TY  - JOUR
AU  - Ismail, Kamal A. R.
AU  - Lino, Fatima A. M.
AU  - Teggar, Mohamed
AU  - Laouer, Abdelghani
AU  - Machado, Pedro L. O.
AU  - Biglia, Felipe M.
AU  - Alves, Thiago A.
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/01/12
TI  - Contribution of Solar Energy to Buildings’ Energy Demands: A Review
JO  - Advances in Environmental and Engineering Research
SP  - 002
VL  - 07
IS  - 01
AB  - Buildings account for a significant portion of global energy consumption, estimated at 30-40%, and also contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Energy consumption in a building is mainly thermal (natural gas) and electrical. This energy is usually used for heating water, cooking, illumination, ventilation and air conditioning, powering appliances, floor heating, and other activities. These activities were examined, and their substitution by solar-based energy sources was reviewed. To achieve this objective, an extensive literature review across Scopus, Direct Science, and Web of Science in relevant areas, including building energy needs, thermal and visual comfort, and construction materials and components, was conducted. Innovative construction materials, including mortars, bricks, concrete, and components such as Trombe walls, can enhance thermal efficiency and thermal comfort. Solar energy can replace fossil-based energy for the provision of hot water, and hot fluid for air conditioning absorption chillers systems. Building components such as thermally efficient windows (double-glazed, evacuated, etc.), bright windows, and facades can help maintain a thermally and visually comfortable indoor environment. Electric energy for buildings’ services, such as illumination, ventilation, and other services, can be provided by solar PV panels. The review shows that solar energy can significantly contribute to decarbonizing buildings’ energy needs, maintaining passive thermal and visual comfort, and reducing emissions. The review indicates that a solar air conditioner with a 12,000 BTU cooling capacity can save 8-28% of energy and reduce emissions by 7.74-28.27%. It also showed that selecting windows and facades is a critical issue. A comparison of the energy-saving of thermo-chromatic, double-glazed, and clear glass windows indicated a reduction of 8.91% to 10.96% in energy consumption due to double-glazed windows and a reduction of 20.22% to 24.19% due to thermo-chromatic windows. Smart windows with photovoltaic electrochromic (PV-EC) enabled a useful daylighting illumination of about 75.26% and energy saving of about 15.79% compared to ordinary windows. It is recommended that applications such as hot water, water distillation, illumination, electricity, and air conditioning be powered by solar energy. In the construction of buildings, thermally efficient materials and components should be prioritized. To promote building decarbonization, it is necessary to reduce the cost of materials, create financial incentives and low-interest grants for retrofitting, and create public policies to promote solar-based energy applications in buildings.
SN  - 2766-6190
UR  - https://doi.org/10.21926/aeer.2601002
DO  - 10.21926/aeer.2601002
ID  - Ismail2026
ER  -