Thermal impact of street canyon microclimate on building energy needs using TRNSYS: A case study of the city of Tangier in Morocco

The aim of this study is to demonstrate the requirement to integrate the urban microclimate to predict the energy needs of buildings. To do this, an integrated approach in TRNSYS software was developed and compared with existing experimental results of a street canyon. Afterwards, a case study was carried out in the case of a street canyon located in the city of Tangier in Morocco. The impact of the aspect ratio on the temperature of the building surfaces and the radiation absorbed by them was examined. The results show that there is greater radiation absorption on the building facades in street canyons than on those of stand-alone buildings. These effects lead to higher surface temperatures in street canyons, resulting in increased cooling energy needs in summer and reduced heating energy needs in winter.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates the importance of integrating urban microclimate to predict building energy needs, showing that buildings in street canyons absorb more radiation and have higher surface temperatures than standalone buildings, resulting in increased cooling energy needs in summer and reduced heating energy needs in winter.