Salat Neha Manubhai

BE4050

Urban Heat Island Effect (UHIE) in growing cities increases cooling energy demand. This study quantifies how tree evapotranspiration (ET) impacts building cooling loads in Ahmedabad. A 1 sq. km area with varied land-use was analyzed using remote sensing, field surveys, and ENVI-met simulations. Tree-specific parameters like LAI and canopy density informed ET estimation via the Penman-Monteith equation. Results show ET lowers air temperature but raises relative humidity, increasing latent cooling loads—up to 2% under peak conditions. This highlights the need for context-specific analysis when integrating trees into urban energy models, offering a framework combining field data and microclimate simulation.