Feasibility of Using Photovoltaic, Thermal, and Hybrid Solar Panels in High-Rise Commercial Buildings: A Case Study of Toronto, Canada

Abstract

This study evaluates the feasibility of integrating solar energy into high-rise commercial buildings by measuring its effectiveness in reducing their external energy needs and operating greenhouse gas emissions. To exploit the solar potential, all the available areas on the roof and façade of an archetype high-rise building, located in Toronto, are covered with different combinations of photovoltaic, thermal, and photovoltaic-thermal collectors and an alternative cooling system, i.e. desiccant cooling using excess solar heat during the summer, is implemented. The results indicate that exploiting solar energy potential can cover 11–25% of the total energy demand of the building and reduce its emissions by 4–38%. Converting solar energy to heat, either through a thermal or a thermal-photovoltaic collector, is shown to be more effective in reducing both building dependence on the energy grid and operating emissions. Thermal technologies yield higher solar energy coverage because they have higher efficiency compared to photovoltaic panels. Given that natural gas has a 5.6-time higher carbon intensity compared to electricity in the city of Toronto (31 vs. 175 gCO₂e/kWh), thermal harvesting technologies are more effective in lowering the emissions. This conclusion is, however, not universal, as in many locations, electricity can have a higher carbon intensity compared to natural gas.