A new validation protocol for an urban microclimate model based on temperature measurements in a Central European city

•Lumped parameter urban canopy model coupled with EnergyPlus model.•Model conforming to a configuration at Basel (Switzerland).•Model accuracy calculated over exhaustive sensitivity and Monte-Carlo analysis.•Good agreement between measurements and estimates of urban temperature.

In this paper, we provide further evidence of the reliability of a lumped parameter urban canopy model coupled with an EnergyPlus building energy model to estimate urban temperatures. In a previous paper, we presented a preliminary validation of the model using data measured at Masdar Institute, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. At present, we conduct a more comprehensive validation based on BUBBLE experimental data measured in the Sperrstrasse, a street canyon located in Basel downtown, Switzerland. To extend the coupled scheme for the Sperrstrasse and future work, we developed methods for approximating waste heat releases generated by a heating system, anthropogenic heat gains created by traffic, and direct normal solar irradiance. Based on a baseline coupled scheme model for the Sperrstrasse, we evaluate the sensitivity of urban temperature estimates to ±20% variations of each parameter. We finally show, through Monte-Carlo analysis, that the coupled scheme can achieve satisfactory accuracy in a dense Central European city.