Utilization of Solar Energy in Smart Buildings: Second Edition

Dear Colleagues,

According to a 2019 report by the United Nations, energy consumption in the building and construction industry accounts for more than 40% of total global energy consumption. With the rapid growth of the global economy, the demand for a comfortable indoor thermal environment has increased. To achieve the objective of energy saving in buildings whilst simultaneously improving indoor comfort, effective and reliable applications of renewable energy in buildings should be reasonably promoted.

Solar energy is a widely used renewable energy source to achieve carbon neutrality. In recent years, solar photovoltaic and solar thermal technologies have been increasingly applied due to their reduced investment and improved performance. It is anticipated that in the future, photovoltaic power generation will account for a large proportion of total power generation. In addition to renewable energy, smart building is another effective solution to address global warming. Smart buildings can effectively predict, control, diagnose and adjust their energy systems to achieve high reliability and energy efficiency. Such efficacious utilization of solar energy and other renewable energies in buildings can significantly contribute to energy conservation and CO2 emission reduction, paving the wayu toward a sustainable society.

This Special Issue aims to collate research that address the varying aspects of sustainable solar energy applications in smart buildings, and thereby provide an international forum for the dissemination of the latest advancements in this domain.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Solar photovoltaic integration in buildings (BIPV);
• Hybrid solar–wind power technologies;
• Advanced solar energy technologies;
• Advanced energy storage technologies;
• Advanced renewable energy systems (solar heating and cooling, PV, PV/T, and ground-source heat pump technologies);
• Solar energy policy in buildings;
• Smart control in low-energy and zero-energy buildings;
• Dynamic simulation of building energy systems;
• Building energy load prediction;
• Building energy system assessment and diagnosis;
• Big data analytics for smart energy systems and smart buildings;
• Smart building management;
• Green construction in smart buildings.

Dr. Tian You
Dr. Zongwei Han
Dr. Yang Zhao
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• solar energy
• solar heating
• solar cooling
• PV
• PVT
• BIPV
• smart control
• energy efficiency
• big data analytics
• green construction
• low-energy building
• zero-energy building