
urban context of Colombo, Sri Lanka, whilst
the average heights ratio exhibited the
lowest. These results are significant for
urban planners and developers when
considering urban design guidelines. | en_US |
