Mitigation of Urban Heat Risks via Shading Stations: An Experimental Comparison of Fabric and Photovoltaic Shading

Description

Liyue Jin, Xin Dong, Deo Prasad, and Bao-Jie He field-tested two kinds of shade station for city heat relief in subtropical Jiangsu, China. One was roofed with fabric. The other carried solar panels that generate power while shading. Both designs block direct sun, but they handle heat differently. Sensors tracked air conditions and comfort indices at several heights through the day, over grass and hard ground.

Both shelters cut the standard outdoor comfort index by roughly three degrees on average during daytime. Fabric shade cooled more steadily near the ground, while the panel roof radiated more heat downward at pedestrian height during the full-shade midday hours, weakening its benefit where people stand. Ground mattered too: grass cooled by evaporation, while pale hard surfaces sometimes trapped heat. The authors offer design guidance matched to each canopy type.

Catalog record

Source: https://europepmc.org/article/MED/PMC13393068