A green roof or rooftop solar? You can combine them in a biosolar roof, boosting both biodiversity and power output

Irga, P; Wooster, E; Torpy, F; Rojahn, J; Fleck, R

A green roof or rooftop solar? You can combine them in a biosolar roof, boosting both biodiversity and power output

Irga, P

Wooster, E Torpy, F Rojahn, J Fleck, R

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Publisher:: The Conversation
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: 2023
Issue Date:: 2023-08-17

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Irga, P https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5952-0658
dc.contributor.author	Wooster, E
dc.contributor.author	Torpy, F
dc.contributor.author	Rojahn, J
dc.contributor.author	Fleck, R https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2045-1656
dc.date.accessioned	2023-09-12T06:05:04Z
dc.date.available	2023-09-12T06:05:04Z
dc.date.issued	2023-08-17
dc.identifier.citation	2023
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/172065
dc.description.abstract	Growing city populations and limited space are driving the adoption of green roofs and green walls covered with living plants. As well as boosting biodiversity, green roofs could play another unexpectedly valuable role by increasing the electricity output of solar panels. As solar panels heat up beyond 25℃, their efficiency decreases markedly. Green roofs moderate rooftop temperatures. So we wanted to find out: could green roofs help with the problem of heat reducing the output of solar panels? Our research compared a “biosolar” green roof – one that combines a solar system with a green roof – and a comparable conventional roof with an equivalent solar system. We measured the impacts on biodiversity and solar output, as well as how the plants coped with having panels installed above them. The green roof supported much more biodiversity, as one might expect. By reducing average maximum temperatures by about 8℃, it increased solar generation by as much as 107% during peak periods. And while some plant species outperformed others, the vegetation flourished.
dc.language	en
dc.publisher	The Conversation
dc.relation	http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DE210100755
dc.relation	The Council of the City of Sydney
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.title	A green roof or rooftop solar? You can combine them in a biosolar roof, boosting both biodiversity and power output
dc.type	Journal Article
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building/School of Built Environment
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology/School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - CTWW - Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater Treatment
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
pubs.consider-herdc	false
dc.date.updated	2023-09-12T06:05:03Z
pubs.publication-status	Published online

Abstract:

Growing city populations and limited space are driving the adoption of green roofs and green walls covered with living plants. As well as boosting biodiversity, green roofs could play another unexpectedly valuable role by increasing the electricity output of solar panels. As solar panels heat up beyond 25℃, their efficiency decreases markedly. Green roofs moderate rooftop temperatures. So we wanted to find out: could green roofs help with the problem of heat reducing the output of solar panels? Our research compared a “biosolar” green roof – one that combines a solar system with a green roof – and a comparable conventional roof with an equivalent solar system. We measured the impacts on biodiversity and solar output, as well as how the plants coped with having panels installed above them. The green roof supported much more biodiversity, as one might expect. By reducing average maximum temperatures by about 8℃, it increased solar generation by as much as 107% during peak periods. And while some plant species outperformed others, the vegetation flourished.

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:

http://hdl.handle.net/10453/172065