Imagine that the south facing wall of a skyscraper has inside of it a narrow "gap" that is pretty much continuous, except for where vertical "strapping" serves to attach the outer wall to the inner structural wall. The outer wall is painted a very dark green (or black) so that when sunlight strikes this outer wall, the air in the gap heats up and by convection, quickly rushes upward. At the top of the gap there is a horizontal axle savonius rotor which harnesses this upward rushing air and it is then converted into electricity by way of a generator. Might this work? I know some might ask, "Why not just use PVCs to harness the sunlight in the first place?" But solar cells are expensive, and besides the "outer wall" could also help to insulate the building, or even reinforce the structure of the building. I cannot see why PVCs couldn't also be attached to this south facing facade. These PVC would actually be cooled somewhat by the moving air behind them. Am I missing something here?
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