An Innovative Technical Platform for Sustainable Buildings, Resilience, and Smart Grids in Tropical Climates
Abstract
The tropical climate, characterized by high humidity, elevated temperatures, and increased exposure to extreme weather events, presents specific challenges for the building sector and the development of smart energy grids. This paper introduces BEPSODOM (Bâtiment a Énergie Positive, Durable et Optimisé pour les Milieux Tropicaux – Positive Energy, Sustainable and Optimized Building for Tropical Environments), a multidisciplinary technical platform to address these issues. BEPSODOM aims to catalyze innovation, applied research, and the validation of solutions tailored to the specificities of the tropical climate, focusing on sustainability, resilience, and smart grid integration. The paper details the platform's design, its main components, the services offered, and its expected role in accelerating the ecological and energy transition in tropical regions, with a particular focus on Guadeloupe and the Caribbean region. To do so we will first examine the theoretical and empirical basis for defining bioclimatic building design in tropical climates, focusing on strategies that enhance thermal comfort and energy performance.
Keywords
Sustainable building, resilience, smart grids, tropical climate, technical platform, innovation, applied research, Guadeloupe, Caribbean