Shaping Urban Block Building Form to Correlate PV Production with Electricity Demand

Incorporating building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems at the urban level can reduce emissions and increase clean electricity generation. However, these systems face challenges in matching electricity demand and supply, particularly during peak demand. A proposed solution is optimizing the orientation of BIPV panels, but this can be challenging due to limited space available for panels, self-shading, and difficulties integrating panels into the building façade. This paper proposes a framework that simultaneously optimizes both BIPV orientations and building forms while considering the energy demand of the urban block. The approach is demonstrated through a case study of six mid-rise apartment buildings in California. The process sought to minimize overgeneration of energy while minimizing the system payback period. Depending on designer priorities, quality designs can have a payback period ranging from 0 to 18 years and overgeneration between 0% and 30%. The methodology offers a performance-driven design optimization technique for BIPV systems at the urban level.