Enhancing Ecological Energy Efficiency in Housing Through PV Systems and Date Palm Fiber Insulation in Hot Arid Regions

This study investigates an integrated ecological strategy to reduce electricity consumption in semi-collective housing located in the hot–arid climate of Biskra, Algeria, a region with high solar potential. The research combines photovoltaic (PV) electricity generation with passive thermal insulation using a locally sourced bio-based material derived from date palm fibers. The case study includes 104 dwellings within a residential complex of 350 units. Results show that monocrystalline PV panels (350 W) can produce approximately 479 kWh/panel/year. To meet the total annual electricity demand (504,712 kWh), around 1052 panels are required, corresponding to 1714 m2 (13.8%) of the available building envelope. This installation area demonstrates the significant photovoltaic potential of the residential complex under hot–arid climatic conditions. Thermal analysis indicates that integrating a 5 cm palm fiber insulation layer increases thermal resistance from 2.06 to 2.62 m2·°C/W and reduces heat flux from 2.18 to 1.72 W/m2. This improvement decreases conductive heat transfer through the envelope by approximately 21%, while numerical simulations indicate indoor temperature reductions of 4–8 °C during summer conditions. These findings demonstrate that combining PV systems with bio-based insulation significantly enhances energy efficiency and thermal comfort in residential buildings under desert climatic conditions.