Assessing summertime urban air conditioning consumption in a semiarid environment
Evaluation of built environment energy demand is necessary in light of global projections of urban expansion. Of particular concern are rapidly expanding urban areas in environments where consumption requirements for cooling are excessive. Here, we simulate urban air conditioning (AC) electric consu...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2013-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/8/3/034022 |
| _version_ | 1797748317950574592 |
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| author | F Salamanca M Georgescu A Mahalov M Moustaoui M Wang B M Svoma |
| author_facet | F Salamanca M Georgescu A Mahalov M Moustaoui M Wang B M Svoma |
| author_sort | F Salamanca |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Evaluation of built environment energy demand is necessary in light of global projections of urban expansion. Of particular concern are rapidly expanding urban areas in environments where consumption requirements for cooling are excessive. Here, we simulate urban air conditioning (AC) electric consumption for several extreme heat events during summertime over a semiarid metropolitan area with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model coupled to a multilayer building energy scheme. Observed total load values obtained from an electric utility company were split into two parts, one linked to meteorology (i.e., AC consumption) which was compared to WRF simulations, and another to human behavior. WRF-simulated non-dimensional AC consumption profiles compared favorably to diurnal observations in terms of both amplitude and timing. The hourly ratio of AC to total electricity consumption accounted for ∼53% of diurnally averaged total electric demand, ranging from ∼35% during early morning to ∼65% during evening hours. Our work highlights the importance of modeling AC electricity consumption and its role for the sustainable planning of future urban energy needs. Finally, the methodology presented in this article establishes a new energy consumption-modeling framework that can be applied to any urban environment where the use of AC systems is prevalent. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:03:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-01cfc0d44bc546babe93743ffe1bf4d9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1748-9326 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T16:03:12Z |
| publishDate | 2013-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-01cfc0d44bc546babe93743ffe1bf4d92023-08-09T14:27:05ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Letters1748-93262013-01-018303402210.1088/1748-9326/8/3/034022Assessing summertime urban air conditioning consumption in a semiarid environmentF Salamanca0M Georgescu1A Mahalov2M Moustaoui3M Wang4B M Svoma5School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, Global Institute of Sustainability, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ 85287, USASchool of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, Global Institute of Sustainability, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ 85287, USA; School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ 85287, USASchool of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, Global Institute of Sustainability, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ 85287, USASchool of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, Global Institute of Sustainability, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ 85287, USASchool of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, Global Institute of Sustainability, Arizona State University , Tempe, AZ 85287, USADepartment of Soil, Environment, and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Missouri , 302 Anheuser-Busch Natural Resources Building, Columbia, MO 65211, USAEvaluation of built environment energy demand is necessary in light of global projections of urban expansion. Of particular concern are rapidly expanding urban areas in environments where consumption requirements for cooling are excessive. Here, we simulate urban air conditioning (AC) electric consumption for several extreme heat events during summertime over a semiarid metropolitan area with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model coupled to a multilayer building energy scheme. Observed total load values obtained from an electric utility company were split into two parts, one linked to meteorology (i.e., AC consumption) which was compared to WRF simulations, and another to human behavior. WRF-simulated non-dimensional AC consumption profiles compared favorably to diurnal observations in terms of both amplitude and timing. The hourly ratio of AC to total electricity consumption accounted for ∼53% of diurnally averaged total electric demand, ranging from ∼35% during early morning to ∼65% during evening hours. Our work highlights the importance of modeling AC electricity consumption and its role for the sustainable planning of future urban energy needs. Finally, the methodology presented in this article establishes a new energy consumption-modeling framework that can be applied to any urban environment where the use of AC systems is prevalent.https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/8/3/03402292.60.Fm92.60.Kcenergysustainabilitybuilt environmentregional climate modeling |
| spellingShingle | F Salamanca M Georgescu A Mahalov M Moustaoui M Wang B M Svoma Assessing summertime urban air conditioning consumption in a semiarid environment Environmental Research Letters 92.60.Fm 92.60.Kc energy sustainability built environment regional climate modeling |
| title | Assessing summertime urban air conditioning consumption in a semiarid environment |
| title_full | Assessing summertime urban air conditioning consumption in a semiarid environment |
| title_fullStr | Assessing summertime urban air conditioning consumption in a semiarid environment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing summertime urban air conditioning consumption in a semiarid environment |
| title_short | Assessing summertime urban air conditioning consumption in a semiarid environment |
| title_sort | assessing summertime urban air conditioning consumption in a semiarid environment |
| topic | 92.60.Fm 92.60.Kc energy sustainability built environment regional climate modeling |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/8/3/034022 |
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