Comparison of the Energy Conversion Efficiency of a Solar Chimney and a Solar PV-Powered Fan for Ventilation Applications

Lubomír Klimeš, Pavel Charvát and Jiří Hejčík
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Lubomír Klimeš: Sustainable Process Integration Laboratory—SPIL, NETME Centre, Brno University of Technology, Brno 61669, Czech Republic
Pavel Charvát: Energy Institute, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Brno University of Technology, Brno 61669, Czech Republic
Jiří Hejčík: Energy Institute, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Brno University of Technology, Brno 61669, Czech Republic

Energies, 2018, vol. 11, issue 4, 1-15

Abstract: A study into the performance of a solar chimney and a solar photovoltaic (PV)-powered fan for ventilation applications was carried out using numerical simulations. The performance of the solar chimney was compared with that of a direct current (DC) fan powered by a solar PV panel. The comparison was carried out using the same area of the irradiated surface—the area of the solar absorber plate in the case of the solar chimney and the area of the solar panel in the case of the photovoltaic-powered fan. The two studied cases were compared under various solar radiation intensities of incident solar radiation. The results indicate that the PV-powered fans significantly outperform solar chimneys in terms of converting solar energy into the kinetic energy of air motion. Moreover, ventilation with PV-powered fans offers more flexibility in the arrangement of the ventilation system and also better control of the air flow rates in the case of battery storage.

Keywords: building ventilation; solar energy; solar chimney; solar photovoltaics; DC fan; energy conversion (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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