Researchers select three representative Chinese cities—Xining, Yinchuan, and Xichang—in the western region of abundant solar resources to investigate energy performance of public buildings. Combined with local building characteristics and meteorological data, the analysis establishes an evaluation model for comprehensive utilization of solar energy in typical public buildings. Based on the model, the report identifies the optimal combination of solar energy utilization in a typical public building in a solar-rich region.

This research was supported by Energy Foundation China and conducted by the China Southwest Architectural Design and Research Institute and the China Architecture Design Group.