Passive cooling strategies can offer significant opportunities for improving the occupants' ambient comfort conditions whilst reducing the energy consumption in hot climates. This is particularly applicable for buildings located in hot/arid regions with large cooling toads due to the use of mechanical systems for space climatization. This research examines the potential of passive cooling strategies in a commercial building located in a typical hot/arid climate of Mexico.
This paper describes part of an EC funded Joule project in which computer simulation has been used to investigate the viability of applying passive downdraught evaporative cooling (PDEC) to non-domestic buildings in hot dry climates. Using analytical techniques, CFO and thermal simulation, the performance-driven anatomy of PDEC buildings has been elucidated and engineering sizing methods have been developed. It is concluded that PDEC should formulate part of an holistic and carefully integrated solution.
In many countries, besides the hot dry climate, the lack of energy resources is one of the brakes to the development: without air conditioning, it is not yet possible to give good conditions of working inside offices; air movements, dust, pollution are not consistent with cleanliness, controlled atmosphere and calm air. Furlhermore, sanitary spaces as hospitals and laboratories, and cultural ones as museums and libraries are interested in passive solutions to cooling in a closed atmosphere, ie: without any air movement, except controlled-filtered ventilation.
Although Saudi Arabia empowers the world with energy, the country is faced with unprecedented demand on electric energy. The issue, however, is neither affordability nor shortage but the exponential growth of demand on electricity, which reached an annual rate of 17% [Ministry of Industry and Electricity (MIE), 1995). This figure indicates that we need to double the number of our power generation plants within few years in order to meet the kingdom's present and near future demand.
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