Heating and cooling needs in commercial buildings and our homes account for an extraordinary amount of our global energy needs. In fact, an International Energy Agency report suggests that 20% of all electric use in buildings around the world is used for air conditioners and electric fans.
This nonstop demand means dirty fuels such as coal, oil, and gas are constantly being mined and burned, releasing harmful toxins into the air and warming our global temperatures.
But a team of researchers from around the world collaborated to create a new cement-based cooling paint called CCP-30 that could lessen the amount of energy used in urban buildings. This is because the paint can "sweat" off the heat.
It also lessened the so-called heat island effect. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, heat islands occur when a developed area is warmer than nearby areas, or when areas experience hotter temperatures within a city itself.
The design achieved its spectacular results by combining radiative, evaporative, and reflective cooling mechanisms, which allowed it to reflect 88–92% of sunlight. This means it has the ability to keep spaces cool across all seasons.
According to findings published in Science, the paint provides 10 times the cooling power of commercial cooling paints in tropical climates, resulting in electricity savings of 30% to 40%. Since the paint sweats out excess heat, it manages to replenish itself by absorbing water from rain and moisture in the air without compromising how the paint interacts with light when wet.
CCP-30 was field-tested in tropical Singapore, where researchers found it outperformed commercial paints with its cooling power. Incredibly, analysts predict a 28% lower carbon footprint per unit compared to standard paints.
Incredibly, this is only the latest technology in the field of paints that are actively trying to fight our climate troubles. For instance, engineers from Stanford University invented a line of reflective paints for the outside of homes that drastically reduce heating and cooling needs indoors. Another group of researchers from Singapore used "cool paint coatings" in urban areas that allowed pedestrians to mitigate the heat island effect.
The paint seems to be a practical, real-world solution to construction, particularly in urban areas. As the researchers wrote in Science, "By leveraging sustainable water evaporation and thermal radiation, this paint offers a practical and long-term solution for mitigating the urban heat island effect."
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