Preparatory meteorological modeling and theoretical analysis for a neighborhood-scale cool roof demonstration
- Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Replacing dark conventional roofs with more reflective “cool” roofs has been proposed as a method to lower urban air temperatures. Many meteorological studies have simulated potential cool roof air temperature reductions. However, economic and logistical challenges make it difficult to perform the large-scale demonstrations needed to verify these model results. This work assesses whether a neighborhood-scale cool roof demonstration could yield an observable air temperature change. We use both an idealized theoretical framework and a meteorological model to estimate the air temperature reduction that could be induced by increasing roof albedo over ~ 1 km2 area of a city. Both the idealized analysis and model indicate that an air temperature reduction could be detected, with the model indicating a reduction of 0.5 °C and the idealized analysis indicating a larger reduction of 1.3 °C. Follow-on modeling is recommended prior to design of a neighborhood-scale demonstration.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Energy Efficiency Office. Building Technologies Office
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC02-05CH11231
- OSTI ID:
- 1459407
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 1549267
- Journal Information:
- Urban Climate, Vol. 24, Issue C; ISSN 2212-0955
- Publisher:
- ElsevierCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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