Analysis of the distributed generation of solar energy in residential Buildings

a case study in an area to be densified in the city of Belo Horizonte

Abstract

The increase in energy consumption by the residential sector, combined with climate change, is an incentive for distributed generation from renewable sources. One of the current barriers to the distributed generation of renewable sources is precisely in municipal urban policies that do not have parameters that guarantee access to the sun in most cities. The objective of this work is to evaluate an approach to include the energy autonomy of residential buildings, obtained from access to the sun, as a parameter for the possibility of densification of a given territory. The procedure developed is the construction of urban densification scenarios, later simulated from parametric modeling of blocks using Rhinoceros 6.0 software and Grasshopper and Ladybug plugins. The procedure was applied in two blocks with high potential for densification located in the Lagoinha neighborhood, in Belo Horizonte. The developed algorithm allows the procedure to be replicated in other urban contexts, as it allows adjustments to be made to urban parameters. In the case analyzed, it was possible to verify that the municipal planner, from the point of view of energy autonomy, needs to consider not only the impact that the utilization coefficient has on the area available for generation, but also the impact of population density on demand. The feasibility of using traditional urban parameters to reflect on energy planning at the municipal scale was demonstrated.