High-tech paint could cool cities around the world
Cities like Los Angeles, New York, London, Madrid, and Paris have all acknowledged the bubble-like hotter temperatures within their cities, known widely as the Urban Heat Island effect.
Though some cities have tried a couple of different ways to combat the heat -- like Madrid’s car-less day or New York’s movement to paint rooftops white -- the higher temperatures still remain.
Now a team of researchers at Columbia University thinks they’ve found a new solution in the form of a high-tech paint.
The scientists created a substance that works like a paint but is actually a polymer coating that reflects both sunlight and radiating heat into the atmosphere. The polymer should help cool not only buildings coated with it but surrounding areas as well, according to a study published in the journal Science.
“Now is a critical time to develop promising solutions for sustainable humanity," lead researcher Yuan Yang said in a statement. "It is essential that we find solutions to this climate challenge, and we are very excited to be working on this new technology that addresses it."
Usually people turn to air conditioning to cool off in cities around the world, however, many AC units aren't energy efficient.
One alternative to air conditioning, called passive daytime radiative cooling (PDRC), offers cooler temperatures with little-to-no energy expended.
So far, however, many PDRC methods are too expensive or too difficult to widely implement. But that's where the new polymer comes in.
White paint is currently considered the standard PDRC since it’s cheap, easily implemented and can reflect light. However white paint, like regular paint, still absorbs heat energy which makes the new polymer coating a potentially better PDRC, according to the new research.
The coating is unique in its ability to cool because researchers replaced paint pigment with little holes, called air voids, which reflect all light energy including heat.
“There are plans to commercialize the product,” Yang said in an interview. “We do plan on engaging the government as well.”
But lead author Jyotirmoy Mandal said in an email that a few coated rooftops here and there will not have an effect.
“A large scale implementation in multiple buildings is required, and I would say that requires the involvement of public policy and industrial circles,” he explained.
Some other tech options that could cool down our cities include designing buildings with better air flow, adding heat-blocking films to windows, and creating more energy efficient AC units.
The team of researchers hope that this futuristic paint will be added to this list of solutions.
