3. Introduction to Solar Chimney and Its Applications

Solar chimney as a dependable renewable energy system has successfully gained the interest of researchers over the past decades. Severe environment issues and energy crisis can be seen all over the world for continuous and excessive use of fossil energy as buildings can consume up to 42% energy usage of the entire world annually, mostly for cooling, heating, giving electricity and air-conditioning purpose (Shi and Chew in Renewable Sustainable Energy Reviews 16:192–207, 2012). Traditional heating and cooling systems have a noticeable impact on greenhouse gas emissions. One of the best strategies for a building to diminish energy consumption is to increase the natural ventilation inside the surrounding area using solar chimney. The overall temperature inside a room can also be diminished using a solar chimney. According to another study, the requirement of daily fan shaft in a house in Tokyo can be reduced by 50% annually due to the implementation of natural ventilation (Miyazaki et al. in Renewable Energy 31:987–1010, 2006). Solar chimney contributes a great deal in efficient residential space heating as well as cooling. With the advancement of technology, researchers have been working relentlessly to develop solar chimney which can save both energy and ensure fire safety.