Early-Stage Design Parameters for Low-Energy Solar Rural Houses in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Abstract

As an effective solution to achieve carbon neutrality, the development of low-energy solar houses is now in the ascendant in China. The Qinghai Tibet Plateau (QTP), which is rich in solar energy resources, is considered to be an important region for solar technologies studying. Rural houses are the main living form for residents in the QTP, early-stage design parameters play an important role in achieving low-energy consumption of rural houses. However, researches on the design method and parameters of low-energy solar rural house were relatively poor at present. This paper examined the influence of early-stage design parameters on the energy performance of low-energy solar rural houses incorporating building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) roof systems. A 2-storey 110 m2 rural house was studied as an archetype. Through simulation, a range of related building parameters, such as shape coefficient, window-to-wall ratio (WWR) and azimuth angle were analysed and compared. The impact of early-stage design parameters on energy consumption in winter, ventilation in summer and BIPV system annual energy yield were considered.