Work

Building morphology and multi-energy systems coupling optimisation in urban mixed-use blocks: Energy, environment and economy performance assessments

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Previous research focuses on either urban block morphology design optimisation or multi-energy systems (MES) configuration optimisation, most ignore the interaction between the two, which limits the maximum utilisation of solar PV and the optimal configuration of MES. This paper aims to construct a multi-objective co-optimisation framework with an integrated surrogate model to investigate the interaction between block morphology and MES. A set of mix-use urban block parametric model was generated base on typical building form using Rhino & Grasshopper. Then, the time-by-time building energy consumption (BEC) and PV power generation potential (PVGP) were assessed. Afterwards, the surrogate model is employed to develop a multi-objective co-optimisation model. The results indicated that the BEC and PVGP characteristics of different functional types urban blocks differ significantly on weekday, weekend and month-by-month time scales. The Pareto solution sets of multi-objective optimisation can achieve average daily self-sufficiency index of up to 29.64%, a minimum economic payback period of 11.60 years and a maximum carbon reduction ratio of 68.48%. The shortest payback period can be reduced to 9.24 years by replacing the energy storage system with an electric vehicle system. The technical framework is scalable and can be applied to other similar climate zones around the world, providing a feasible technical pathway for achieving carbon neutrality in cities globally.

Source: Energy and Built Environment

DOI: 10.1016/j.enbenv.2026.09.002