Lund University

July 3, 2021
Workflow stories describe use of solar neighbourhood planning tools

Experts working on the Solar Neighborhood Planning project have created workflow stories to find out which tools urban planners use and what problems they encounter while doing so. The image above is taken from a Norwegian workflow story. It shows a simulation of sunlight patterns...
December 20, 2020
Assessing lighting quality in commercial buildings

How effective are integrated daylighting and electric lighting solutions in raising comfort and saving energy? To answer this question, a group of researchers working under the auspices of the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme have taken a closer look at field studies of commercial...
May 20, 2020
Lessons learned from first IEA SHC online meetings

“It worked very, very well and we saved a lot of emissions,” said one of the participants in the two-day online workshop organised by research platform Solar Neighborhood Planning, also known as Task 63. On 11 and 12 March, 42 people based in 10 different countries, ranging from Canada and...
September 17, 2019
Solar planning experts meet in France

Between 22 and 24 October, the University of Savoie Mont Blanc in Le Bourget-du-Lac, France, will be the venue for the first meeting about research platform Solar Neighborhood Planning. Professor Christophe Ménézo, who is organising the event, is inviting experts from a wide...
September 13, 2018
New at IEA SHC: Solar neighbourhood planning

Case study reporting by research platform Solar Energy in Urban Planning has recently concluded with the publication of an interactive map...
July 25, 2018
Lessons learned from urban solar projects

Cities and municipalities are thought to play a decisive role in transforming energy systems. Urban planners, municipal stakeholders and consulting firms need case studies to demonstrate that solar energy can be integrated successfully into new and existing urban neighbourhoods. It is why...
November 22, 2017
SHC 2017 / Maria Wall: Solar Energy in Urban Planning

In ancient Rome, urban citizens had a "right to light" that was limiting the densification of cities to get sufficient daylight and also natural ventilation. With electric lighting and mechanical ventilation, this got forgotten. Maria Wall explains why the increasing use of solar energy and...
September 26, 2017
IEA SHC Solar Academy: Solar Planning in Times of Rapid City Growth

Just as on Stockholm’s coastline shown in the photo, cities are seeing new neighbourhoods develop or old ones restored and expanded at a rapid pace. Urban planning is a highly complex issue, especially if it involves low-carbon living solutions and environmental regulations. The main...
May 2, 2016
IEA SHC TASK 51: “Integrate Energy Perspectives into Spatial Planning of Urban Areas”

During COP21 in Paris last December, 1,000 mayors and local leaders pledged themselves to a 100 % renewable future of their municipalities by 2050. The final declaration from 4 December 2015 reads (see the attached document): “We support ambitious long-term climate goals such as a...
November 3, 2015
IEA SHC Task 51: Urban Planners Know Little about Solar Energy Potential

During IEA SHC Task 51, Solar Energy in Urban Planning, the project partners evaluated the legal, process and education issues of solar in urban planning across the twelve member countries. What they found was: Planners and architects know little about the...