Solar photovoltaics deployment impact on urban temperature: Review and assessment recommendations

Climate change necessitates widespread adoption of renewable energy for carbon neutrality. Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels are among the most viable options, particularly in regions closer to the equator. Deploying solar PV panels has an impact on the existing environment and urban climate given the addition of low albedo and low thermal capacity materials. This concerns the strategic PV panels implementation in the urban planning and building design considerations towards human thermal comfort. This work is motivated by the conflicting effects that PV panel deployments cause on the urban temperature. It analyses 264 studies across climates and examines simulation-based and site measurement-based methodologies, as well as non-uniform thermal environment rating metrics, for assessing the impact of PVs on urban temperature. Results highlight variations in urban configurations, simulation settings, sensor placements, and measurement protocols, leading to inconsistent findings. Consequently, the research gap is identified, indicating the need for a systematic, fair, and normalized approach to assess the impact of PV systems on urban temperature, along with research directions and the challenges associated with its implementation. Finally, this analysis presents preliminary guidelines for field measurements and simulations. A comprehensive workflow integrating CFD, Lattice Boltzmann method, Deep Learning, and optionally Machine Learning is further proposed for PV impact assessment. These insights contribute to informed decision-making for the development of sustainable architectural design and urban planning strategies that effectively integrate PV systems to mitigate urban heat island effects and achieve desirable thermal comfort.