Agrivoltaics Effect on the Environment and Natural Resources 2 Building: Rooftop Heat Island Effect

Abstract

The combination of Photovoltaics (PV) and Agriculture brings fourth an innovative urban agriculture system called Agrivoltaics (Hall, 2023). The increased usage of human-made materials has led to an increase in ambient temperatures in urban settings, which is one of the main contributors of the urban heat island effect, especially larger cities (EPA, 2022). There is a research gap in understanding the potential of Agrivoltaics to mitigate the UHI effect in urban areas. While there has been some research on the benefits of green roofs and walls in reducing urban heat, there is limited research on the combined benefits of Agrivoltaics and green infrastructure. The relationship between Agrivoltaics and urban heat was studied using primary quantitative data collected from the Environment and Natural Resource 2 Building located on the main University of Arizona campus in Tucson, Arizona. The findings of this study indicate that the Environment and Natural Resource 2 Building rooftop Agrivoltaics system has the potential to improve the conditions of the surface area by cooling the surrounding ambient temperature. Future research should examine the economic viability of Agrivoltaics and urban heat island mitigation strategies. This will entail evaluating the costs and benefits of implementing a and identifying potential barriers to their adoption.