Solar Chimney Applications in Buildings

Abstract

A solar chimney is a renewable energy system used to enhance the natural ventilation in a building based on solar and wind energy. It is one of the most representative solar-assisted passive ventilation systems attached to the building envelope. It performs exceptionally in enhancing natural ventilation and improving thermal comfort under certain climate conditions. The ventilation enhancement of solar chimneys has been widely studied numerically and experimentally. The assessment of solar chimney systems based on buoyancy ventilation relies heavily on the natural environment, experimental environment, and performance prediction methods, bringing great difficulties to quantitative analysis and parameterization research. With the increase in volume and complexity of modern building structures, current studies of solar chimneys have not yet obtained a unified design strategy and corresponding guidance. Meanwhile, combining a solar chimney with other passive ventilation systems has attracted much attention. The solar chimney-based integrated passive-assisted ventilation systems prolong the service life of an independent system and strengthen the ventilation ability for indoor cooling and heating. However, the progress is still slow regarding expanded applications and related research of solar chimneys in large volume and multi-layer buildings, and contradictory conclusions appear due to the inherent complexity of the system.

Experimental Treatment of Solar Chimney Power Plant—A Comprehensive Review

“…Proper designing of turbines for improving power is carried out by Caicedo et al [86]. There is passive ventilation work at chimney performance addressed by Zhang et al [87]. The use of a double chimney has been noted by Abdelsalam et al [88] for better performance.…”

Research on the Passive Cooling System of Solar Photovoltaic Panel Based on Hybrid Solar Chimney and Ventilator

“…Utilizing the principle of hot air rising, this hot air is discharged from the upper outlet, drawing in fresh cold air from the entrance. Extensive reviews of solar chimney technology have been done by several researchers [36,37,38]. In their investigation, Khanal and Lei [36] explored the use of solar chimneys as a passive technique to facilitate natural ventilation in buildings.…”

“…Moreover, Zhang et al [38] conducted a comprehensive study on the use of solar chimneys in buildings as renewable energy systems that enhance natural ventilation through the utilization of solar and wind energy. The authors highlight extensive research carried out to evaluate the potential of solar chimneys for improving ventilation and thermal comfort, particularly under specific climatic conditions.…”

CFD Evaluation of Thermal Conditioning in a House of Social Interest with a Solar Chimney Arrangement in Guanajuato, Mexico

“…Tariq et al [9] recommend for hot climates (>35 • C) combined systems, for example, solar chimneys with water-evaporative cooling to keep indoor temperatures around 8 • C lower than outdoor temperatures. Haihua Zhang et al [10] summarize the temperature decreases (drop 1.0-5 • C) achieved using a simple solar chimney without combined systems, for the comfort of a single-story building. Recently, the effects of 30 passive control systems on the decrease in the interior temperature for thermal comfort were examined, finding that on average the decrease in the interior temperature can be achieved by 2.2 • C [11].…”