RESILIENT COOLING: A REVIEW OF CURRENT APPLICATIONS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS

Abstract

Global warming and climate change are two of the biggest challenges that plague present and future generations. Climate change increases buildings’ energy consumption and deteriorates indoor and outdoor thermal comfort conditions. The effects of climate change are further exacerbated by urban heat islands (UHIs). UHIs affect communities by increasing daytime temperatures, summertime peak energy demand, air conditioning costs, air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, heat-related illness and mortality, as well as reduce nighttime cooling. It is well-established that resilient cooling technologies are more cost effective and energy efficient than active systems when it comes to cooling.

This study aims to report on the current state of resilient cooling technologies, takeaways from past and present global field deployments of these technologies, factors that affect their successful deployment in a specific context, as well as their limitations and future directions. This paper adopted a set of comparative criteria and systematically reviewed 82 studies on real-world field deployments.

Thereon, comparative analysis was performed to identify how key determining factors ranging from climate to ease of retrofit affect the successful selection and deployment of resilient cooling technologies. The results show that the largest share of studies were conducted in humid subtropical climates. In terms of implementation of technology, non-wall façades and HVAC systems are the most flexible options. When considering retrofit options, high-ease strategies such as façade greenery should be adopted. In tropical climates, shading, double skin facades and solar chimneys are some of the commonly deployed technologies. In dry climates, windcatchers and evaporative cooling are common. Lastly, in temperate climates, cool pavements and thermal mass are used.