Climate change: Low cost, low energy cooling system shows promise

[nitpicker]

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-45991225

Climate change: Low cost, low energy cooling system shows promise

By Matt McGrath
Environment correspondent

26 October 2018

Researchers in the US have scaled up a new low-cost system that could provide efficient cooling for homes while using very little electricity. The team has developed a roof-top sized array, built from a highly reflective material made from glass and polymers.

In tests, the system kept water around 10C cooler than the ambient air when exposed to midday sunlight in summer. The approach could also be scaled up to cool power stations and data centres.

The system is based around what's termed a cooling meta-material, which is essentially an engineered film not found in nature.
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But it also has another cooling trick that makes it quite special. If you use the film to cover water, it allows any heat in the liquid to escape into the air. So when the heat escapes and is not replaced because the material deflects away sunlight, temperatures drop rapidly.

Now the scientists have improved the system and and built and tested a 13-sq-metre array of panels, that's small enough to fit on most rooftops.
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The system has been tested outdoors in a variety of weather conditions. In experiments carried out in the summer of 2017, the reflective system kept a container of water some 12C cooler than the surrounding air in the warmest hours of the day.
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The key material is made with glass microspheres embedded into a polymer film, with a thin silver coating. At just 50 micrometres, it is slightly thicker than aluminium foil. Another big advantage of the material is that it can be manufactured on rolls, making it easier to apply on residential and commercial applications.
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[Sherman A1]

1. Cool

Thanks for posting.