Energy Performance of Membrane-Assisted Radiant Cooling with Solar PV for Thermal Comfort in Naturally Ventilated School Buildings in Hot-Humid Climates

This study evaluates the energy performance of membrane-assisted radiant cooling integrated with solar photovoltaic generation for thermal comfort in naturally ventilated school buildings in hot and humid climates using a parametric EnergyPlus analysis. While previous studies have shown the potential of radiant cooling, its application in hot and humid climates remains limited due to the risk of surface condensation. The present study performs a parametric building-scale assessment of membrane-assisted radiant cooling under experimentally reported sub-dew-point operating conditions using EnergyPlus simulations. Literature-informed operational ranges associated with sub-dew-point operation were adopted based on previous experimental studies. Thermal comfort was evaluated using the Extended Predicted Mean Vote model. Allowing radiant panel surface temperatures up to 5 °C below the dew-point reduces discomfort hours. Parametric simulations suggest that inlet-water temperatures 10 °C or more below the dew-point may approach thermal comfort conditions similar to those of conventional air-conditioning under the evaluated operating scenarios, while reducing discomfort hours by 7% and cooling-energy use by 34%. Solar photovoltaic generation supplies 65%-100% of the cooling-energy demand across the evaluated cases. Overall, the evaluated membrane-assisted radiant cooling scenarios with solar PV integration indicate the potential to improve thermal comfort while reducing cooling energy demand in naturally ventilated school buildings in hot-humid climates.