Energy self-sufficiency of office buildings in four Asian cities

This paper examines the climatic and technical feasibilities of zero energy buildings in Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore and Riyadh. Annual and seasonal energy demands of office buildings of various scales in the above cities were compared. Using optimally tilted rooftop PV panels, solar energy production potentials of the buildings were estimated. Based on the estimates of onsite renewable energy production and building energy consumption, the energy self-sufficiencies of the test buildings were assessed. The economic feasibilities of the PV systems in the four locations were analyzed. Strategies for achieving zero energy buildings are suggested.