Posted on :Wednesday , 7th August 2024

A team of researchers from Robert Gordon University (RGU) in Aberdeen, Scotland, is installing geothermal cooling systems in Kenya's economically disadvantaged regions. The team will subsequently look into how implementing such systems affects a number of heat stress and well-being parameters, such as activity levels, heart rate, skin temperature and sleep quality.

The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) and the Global Challenges Research Fund are funding this study with about £35,000 in grants. Development on the project started in January and the team conducted a field visit in March. The cooling system installation will commence in the summer of this year.

The project's ultimate objective is to help minimise heat stress for Kenyans living in informal dwellings by deploying geothermal cooling systems that extract colder air from the subsurface. Many low-income communities have single-family dwellings.

Storey chambers built of iron sheeting can commonly accommodate up to eight people.

As a result of warming temperatures, these types of structures are becoming increasingly heated, with no access to mains electricity or running water to aid cooling through the use of air conditioning systems or fans.