An Overview of the Use of Solar Energy in Building Construction Projects

Global warming has made climate change one of the most critical issues in sustainable development. In this regard, recent studies have indicated that the rapid growth in building constructions and the rise in fossil fuel consumption in the building sector have resulted in higher greenhouse gas emissions that can lead to irreversible and significant environmental repercussions. In the last two decades, solar energy systems have been seen as some of the most effective methods to reduce fossil fuel consumption in the industry and minimize its environmental impacts. However, the research in developing countries examining the basic requirements of implementing solar systems in the construction industry is limited. Accordingly, this study attempts to investigate the barriers to implementing solar systems via a systematic literature review. This research has employed a qualitative approach using NVivo to analyze the barriers identified in previous research, adopting descriptive and focused coding approaches. Collecting and classifying barriers help reveal the challenges of using solar energy in construction projects, serve as a basis for further research to localize barriers based on the research area, and tackle them to move towards sustainable development.