Net-Zero Energy Building Design for Tropical Climates

Engineering notes

Engineering notes will be added by the Power for Solar editorial team.

Chinese explanation / 中文解读

中文解读待补充：本站会优先为光伏效率、钙钛矿太阳能电池、储能技术、太阳能热利用、BIPV、并网技术等高价值论文补充中文说明。

Original abstract

Buildings account for approximately 40% of global energy consumption, with tropical regions, home to over 4 billion people and experiencing the world's fastest urbanization rates, facing disproportionate cooling loads that make net-zero energy performance a critical design challenge. This paper reports a PRISMA 2020-guided systematic review of 250 peer-reviewed studies on Net-Zero Energy Building (NZEB) design in tropical climates, drawn from seven databases covering the period January 2016 to December 2026. Studies were analyzed through thematic coding, VOS viewer bibliometric mapping, and fixed-effects meta-analysis. Three objectives are addressed: the categorization and evaluation of passive and active design strategies; quantitative performance benchmarking; and the identification of adoption barriers and research gaps. The meta-analysis of 140 performance studies, comprising 94 simulation studies and 46 post-occupancy measurement studies, yields a median Energy Use Intensity (EUI) of 47 kWh/m²/year (95% CI: 42–52) for tropical NZEBs, representing a 55–78% reduction from the conventional median of 195 kWh/m²/year. The three highest-impact strategies are optimized shading (55–75% solar heat gain reduction), naturally ventilated building envelopes, and building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), which collectively enable a renewable energy fraction ranging from 85% to 127% (median 103%). Five principal barriers constrain adoption: high upfront cost (72% citation frequency), regulatory absence (67%), tropical-specific technical gaps (58%), supply chain limitations (51%), and socio-cultural factors (43%). These findings demonstrate that net-zero performance in tropical climates is achievable with current technology but requires targeted regulatory frameworks, context-adapted standards, and expanded post-occupancy research programmes.

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