Integrating Micro-Scale Urban Geometry with Macro-Scale Climate Projections to Improve Rooftop Photovoltaic Potential Assessment: An Application to Selected Urban Areas in the Southeastern Mediterranean

This study presents a comprehensive methodological framework that integrates micro-scale urban geometry with macro-scale climate projections to improve the assessment of rooftop photovoltaic (PV) potential in urban environments. High-precision solar resource estimation is achieved through the use of very high–resolution Digital Surface Models (DSMs; 0.8 m) within the Solar Energy on Building Envelopes (SEBE) model, enabling detailed simulation of shading effects in dense urban fabrics.

Historical and present-day atmospheric inputs—including surface solar radiation, cloud cover, and aerosol optical depth—are obtained from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) and combined with meteorological variables from ERA5-Land. Future rooftop PV potential is projected using a multi-model ensemble of CMIP6 climate simulations under the SSP2–4.5 and SSP5–8.5 emission scenarios. Statistical downscaling techniques are applied to translate large-scale climate projections to local urban conditions.

In addition, the study evaluates PV system performance during specific atmospheric episodes, quantifying the effects of dust intrusions and compound events—defined as the co-occurrence of high temperatures and elevated dust concentrations—on energy yield. Finally, cluster analysis is performed on the urban building stock of selected southeastern Mediterranean cities using key performance indicators, including received solar radiation, total energy yield, rooftop area, and building height.

The results demonstrate that integrating micro-scale urban morphology with macro-scale climate projections is critical for accurately estimating rooftop PV potential, particularly in regions characterized by complex urban structures and climate-sensitive atmospheric processes.