Perspectives for urban microenvironment sustainability enabled by decentralized water-energy-food harvesting

Abstract

In this forward-looking perspective, we introduce the concepts and applications of current and promising sustainable building technologies. These include green roofs and building-integrated building photovoltaics (BIPV), as well as approaches like atmospheric water harvesting (AWH) and passive daytime radiative cooling (PDRC). To advance these ideas, we present an example of a building designed for the decentralized generation of water, energy, and food. Primarily, the combination of fog collection, sorption-based AWH, PDRC-based AWH, and heat pump systems achieves a robust water supply in diverse humidity ranges, thereby offering irrigation, domestic, and potable water. Additionally, the integration of green roofs provides an opportunity for urban agriculture, while the utilization of PDRC film modulates microclimatic thermal-humidity profiles, enhancing both food productivity and indoor thermal comfort. Furthermore, decentralized energy is realized through the incorporation of colored photovoltaic-integrated buildings, augmented by the synergistic cooling effects of sorption-based AWH. The methodology and output of the integrated system are evaluated from a resource-generation perspective, providing valuable insights for future research.