RMIT University researchers have energetically enhanced the safety aspect and designed a solar chimney optimized for a 6-fold increase in fire safety — as well an increasing energy saving.
The basic idea is to harness the power of natural ventilation to increase the turnover rate for air within a building by amplifying natural convection processes through the use of a (typically external) vertical shaft that heats up rapidly when exposed to the sun.
As a passive solar heating and cooling technology, this type of ventilation and/or cooling system has seen widespread use in the region encompassing and surrounding Greater Iran, throughout the Middle East and North Africa, and in Roman Europe throughout the millennia.
It’s time to spread its use with the advancements of RMIT University and the Australian town of Kingston, Victoria. This could be a turning point towards expansion.