If you've ever stood on a scorching roof in summer, you'll know how much heat concrete and other hard surfaces can absorb. That heat can also affect solar panels, whose efficiency declines as their temperature rises. A team from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) set out to test whether vegetation could help address the problem. Their study compared a green roof fitted with solar panels, known as a biosolar roof, with a conventional rooftop solar system. The results showed that combining vegetation and solar panels could lower panel temperatures while improving solar performance.
Why rooftop heat is such a big deal
