Building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) is a promising solution for providing building energy and realizing net-zero energy buildings. Based on the developed mathematical model, this paper assesses the solar irradiation resources and BIPV potential of residential buildings in different climate zones of China. It is found that roofs are the first ch. ••The solar irradiation resources of building façades including the north façade are examined.••The photovoltaic contributions to net zero energy residential buildings are assessed in China.••Partial shading is considered for modeling the building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) system.••A research framework for assessing the potential of residential BIPV system is proposed.Building integrated photovoltaicsResidential buildingEnergy consumptionEnergy potentialAbbreviationsBHI beam horizontal irradiance (W/m2)BIPV building integrated photovoltaicDHI diffuse horizontal irradiance (W/m2)GHI global horizontal irradiance (W/m2)GIS geographic information systemNOCT normal operating cell temperature (°C)NZEB net-zero energy buildingPV photovoltaicSCR self-consumption ratioSF shading factorSTC standard test conditionSSR self-sufficiency ratioZEB zero energy buildingLatin symbolsAPV active PV area (m2)D north-south distance between adjacent buildings (m)Eload building load (kWh)EPV PV generation (kWh)EPV-load PV generation directly supplies the load (kWh)h solar altitude angle (°)H building height (m)H1 distance from windowsill bottom to ground (m)I solar irradiance on the inclined plane (W/m2)Ib beam irradiance on the inclined plane (W/m2)Id diffuse irradiance on the inclined plane (W/m2)Ir reflected irradiance on the inclined plane (W/m2)Is solar irradiance under shading effects (W/m2)n date number in a yearPPV PV power output (W)Rb ratio of beam irradiance on the inclined plane to horizontal planeSFb shading factor for beam irradianceSFd shading factor fo. To limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 °C, emission reductions are imminent issues over the world (Li et al., 2021). In 2020, China, as the world's largest energy consumer, announced its goal to reach the peak of CO2 emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060 (An Energy Sector Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality in China, 2021). Since the building and construction sector accounts for about 30 % of greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption, the promotion of green buildings has become a great concern (Han et al., 2022a; Han et al., 2022b; Lai et al., 2021). Renewable energy should be the major source of building energy to counterbalance consumption and realize net-zero energy buildings (NZEBs) or zero energy buildings (ZEBs) (Global energy transformation: A roadmap to 2050 (2019 edition), 2019; Xu et al., 2016).Photovoltaics (PVs), which directly convert solar irradiance into electricity, have become prominent concepts owing to their clean and inexhaustible energy source (Liu et al., 2021; Ma et al., 2019). With the continuous decline in PV costs and rapid development of supporting technologies, PVs have achieved rapid growth in the past decade, especially distributed PVs (Darwish et al., 2021; Javed et al., 2021; Li & Ma, 2021). Therefore, PVs are considered the most promising renewable energy technologies to supply building energy. The.
