Solar-microclimate study in urban areas

Summary A study on solar microclimates in eight medium and large European cities, supported by EEC from 1986 to 1988, could allow to mark the main resemblances and anomalies in the solar-radiation features in different geographical and climatic regions in Northern, Central and Southern Europe and also to achieve reliable estimates of available energy in thermal-conversion processes of solar radiation. This paper presents the results of an analysis of solar-radiation observations taken during the EEC study and discusses the main solar climatic peculiarities of the urban area of Turin (one of the eight cities involved in this project), comparing them to other European regions (south and north of Turin).