Dear MEL Topic Readers,
'Cooling paint' could cut emissions from buildings
The number of large buildings is increasing as we buy things online, use data, and expand businesses in hotter regions like India, the Middle East, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Think of office buildings, warehouses, and data centers in those low-latitude regions where a lot of sunshine heats the roofs and walls of the buildings for a longer time throughout the year. They need to be constantly cooled even though the gap between ambient temperatures and the inside is quite wider than in other regions. Accordingly, the air conditioning of those facilities consumes much more electricity, which is mostly generated by fossil fuels. Using solar energy is one thing. But if more sunlight is reflected from the surface of the buildings, a lot of energy could be saved. Is there any coating technology or material that reflects more sunlight?
Recently, some researchers have come up with a special paint that reflects sunlight by as much as 95.5%. The effect is so significant. In one experiment, the specially-painted surface cooled 1.7C below the ambient temperature during the day and up to 10C at night!
Enjoy reading the article and learn about this human ingenuity to help save the world from global warming.
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-54632523
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