Unlocking the potential of unregulated rooftops for solar PV on residential buildings: Identifying and addressing key challenges
Buildings represent one of the largest energy-consuming sectors globally, accounting for over one-third of final energy use and carbon emissions, underlining the urgent need to transition this sector towards sustainability. Integrating solar PV onto building rooftops offers immense potential to meet...
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Elsevier
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Energy Nexus |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772427125000889 |
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| author | M. Asif R. Sharieff M. Olawale M. Imran Khan |
| author_facet | M. Asif R. Sharieff M. Olawale M. Imran Khan |
| author_sort | M. Asif |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Buildings represent one of the largest energy-consuming sectors globally, accounting for over one-third of final energy use and carbon emissions, underlining the urgent need to transition this sector towards sustainability. Integrating solar PV onto building rooftops offers immense potential to meet onsite electricity needs from clean, renewable sources while alleviating grid dependence. However, the availability of rooftops for PV panel installation varies significantly, with architectural, structural, and service-related features posing significant barriers to widespread PV adoption, especially in the Middle East. This study examines the restrictive impact of these obstacles and explores potential solutions to optimize rooftop utilization for PV deployment. Comprehensive audits of 30 residential buildings first identified prevalent obstructive features on rooftops, including parapet walls, stairwells, water tanks, AC units, and service equipment. Detailed 3D modeling of a representative apartment block with similar hurdles revealed an extremely low roof utilization factor of just 28 % available for PV installation in the base case. To address this underutilization, the study examines three distinct rooftop optimization scenarios: rearranging movable obstructions (Case B); lowering parapet wall height (Case C); and constructing an elevated PV canopy or “fly-roof” over existing obstructions (Case D). Advanced building-integrated PV simulations demonstrate progressively higher energy yields from the rooftop interventions, with the fly-roof maximizing utilization and annual generation. However, a multi-criteria assessment incorporating technical, economic, regulatory and social perspectives revealed that pragmatically rearranging rooftop obstructions (Case B) was the most preferred solution with a score of 0.311, followed by Case C (0.262) and Case D (0.190). These findings provide valuable insights for optimizing rooftop PV applications in regions facing similar challenges. The study contributes to advancing scientific understanding of rooftop PV optimization strategies and offers actionable recommendations for policymakers, building designers, and PV professionals to accelerate the deployment of distributed solar energy systems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d67c936740774d3cafb881ee7c0331de |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2772-4271 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Energy Nexus |
| spelling | doaj-art-d67c936740774d3cafb881ee7c0331de2025-08-20T02:07:13ZengElsevierEnergy Nexus2772-42712025-06-011810044710.1016/j.nexus.2025.100447Unlocking the potential of unregulated rooftops for solar PV on residential buildings: Identifying and addressing key challengesM. Asif0R. Sharieff1M. Olawale2M. Imran Khan3Architectural Engineering & Construction Management, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia; Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; Corresponding author at: Architectural Engineering & Construction Management, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia.Architectural Engineering & Construction Management, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi ArabiaArchitectural Engineering & Construction Management, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia; Corresponding author.Buildings represent one of the largest energy-consuming sectors globally, accounting for over one-third of final energy use and carbon emissions, underlining the urgent need to transition this sector towards sustainability. Integrating solar PV onto building rooftops offers immense potential to meet onsite electricity needs from clean, renewable sources while alleviating grid dependence. However, the availability of rooftops for PV panel installation varies significantly, with architectural, structural, and service-related features posing significant barriers to widespread PV adoption, especially in the Middle East. This study examines the restrictive impact of these obstacles and explores potential solutions to optimize rooftop utilization for PV deployment. Comprehensive audits of 30 residential buildings first identified prevalent obstructive features on rooftops, including parapet walls, stairwells, water tanks, AC units, and service equipment. Detailed 3D modeling of a representative apartment block with similar hurdles revealed an extremely low roof utilization factor of just 28 % available for PV installation in the base case. To address this underutilization, the study examines three distinct rooftop optimization scenarios: rearranging movable obstructions (Case B); lowering parapet wall height (Case C); and constructing an elevated PV canopy or “fly-roof” over existing obstructions (Case D). Advanced building-integrated PV simulations demonstrate progressively higher energy yields from the rooftop interventions, with the fly-roof maximizing utilization and annual generation. However, a multi-criteria assessment incorporating technical, economic, regulatory and social perspectives revealed that pragmatically rearranging rooftop obstructions (Case B) was the most preferred solution with a score of 0.311, followed by Case C (0.262) and Case D (0.190). These findings provide valuable insights for optimizing rooftop PV applications in regions facing similar challenges. The study contributes to advancing scientific understanding of rooftop PV optimization strategies and offers actionable recommendations for policymakers, building designers, and PV professionals to accelerate the deployment of distributed solar energy systems.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772427125000889Renewable energyBuildingRooftop PVMulti-criteria decision analysis |
| spellingShingle | M. Asif R. Sharieff M. Olawale M. Imran Khan Unlocking the potential of unregulated rooftops for solar PV on residential buildings: Identifying and addressing key challenges Energy Nexus Renewable energy Building Rooftop PV Multi-criteria decision analysis |
| title | Unlocking the potential of unregulated rooftops for solar PV on residential buildings: Identifying and addressing key challenges |
| title_full | Unlocking the potential of unregulated rooftops for solar PV on residential buildings: Identifying and addressing key challenges |
| title_fullStr | Unlocking the potential of unregulated rooftops for solar PV on residential buildings: Identifying and addressing key challenges |
| title_full_unstemmed | Unlocking the potential of unregulated rooftops for solar PV on residential buildings: Identifying and addressing key challenges |
| title_short | Unlocking the potential of unregulated rooftops for solar PV on residential buildings: Identifying and addressing key challenges |
| title_sort | unlocking the potential of unregulated rooftops for solar pv on residential buildings identifying and addressing key challenges |
| topic | Renewable energy Building Rooftop PV Multi-criteria decision analysis |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772427125000889 |
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