Sustainable active cooling strategies in hot and humid climates – A review and a practical application in Somalia

Abstract

Providing spaces with thermal comfort is a critical need, particularly in hot-humid regions, where more than a third of the world's population are settled. In terms of space cooling technologies, the global market is largely dominated by window air conditioners and ductless mini-splits. However, numerous other options are available and require more exploration to clearly identify their advantages against conventional systems. In this regard, there are plenty of studies about active cooling systems, but still little is known about the best choices for their application in high-density buildings in extreme humid climates, where latent loads are dominant. In such a framework, this paper briefly examines and identifies possible solutions for space cooling in non-residential buildings in hot-humid climates. In this sense, an all-air system with heat recovery and a radiant ceiling coupled with air handling were identified as the most recommended options for such environments, based on their working principles. Furthermore, the study includes a detailed assessment of the application of these solutions on a case-study building in Mogadishu, Somalia, from the point of view of the cooling demand to the energy consumption of the selected cooling systems. The findings of this work can be extrapolated to be then applied in other developing cities, and outline the path future research should follow to improve the systems.