Geo-climatic applicability of evaporative and ventilative cooling in China

The paper aims to evaluate the geo-climatic applicability of two different passive cooling strategies: the passive evaporative cooling (PEC) and the natural ventilative cooling (NVC) in China. The two cooling techniques are analysed following a climate-related approach considering a ‘virtual Space’. NVC potential is assessed by analysing the typical meteorological year related to a set of 105 locations representing different typical Chinese climate conditions. A parametric approach is used in order to virtualise the geo-climatic potential of this cooling technique. Furthermore, the PEC potential is studied for the considered cities using both an evaluation criterion taken from literature and an innovative approach. PEC potential differs from NVC potential in the parameter that is considered for analysing the reduction in the cooling demand calculated by using the cooling degree hours (CDH) approach. Moreover, a psychrometric approach is applied to elaborate a feasibility map based on the potential in reduction of the CDH for each location according to a virtual automatic control of direct PEC potentiality based on the percentage of coverage of the wet bulb depression by PEC systems. The results of this paper are summarised in a series of geo-climatic applicability maps of the two considered passive cooling technologies in China.