via FastCoExist.com
What if—instead of keeping our buildings cool from the inside—the heat just bounced off them back to where it came from?
There’s a big renewable energy resource we’ve yet to exploit: the cold of the universe.
That’s according to Aaswath Raman, a researcher with the Ginzton Laboratory, at Stanford University. What he means is the capacity of space to be a “thermodynamic resource,” helping us Earthlings to be more energy-efficient. Raman is working on a building material that’s ultra-reflective to the sun’s rays, and able to bounce significant amounts of heat so far away from buildings that it goes beyond the atmosphere.
The technology—passive cooling that works during the daytime—could help reduce the need for wasteful air conditioning. Currently, A/C accounts for 15% of all primary U.S. electricity demand, an enormous amount considering all the other things we use electricity for.
The material exploits the way that all objects throw off heat as infrared radiation. Some of this unseeable light is trapped within the atmosphere, all the more so because of greenhouse gas emissions. But some heat also goes into the upper atmosphere, where it’s dispersed into an enormous heat sink: the freezing cold vacuum of space. Raman’s coating—made up of seven layers of silicon dioxide and hafnium oxide and a layer of silver—does two things. First, it’s able to send the infrared at a particular frequency so that it leaves our atmosphere. And second, it reflects 97% of sunlight, stopping buildings from heating up in the first place.
“The challenge was to continue to send out this heat as infrared light, or radiation, but at the same time not be heated up by the sun,” says Raman.
Read more: This Incredible Building Material Shoots Heat Into Space (So Buildings Need Less AC)
The Latest on: Passive cooling
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Passive cooling” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Passive cooling
- COP28: More than 60 countries pledge to slash cooling emissions amid rising temperatureson December 6, 2023 at 4:01 pm
With rising temperatures leading to demand for more air conditioners and other cooling equipment, a new UN report launched Tuesday at COP28 climate talks in Dubai lays out a pathway to cut emissions ...
- Cooling cities while reducing emissions: 3 takeaways from UN reporton December 6, 2023 at 9:44 am
Increasing air conditioning and refrigeration needs threaten to drive up greenhouse gas emissions, pushing experts to recommend more passive solutions in a Dec. 5 report.
- Talk turns to global cooling at COP28 as US goes nuclearon December 5, 2023 at 4:55 pm
On the sixth day of the United Nations climate summit in Dubai, 63 countries have pledged to deeply cut cooling-related emissions. It comes as activists attending the summit have voiced their concerns ...
- Report: Key measures could slash predicted 2050 emissions from cooling sectoron December 5, 2023 at 1:58 pm
Taking key measures to reduce the power consumption of cooling equipment would cut at least 60 percent off predicted 2050 sectoral emissions, provide universal access to life-saving cooling, take the ...
- Global Cooling Watch 2023on December 5, 2023 at 12:33 pm
The Global Cooling Watch report demonstrates the potential and the pathways to achieve near-zero emissions from cooling. Using a model created specifically for this report, it presents pathways to get ...
- Measures could slash 60% predicted 2050 emissions from cooling sector: UN reporton December 5, 2023 at 11:48 am
Taking key measures to reduce the power consumption of cooling equipment would cut at least 60 per cent of predicted 2050 sectoral emissions, provide universal access to life-saving cooling, take the ...
- Countries back pact to cut cooling sector's climate impacton December 5, 2023 at 8:21 am
Over 60 countries have pledged to slash cooling-related emissions at key UN climate talks, amid record temperatures this year.
- COP28: 60 countries pledge to cut cooling-related emissions by at least 68%on December 5, 2023 at 8:01 am
UN recommendations could reduce electricity bills for end users by $1 trillion in 2050 Dubai: At least 60 countries, including the United States, have pledged to cut cooling-related emissions by 2050 ...
- COP28: Key measures could slash predicted 2050 emissions from cooling systemson December 5, 2023 at 3:51 am
Taking key measures to reduce the power consumption of cooling equipment would cut at least 60 per cent off predicted 2050 sectoral emissions, provide universal access to life-saving cooling, take the ...
- Key measures could slash predicted 2050 emissions from cooling sectoron December 5, 2023 at 12:03 am
Taking key measures to reduce the power consumption of cooling equipment would cut at least 60 per cent off predicted 2050 sectoral emissions, provide universal access to life-saving cooling, take the ...
via Bing News
){kind=link}