Introducing the Urban Climate Model PALM System 6.0

This contribution describes the urban climate model system PALM 6.0 for applications in urban areas (Palm4U). PALM4U contains several components to enable the model to simulate the atmospheric processes in urban areas on a building resolving scale. These components include the following modules: a land- and urban surface model, a chemistry model, a wind turbine model, a plant canopy model, a human biometeorology model, an indoor and building energy model, and a radiation model. A study case representing a realistic urban domain is designed and simulated to show the model capabilities. The chosen domain is located in the Charlottenburg neighbourhood in Berlin, Germany. In this study, we show the flow (wind field) as well as the thermal (radiation and temperature) properties as an example of a typical model application. The study emphasises the potential of using such an urban climate model as a design tool for urban planning strategies, planning of renewable energy systems, and the investigation of implications of climate change.