A Comprehensive Review of Natural Ventilation through Solar Chimney Applications

Abstract

Natural ventilation is an environmental strategy for the quality of air and for thermal comfort within a building. Out of the countless passive ventilation techniques, the solar chimney has become one popular choice since it transmits solar energy to create air motion. This study groups all the recent improvements in solar chimney applications regarding the design principles, performance measures, and interfacing with other passive mechanisms. Geometric configuration, absorber materials, chimney height, and climatic conditions are the main parameters influencing how efficient a solar chimney can be. Results indicate that, considering these parameters together, it is possible to maximise the airflow rate and thermal comfort levels in houses and commercial buildings. On the other hand, hybrid systems with solar chimneys and earth-to-air heat exchangers, and solar chimneys and wind towers, have shown great prospects for consideration when intending to increase ventilation efficiency. However, besides the opportunities offered by solar chimneys, challenges such as above-scale implementation, integration with current constructions, and level performance under widely varying environmental conditions do exist. Future research includes the standardisation of performance evaluation methods, economic evaluation of solar chimneys, and research on materials for ensuring a better performance level of solar chimneys in different building typologies.