Elevating solar potential of buildings with facade integration in Chinese cities

Zhe Yu; Bin Ye; Duo Lou; Zhaoxuan He; Zhenwei Lu; Xuyang Liang; Zhenzhong Zeng; Jingjing Jiang; Zhiling Guo

doi:10.59717/j.xinn-energy.2026.100179

The Innovation Energy > 2026 Vol. 3 > No. 3 > 100179

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Elevating solar potential of buildings with facade integration in Chinese cities

1.
School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
2.
School of Economics and Management, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518055, China
3.
Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China

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Corresponding author: yeb@sustech.edu.cn
Received Date: March 04, 2026

Accepted Date: July 02, 2026

Published Online: July 20, 2026

The Innovation Energy 3(3), https://doi.org/10.59717/j.xinn-energy.2026.100179 | Cite this article

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PUBLIC SUMMARY

PUBLIC SUMMARY
1. Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) is critical for urban decarbonization, while national-scale assessments covering rooftops, multi-directional facades and urban heterogeneity are lacking.
  
  This study adopts 3D building data, PV_LIB model and ERA5 data to simulate BIPV output across 361 Chinese cities, achieving an annual potential of 13,518 TWh.
  
  Facade-integrated photovoltaics (FIPV) can boost BIPV power generation by 60% compared with rooftop-only photovoltaic systems.
  
  Rooftop-integrated photovoltaic (RIPV) and south-facing FIPV reduce the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) by 30%, optimizing urban BIPV economic performance.

ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT

Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) presents key strategy for urban decarbonization by enabling localized electricity generation on rooftops and facades. Urban building stocks offer substantial spatial potential for solar energy harvesting. However, existing studies have primarily focused on rooftop photovoltaics, and there is a lack of national-scale assessments that simultaneously consider rooftops, facades, facade orientations, and spatial heterogeneity across cities. This study integrates 3D building footprints from multi-source geospatial data to derive rooftop and facade areas, then applies the PV_LIB model with ERA5 solar irradiation data to simulate hourly generation for 361 Chinese cities. Key findings reveal an annual electricity generation potential of 13,518 TWh from building surfaces across a 159,672 km² target area. Notably, façade-integrated photovoltaics (FIPV) can increase the total power generation of BIPV systems by up to 60% compared with rooftop-only photovoltaic systems. To further explore the multifaceted value of this potential, this study conducts city-level spatial analysis across energy, environmental, and economic dimensions. Results from Moran’s Index demonstrate that economic potential exhibits the strongest spatial autocorrelation among Chinese cities, revealing a clear north-south gradient pattern. Furthermore, an assessment of the urban photovoltaic power generation potential across different orientations reveals that rooftop-integrated photovoltaic (RIPV) and south-facing FIPV deployments optimize economic efficiency, reducing levelized cost of energy by 30%. compared with the full BIPV system. This optimization strategy enhances both energy and economic performance, offering clear guidance for BIPV planning in cities.
- Facade /
- Chinese Cities /
- Building-integrated photovoltaic /
- Economics /
- Carbon reduction

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REFERENCES

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Yu Z., Ye B., Lou D., et al. (2026). Elevating solar potential of buildings with facade integration in Chinese cities. The Innovation Energy 3:100179. https://doi.org/10.59717/j.xinn-energy.2026.100179

Yu Z., Ye B., Lou D., et al. (2026). Elevating solar potential of buildings with facade integration in Chinese cities. The Innovation Energy 3:100179. https://doi.org/10.59717/j.xinn-energy.2026.100179

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Elevating solar potential of buildings with facade integration in Chinese cities

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

PUBLIC SUMMARY

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