INCIHUSA   20883
INSTITUTO DE CIENCIAS HUMANAS, SOCIALES Y AMBIENTALES
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
artículos
Título:
Assessing the solar potential of low density urban environments in andean cities with desert climates - The case of the city of Mendoza, in Argentina
Autor/es:
ARBOIT, MARIELA ; DIBLASI, ANGELA; FERNÁNDEZ LLANO, JORGE AND DE ROSA, CARLOS
Revista:
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Editorial:
Elsevier
Referencias:
Lugar: Oxford,U.K.; Año: 2008 vol. 33 p. 1733 - 1748
ISSN:
0960-1481
Resumen:
Energy use in the built environment is globally recognized as a key issue on the path towards a sustainable urban future. In tempered-cold arid regions with a generous solar resource, it is possible to provide important fractions of the energy demand for space and water heating in urban buildings, through adequate design and technology. The main objective of this study is to assess the solar potential of low-density urban environments in the city of Mendoza, Argentina, for further development of technical guidelines, transferable to urban and energy planning agencies and professionals, involved in habitat’s production. Methodologically, a series of successive stages was followed: i. Selection of a representative sample of analysis units, (city-blocks). ii. Selection of a series of urban and building variables involved. iii. Definition of indicators accounting for: solar masking, buildings potential use of the radiation impinging on the urban area and availability of adequate collecting areas to satisfy significant percentages of the energy demand, in low-density urban tissues. iv.  Insolation of potential collectors simulated by  a graphic-computational model developed in the R+D unit.  Only the results for solar space heating are presented in this paper. The analysis of results, direct and statistical, indicate that it is technically feasible to meet the target solar fractions aimed-at in the analyzed urban environments and, at the same time, by means of the solar recycling of existing building stocks, to considerably reduce the environmental impacts due to the extraction of materials from, and the disposal of solid wastes into the ecosystem.