DOCTORAL CANDIDATE
Hamza Nisar

SUPERVISORS
Prof. Christophe Ménézo, University of Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB)
Mattheos Santamouris, University of New South Wales (UNSW)

Solar Energy, Building and Urban physics, Heat and mass transfer, Photonics

The solar photovoltaic (PV) heat island effect is a phenomenon that occurs when solar PV absorbs sunlight and converts it into electricity. The heat generated by the process and reduction in albedo due to PV installation warms up the surrounding air and hence contribute to Urban Heat Island (UHI). UHI’s corresponds to areas of city that are considerably warmer than the nearby rural areas. UHI effect have profound effect on energy consumption, environmental conditions and on urban population. Limited experimental studies have been conducted along with numerical simulation to study the effect of PV on UHI. Mesoscale analysis and interaction of PVs with environment and their performance evaluation needs to be study in detail and under different configurations.

This research will investigate the mechanisms of the solar PV heat island effect and its impact on urban climate. Mitigation strategies will be developed to reduce the solar PV heat island effect and enhance the energy performance of urban PV systems. We will use a multi-scale approach, combining experimental and numerical studies. Experimental studies will be conducted to measure the optical and radiative properties of solar PV panels. Numerical studies will be conducted using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model to simulate the impact of solar PV panels on urban climate. The research will assess the impact of urban PVs on the urban climate and energy consumption for a variety of configurations. The goal of the research is to optimize urban solar power plant performance while concurrently mitigating UHI effects and reducing energy consumption.