A solar updraft tower consists essentially of the components collector, turbine and chimney. Solar radiation passes through the collector roof and heats air by the greenhouse effect. As an alternative to solar radiation, an external heat source, or the residual heat of exhaust air can be used. The heated air rises in the chimney due to the stack effect and thereby drives one or more turbines. One advantage of a solar updraft tower is the simple design of the chimney. To operate this type of power plant economically a large area for the collector and a large overall height of the chimney are necessary. The aim of this work is to assess the performance of a solar updraft tower by means of simulation and to conduct a discussion of a possible implementation. Therefore the simulation program ANSYS FLUENT was used in combination with experimental tests. To carry out the simulation, the creation of a model as a simplified version of a real system was necessary. Also computational methods were necessary to enable the accurate results with minimal computational effort. Particular attention was given in this work to the chimney, as it is relevant for the chimney effect. Furthermore, the chimney has a long contact time with the rising air. This results in a potential increase in performance of the power plant by heating the chimney which transfers the heat to the rising air. The study also contains a review of existing system concepts and ideas for new concepts.