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Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences have proposed installing solar panels on building facades, a strategy that could reduce energy costs by more than 80% and mitigate the urban heat island effect in large cities.
The study, published in Nature, highlights that the vertical surfaces of urban environments are underutilized and could become massive sources of clean energy.
The proposal, led by Yao Ling, estimates that the installation of solar panels on facades could generate up to 732.5 TWh per year, equivalent to the electricity consumption of entire countries. Additionally, an average savings of 8.1% in building electricity consumption is calculated, thanks to reduced cooling demand and lower impact of direct solar radiation.
This system would not only produce energy but also serve as a protective layer against the sun, lowering the interior temperature of buildings and reducing the need for air conditioning in summer.
If deployed on a large scale by mid-century, the proposal could reduce up to 37.7 gigatons of CO², significantly contributing to the fight against climate change.
The study emphasizes that facade-integrated photovoltaic (FIPV) energy is a still underexplored opportunity to improve urban climate resilience.
Some cities like Singapore and Hong Kong already have buildings that integrate energy-active facades, while in Europe, experiments with photovoltaic glass are replacing conventional glass. However, challenges persist such as investment cost, architectural and regulatory complexity, and integration with electrical grids.
China is the world leader in solar energy, with more than 80% of solar panel manufacturing capacity and an installed capacity that exceeded 800 GW in 2024. In that year, the country installed more renewable energy than the rest of the world combined, reaching nearly 887,000 million watts in panels, multiplying the capacity of the United States by five.
Solar energy is the backbone of China’s energy transition, helping to meet decarbonization goals, reduce coal dependency, and strengthen national energy security. Innovations such as floating solar plants in reservoirs and coastal areas demonstrate how the country seeks to overcome land limitations and bring energy closer to consumption centers.
The installation of solar panels on facades represents a dual solution: producing clean energy and reducing energy consumption in cities increasingly affected by extreme heat. With China’s leadership in the solar industry and the global potential of this technology, the proposal could become a key pillar of urban sustainability in the coming decades.
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Director/Propietario:
Luis Pavesio
Registro DNDA en trámite
Fecha: 09/04/2026
N° de Edición: 4939
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