Heat island and electrical energy consumption in urban areas | |
| Author | Pathathai Tonsuwonnont |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.ET-06-5 |
| Subject(s) | Urban heat island--Thailand--Bangkok Electric power consumption--Thailand--Bangkok |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering, School of Environment, Resources, and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | Bangkok city is expanding its borders and population due to increased industrialization and urbanization. These can lead to increase in temperature in urban area and create an urban heat island which can affect human comfort, air pollution concentration, and lead to higher energy consumption for air conditioning. This study focuses on the urban heat island (UHI) development and its impact on building cooling load. It describes the climatology of urban heat island of Bangkok city using two common methods: ambient air and surface temperature. Hourly air temperature data from ten automatic stations -one in rural site and nine in urban sites for the last five year were used to study the characteristics and intensities of UHI in Bangkok area. The results by both methods indicate the presence of urban heat island in Bangkok. The study reveals that the nocturnal heat island is the most prevailing case which can be observed throughout the year. The maximum intensity of around 6-7°C is detected during clear and clam night in dry season. The mean annual air temperature in Bangkok city is higher by 0.8°C than outside the city. The weather conditions (wind, cloud, and precipitation), and different land cover types are the major factors governing the near surface urban heat island. High-resolution LANDSAT ETM+ satellite data and GIS software were used for mapping and analyzing surface urban heat islands in Bangkok. Results demonstrate the surface UHI pattern in Bangkok and its surrounding areas. The highest daytime intensity could range 8-10°C. The magnitude of surface UHIs observed are positively linked to the urban growth, and the population density of that area. The inverse relationship between green area and surface temperature are found, and the intensities between parks and build-up area are about 6-8°C. The results of the energy consumption of buildings due to the effect of urban heat island were simulated using TRNSYS. The different climatic files from eight stations were used to assess the impact for a whole year using a same model building. The simulation results show the cooling load of buildings in urban areas may be more than 50% compared to that in rural area |
| Year | 2006 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Energy and Climate Change (Former title: Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Change (DEECC)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Energy Technology (ET) |
| Chairperson(s) | Kumar, S. ; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Surapong Chirarattananon ;Perera, L A S Ranjith ;Susaki, Junichi |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Royal Thai Government Fellowship ; |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2006 |