Solar Energy for Climate Action: Integrated Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies in the Built Environment

Lighting and solar energy integration have long been central to sustainable building design, driven by goals of energy efficiency and reduced environmental impact. More recently, increasing attention has been given to human-centric lighting, daylighting quality, and indoor environmental comfort. In parallel, climate change has introduced new challenges for buildings, including higher cooling demands, increased overheating risk, and variability in solar resources.Advances in building-integrated photovoltaics, adaptive façades, daylighting technologies, and smart lighting controls have expanded the design space for solar-based lighting solutions. At the same time, digital tools, climate modeling, and remote sensing techniques now enable more accurate assessment of solar potential, urban form, and climate exposure. These developments provide a strong foundation for integrated research that connects lighting performance, solar energy use, human well-being, and climate resilience in the built environment.The goal of this Research Topic is to advance knowledge and practice on how solar energy and daylighting can be leveraged to simultaneously support climate change mitigation and adaptation in the built environment. While recent advances have improved the efficiency and integration of solar and lighting technologies, their potential to enhance resilience, occupant well-being, and climate responsiveness remains underexplored.This Topic seeks to address this gap by promoting research that links energy performance, human-centric lighting, and resilience under current and future climate conditions. Contributions are expected to explore innovative solar lighting systems, adaptive control strategies, and climate-informed design methods, as well as assessment frameworks that account for both environmental and human outcomes. By bringing together empirical studies, modeling approaches, and applied case studies, this Research Topic aims to provide integrated solutions that support sustainable, resilient, and health-oriented lighting design at building and urban scales.This Special Issue seeks to advance knowledge, design, and practice of solar energy and daylighting applications, focusing on strategies that simultaneously mitigate climate change, enhance adaptation, and improve resilience, sustainability, and occupant health.Topics of interest include (non-exclusive):• Climate-informed solar lighting and daylighting: performance under future climates, aerosol/soiling impacts, and insolation variability including satellite-based or remote sensing inputs.• Human-centric lighting: circadian health, visual comfort, productivity, and well-being in resilient buildings.• Innovative solar lighting systems: PV/PV-T façades, advanced glazing, light pipes, hybrid daylight/electric systems, spectral control.• Smart controls and predictive management: AI-driven lighting, adaptive façades, energy storage, and digital twins for resilience.• Integrated frameworks and metrics: assessing both mitigation (energy use, emissions) and adaptation/resilience (thermal comfort, reliability, occupant satisfaction).• Case studies: retrofits, new designs, and urban-scale applications demonstrating measurable benefits in energy, cost, health, and resilience.• Policy, economic, and regulatory strategies supporting adoption of resilient solar lighting solutions.Contribution types: Original research articles, systematic reviews, case studies, perspectives, and technical reports.This Special Issue will provide a platform for multidisciplinary, forward-looking research that informs sustainable, resilient, and climate-adaptive lighting design in the built environment, bridging the gap between technology, human well-being, and climate action. Topic editors: Berta Garcia-Fernandez, Antonio Alvarez Fernandez-Balbuena Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/77051/solar-energy-for-climate-action-integrated-mitigation-and-adaptation-strategies-in-the-built-environment