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International Conference on Sustainability in Energy and Buildings

KES-SEB 2018: Sustainability in Energy and Buildings 2018 pp 287–300Cite as

Value Comparison of Distributed Solar Energy Applications in Commercial Buildings Across China

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Part of the book series: Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies ((SIST,volume 131))

Abstract

Building sector consumes a significant amount of energy, especially in China. Building photovoltaic (PV) system is considered as a promising solution to improving building energy performance. To increase the uptake of both building-attached PV (BAPV) and building-integrated PV (BIPV) systems in China, it is crucial to build investor confidence in the industry. Given the diverse geographic features and policy conditions in China, 12 typical cities were selected for study. Five different types of PV building applications were investigated, covering the most popular applications in China. The lifecycle economic performance of each case was then analyzed based on local geographic conditions and policies. The results show that Shanghai is currently China’s most suitable city to implement PV systems, while the implementations in Chongqing, Chengdu, Urumqi and Guangzhou are less economically viable. BIPV which replaces curtain-wall roof is found to be the most attractive PV application in commercial buildings in China. This study assists industry practitioners to improve their understanding of the value of PV building projects across China.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia

    Hongying Zhao, Rebecca Yang & Trivess Moore

  2. University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia

    Chengyang Liu

Authors
  1. Hongying Zhao
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  2. Rebecca Yang
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  3. Trivess Moore
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  4. Chengyang Liu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rebecca Yang .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Griffith Sciences, School of Engineering and Built Environment, Nathan Campus, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Prasad Kaparaju

  2. Bournemouth University and KES International, Shoreham-by-sea, UK

    Robert J. Howlett

  3. Cardiff School of Art & Design, Llandaff Campus, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff, UK

    John Littlewood

  4. School of Engineering and Built Environment, Nathan Campus, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Chandima Ekanyake

  5. Griffith Sciences, School of Engineering and Built Environment, Nathan Campus, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Ljubo Vlacic

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Cite this paper

Zhao, H., Yang, R., Moore, T., Liu, C. (2019). Value Comparison of Distributed Solar Energy Applications in Commercial Buildings Across China. In: Kaparaju, P., Howlett, R., Littlewood, J., Ekanyake, C., Vlacic, L. (eds) Sustainability in Energy and Buildings 2018. KES-SEB 2018. Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies, vol 131. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04293-6_29

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