The significance and effectiveness of combining integrated photovoltaic systems and biomaterials to improve renewable energy utilization in the built environment via molecular dynamics method

The Role of Renewable Energy as a ‘Green Growth’ Strategy for the Built Environment

“…Numerous avenues have been explored in this regard. Systems of production and independent use of water and energy offer the possibility of significant resource consumption in residential areas [1,2,5,10,23]. As investment costs in solar energy reduce, rooftop solar panels become an affordable alternative to serving household energy needs (e.g., lighting, television, heating and cooling, and kitchen use) [6,8,9].…”

“…Only by transitioning to a sustainable built environment can we expect to achieve positive environmental outcomes. The term 'built environment' is a concept that broadly refers to the full range of structures that facilitate human activities [1][2][3][4]. More specifically, it denotes all physical forms that constitute a city, such as buildings, factories, transit systems, amenities, parks, and sidewalks [4][5][6][7].…”

“…The built environment can be understood as a human-modified environment, where, along with buildings, supporting infrastructure sectors such as energy distribution, water supply, and waste management systems are present [1,2,4,8]. These sectors in particular account for a significant proportion of all natural resource consumption and greenhouse gas emissions [1,2,4]. There is therefore a need for carbon-neutral energy sources.…”

“…Statistics compiled by the International Energy Agency (IEA) show that electricity production is responsible for 40% of the world's carbon emissions, with the built environment accounting for more than a third of those emissions [2,8,9]. Renewable energy technology (RET) strategies offer the promise of greatly reducing the environmental impact of buildings and other commercial and public infrastructure [1,2,[4][5][6]9,10]. In order to maintain a harmonious balance between nature and cities, built environments must be responsibly designed, planned, and constructed [1,2,4,5].…”

“…Renewable energy technology (RET) strategies offer the promise of greatly reducing the environmental impact of buildings and other commercial and public infrastructure [1,2,[4][5][6]9,10]. In order to maintain a harmonious balance between nature and cities, built environments must be responsibly designed, planned, and constructed [1,2,4,5]. Recent studies have shown that considering the harmful environmental effects of fossil fuel-based production, the use of renewable energy sources, such as solar photovoltaic systems, wind turbines, waste and biomass, and concentrated solar power plants, can significantly enhance the sustainable development of the built environment.…”