Performance and potential of solar updraft tower used as an effective measure to alleviate Chinese urban haze problem

Due to rapid urbanization, dense haze is formed in some Chinese cities where urban heat island (UHI) effect is aggravated. The urban haze problem has become a touchy issue significantly affecting humans living and working in the cities. Solar updraft tower (SUT) is a device that can drive warm air up to high altitude under the effect of natural buoyancy. In this paper, high SUTs are proposed to be used to drive the UHI warm air containing haze up to higher altitude and help the haze disperse to farther distance, thus lowering the concentration of haze effectively. This proposal can effectively alleviate the urban haze problem and simultaneously produce clean electric power in Chinese cities. The performance analyses and cost analyses of sole SUT for power generation in a UHI are conducted. The number of 1 and 1.5km high SUTs only for impelling air up in UHIs of several main Chinese cities are estimated, respectively.