Scientists Created the World’s Whitest Paint. It Could Eliminate the Need for Air Conditioning.
24th November 2021
Making this paint really reflective, however, also made it really white, according to Purdue University. The paint reflects 98.1% of solar radiation while also emitting infrared heat. Because the paint absorbs less heat from the sun than it emits, a surface coated with this paint is cooled below the surrounding temperature without consuming power.
Using this new paint to cover a roof area of about 1,000 square feet could result in a cooling power of 10 kilowatts. “That’s more powerful than the air conditioners used by most houses,” Ruan said.
“Great. Where can I buy it?” Well, you can’t.
“The paint is not available on the market yet,” Xiulin Ruan, the lead researcher on the project, told USA TODAY Thursday. “We are currently partnering with a large corporation towards commercializing the paint, and hopefully it will hit the market in a couple of years.”
UPDATE: Ultrawhite BaSO4 Paints and Films for Daytime Radiative Cooling
November 25th, 2021 at 00:23
I worked in a tall building in downtown Houston that was built in the 1960s. A new building with heat-reflecting glass was built across the street and the air conditioning costs in the old building tripled. It’s all well and good to reflect heat, as long as you can reflect it in a direction that does not cause new problems.
If a flock of ducks falls to the street already cooked, it could be a problem.