Analysis of the All-Year Operation of the Solar Chimney in Polish Climatic Conditions

Abstract

This work presents an analysis of the all-year operation of the solar chimney. The analyzed system consists of a rectangular solar collector located on the southern side of the solar chimney. The surface of the solar collector is 30 m2, while the chimney is 50 m in height. Hourly changes in solar radiation were taken into account in the calculations. The simulation was made for the climatic conditions in Katowice, Poland. This study takes into account the most important parameters of the power plant, such as air temperature, air velocity and power of the installation throughout the year of the power plant’s operation. The cumulative amount of electricity that is generated in each month of the year is shown. The analyzed solar power plant produces the largest amount of electricity in the second quarter of the year and the lowest in the fourth quarter, with the maximum amount of energy produced in May and the minimum in December.