Solar Energy Integration in Urban Planning: GUUD Model

With more than half of the world's people living in cities and about 75% of the population that will live in urban areas by 2050, meeting energy demands sustainably is one of the most important challenges for the future of society. This paper presents the solar energy integration in urban planning by using the GUUD - Geographical Urban Units Delimitation model. The concept behind this is that city districts and neighborhoods can be turned into solar power stations that behave like atoms. Appealing to the cellular automata (CA) concepts, the GUUD model assumes the division of the city into “cellular units” according to four delimitation criteria: construction timeline, population density, urban morphologies and land-use patterns. To do this, the model is calibrated to collect a selection of data inputs which are the bases of a workflow that combines GIS with parametric modeling and solar dynamic analysis. Its application to a case study shows how is extremely important to understand the existing urban models to relate them effectively with energy aspects at the whole city scale. Furthermore, the results of solar dynamic analysis suggest how the energy supply from the widespread installation of photovoltaic systems in the urban context can provide a sustainable contribution to energy demands but at the same time has to be supported by smart grids for its correct management and completed by more energy efficient buildings and other renewable resources towards the city energy balance.