Impact of Global Warming on the Potential for Passive Solar Heating of Buildings in Montenegro
Abstract
Montenegrin building stock is highly energy inefficient, while the country has a high potential for using solar energy. Therefore, the potential for implementing passive solar heating and overheating in residential buildings was assessed in four locations among the country's three climate zones, namely the Coastal zone, the Continental zone and the Mountain zone, for the current climate and two different climate change scenarios (SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5). Besides, the need for overheating prevention measures was assessed as well. The results demonstrated a relatively high potential for applying passive solar heating in Montenegrin buildings in current and future climate conditions, especially in the Mountain zone. At the same time, the need for overheating prevention measures is projected to increase under global warming the most in the Continental climate zone. The locations in this zone are the most vulnerable to overheating because they will potentially shift from heating-dominated to cooling-dominated, depending on the climate change scenario. Therefore, because of the high climate variability in Montenegro, building design approaches and policies should be addressed accordingly.
Keywords
Passive solar heating, Overheating, Buildings, Global warming, Montenegro. energy efficiency