A reflective adaptive solar façade for multi-building energy and comfort management

Abstract Actively controlled building facade technologies provide an intriguing method for building energy and comfort management as well as on-site electricity generation. Here, a novel concept is proposed which allows for energy and comfort management on a multi-building level by making use of sunlight redirection via adaptive reflective panels mounted on a building facade. Utilizing such a system to share solar radiation between building surfaces will improve utilization of the solar resource in urban settings, contributing to a reduction in waste energy and subsequently mitigating the urban heat island effect. The authors term this technology a reflective adaptive solar facade. A framework is presented that models and assesses the performance of such a system, consisting of a Resistance-Capacitance building energy model coupled to a Monte Carlo ray tracing simulation. This framework is then utilized to determine the contribution of such a system to building energy savings. The simulation framework is applied to cases of different receiver designs including concentrating photovoltaic receivers and indirect heating. The facade's novel abilities to redistribute sunlight between buildings open new pathways for intelligent urban design via efficient distribution of solar energy resources.