Abstract
Data centres generate substantial low-grade waste heat while requiring significant cooling and water resources. Solar chimney systems offer passive ventilation through buoyancy-driven convection, but conventional designs face efficiency limitations from weak thermal gradients and intermittent solar input. This paper presents a conceptual framework integrating data-centre waste heat with solar chimney technology, enhanced through infrared-selective optics, greenhouse-based humidification, and potential vortex-assisted convection. We outline the theoretical basis for such integration, identify key engineering challenges, and propose a validation pathway through modeling and prototype development. While individual components rest on established physical principles, their integration at scale presents significant uncertainties requiring systematic investigation. This framework is offered as a research agenda warranting thermodynamic modeling, computational fluid dynamics analysis, techno-economic assessment, and ultimately pilot-scale experimentation;
Abstract by the authors, reproduced under the CC BY 4.0 licence. Original publication via the link below.