A Preliminary Investigation on the Thermal Performance of a Hydroponic Roof System in Mediterranean Climate

Abstract

This study investigates the thermal performance of a hydroponic roof system as an alternative strategy to an extensive green roof taking as a case study a prefabricated building module situated in the Mediterranean climate of Catania (Italy). Through dynamic simulations carried out with TRNSYS, the research compares the thermal behaviour of a hydroponic roof, an extensive green roof and a lightweight roof with the aim of understanding the effectiveness of the hydroponic solution in reducing the peak roof internal surface temperature and incoming heat flux. The findings indicate that a hydroponic roof system can reduce the peak value of the internal roof surface temperature of 2.7°C and delay by more than 10 hours the peak of the incoming heat flow, which is almost halved with respect to the lightweight roof solution.