Abstract
Operational uncertainties play a critical role in determining potential pathways to reduce the building energy footprint in the Global South. This paper presents the application of a non-dominated sorting genetic (NSGA II) algorithm for multi-objective building design optimization under operational uncertainties. A residential building situated in a mid-latitude steppe and desert region (Köppen climate classification: BSh) in the Global South has been selected for our investigation. The annual building energy consumption and the total number of cooling setpoint unmet hours (h) were assessed over 13,122 different energy efficiency measures. Six Pareto optimal solutions were identified by the NSGA II algorithm. Robustness of Pareto solutions was evaluated by comparing their performance sensitivity over 162 uncertain operational scenarios. The final selection for the most optimal energy efficiency measure was achieved by formulating a robust multi-criteria decision function by incorporating performance, user preference, and reliability criteria. Results from this robust approach were compared with those obtained using a deterministic approach. The most optimal energy efficiency measure resulted in 9.24% lower annual energy consumption and a 45% lower number of cooling setpoint unmet h as compared to the base case.
Highlights
While there is no agreed definition of the Global South, it generally refers to developing economies, primarily countries situated in Africa, South Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East [1]
This paper has presented the application of a non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm for multi-objective building design optimization under operational uncertainties
A residential building situated in the mid-latitude steppe and desert (Köppen climate classification: BSh) region of India was chosen for analysis
Summary
While there is no agreed definition of the Global South, it generally refers to developing economies, primarily countries situated in Africa, South Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East [1]. These countries are found at 30◦ on either side of the equator and experience a wide variety of tropical and sub-tropical climates. Due to the growing risk of greater exposure to heat related stresses, lack of sufficient energy for air conditioning is being seen as an element of energy poverty and human well-being in the Global South [1]. Failure to take strong actions is likely to escalate the burden over an already fragile environment and increase the frequency of power cuts, grid failures, and health related issues in these regions
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