Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-dh8gc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T10:03:29.521Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Passive daytime radiative cooling: Principle, application, and economic analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 June 2020

Yuan Yang*
Affiliation:
Program of Materials Science and Engineering, Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, New York10027, USA
Yifan Zhang
Affiliation:
Program of Materials Science and Engineering, Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, New York10027, USA
*
Address all correspondence to Yuan Yang at yy2664@columbia.edu
Get access

Abstract

Passive daytime radiative cooling (PDRC) is an electricity-free method for cooling terrestrial entities. In PDRC, a surface has a solar reflectance of nearly 1 to avoid solar heating and a high emittance close to 1 in the long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) transparent window of the atmosphere (wavelength λ = 8–13 μm) for radiating heat to the cold sky. This allows the surface to passively achieve sub-ambient cooling. PDRC requires careful tuning of optical reflectance in the wide optical spectrum, and various strategies have been proposed in the last decade, some of which are under commercialization. PDRC can be used in a variety of applications, such as building envelopes, containers, and vehicles. This perspective describes the principle and applications of various PDRC strategies and analyzes the cost, and economic and environmental consequences. Potential challenges and possible future directions are also discussed.

Type
Perspective
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society, 2020

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Mandal, J., Fu, Y., Overvig, A.C., Jia, M., Sun, K., Shi, N.N., Zhou, H., Xiao, X., Yu, N., and Yang, Y.: Hierarchically porous polymer coatings for highly efficient passive daytime radiative cooling. Science 362, 315319 (2018).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Landsberg, H.E.: The Urban Climate (Academic Press, New York, 1981).Google Scholar
Raman, A.P., Anoma, M.A., Zhu, L., Rephaeli, E., and Fan, S.: Passive radiative cooling below ambient air temperature under direct sunlight. Nature 515, 540 (2014).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Santamouris, M. and Feng, J.: Recent progress in daytime radiative cooling: Is it the air conditioner of the future? Buildings 8, 168 (2018).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Catalanotti, S., Cuomo, V., Piro, G., Ruggi, D., Silvestrini, V., and Troise, G.: The radiative cooling of selective surfaces. Solar Energy 17, 8389 (1975).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Li, W. and Fan, S.: Radiative cooling: Harvesting the coldness of the universe. Opt. Photonics News 30, 3239 (2019).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, Y., Wenxi Li, J.M., Smith-Washington, A., Tsai, C.-C., Huang, W., Shrestha, S., Yu, N., Han, R.P.S., Cao, A., and Yang, Y.: Colored and paintable bilayer coatings with high solar-infrared reflectance for efficient cooling. Sci. Adv. 6 (eaaz5413, 2020).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gentle, A.R. and Smith, G.B.: A subambient open roof surface under the mid-summer sun. Adv. Sci. 2, 1500119 (2015).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zhai, Y., Ma, Y., David, S.N., Zhao, G., Lou, R., Tan, G., Yang, R., and Yin, X.: Scalable-manufactured randomized glass-polymer hybrid metamaterial for daytime radiative cooling. Science 355, 10621066 (2017).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Li, W., Shi, Y., Chen, Z., and Fan, S.: Photonic thermal management of coloured objects. Nat. Commun. 9, 4240 (2018).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
The Weather Company: Weather History | Weather Underground (2018). Retrieved from: https://www.wunderground.com/history/ (accessed May 4, 2020).Google Scholar
Clean Air and Sustainable Environment Project: Air Quality Index (AQI) (2018). Retrieved from: http://case.doe.gov.bd/ (accessed May 4, 2020).Google Scholar
Wei, P.-S., Chiu, H.-H., Hsieh, Y.-C., Yen, D.-L., Lee, C., Tsai, Y.-C., and Ting, T.-C.: Absorption coefficient of water vapor across atmospheric troposphere layer. Heliyon 5, e01145 (2019).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lienhard, J.H. IV and Lienhard, J.H. V: A Heat Transfer Textbook, 5th ed. (Dover Publications, Inc., Mineola, NY, 2019).Google Scholar
Brady, R.F. and Wake, L.V.: Principles and formulations for organic coatings with tailored infrared properties. Prog. Org. Coat. 20, 125 (1992).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mandal, J., Jia, M., Overvig, A., Fu, Y., Che, E., Yu, N., and Yang, Y.: Porous polymers with switchable optical transmittance for optical and thermal regulation. Joule 3, 30883099 (2019).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Levinson, R., Berdahl, P., and Akbari, H.: Solar spectral optical properties of pigments—Part II: Survey of common colorants. Solar Energy Mater. Solar Cells 89, 351389 (2005).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Levinson, R., Akbari, H., and Reilly, J.C.: Cooler tile-roofed buildings with near-infrared-reflective non-white coatings. Build. Environ. 42, 25912605 (2007).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Levinson, R., Berdahl, P., Akbari, H., Miller, W., Joedicke, I., Reilly, J., Suzuki, Y., and Vondran, M.: Methods of creating solar-reflective nonwhite surfaces and their application to residential roofing materials. Solar Energy Mater. Solar Cells 91, 304314 (2007).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Modest, M.F.: Radiative Properties of Real Surfaces. In Radiative Heat Transfer, 3rd ed., Modest, M.F., ed. (Academic Press, New York, 2013); pp. 61128.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gilmore, D.G.: Satellite thermal control handbook (The Aerospace Corporation Press, El Segundo, CA, 1994).Google Scholar
Karam, R.D.: Satellite Thermal Control for Systems Engineers (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Reston, VA, 1998).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Li, T., Zhai, Y., He, S., Gan, W., Wei, Z., Heidarinejad, M., Dalgo, D., Mi, R., Zhao, Z., Song, J., Dai, J., Chen, C., Aili, A., Vellore, A., Martini, A., Yang, R., Srebric, J., Yin, X., and Hu, L.: A radiative cooling structural material. Science 364, 760763 (2019).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zhao, D., Aili, A., Zhai, Y., Lu, J., Kidd, D., Tan, G., Yin, X., and Yang, R.: Subambient cooling of water: Toward real-world applications of daytime radiative cooling. Joule 3, 111123 (2019).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhou, L., Song, H., Liang, J., Singer, M., Zhou, M., Stegenburgs, E., Zhang, N., Xu, C., Ng, T., Yu, Z., Ooi, B., and Gan, Q.: A polydimethylsiloxane-coated metal structure for all-day radiative cooling. Nat. Sustain. 2, 718724 (2019).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lipovšek, B., Krč, J., Isabella, O., Zeman, M., and Topič, M.: Modeling and optimization of white paint back reflectors for thin-film silicon solar cells. J. Appl. Phys. 108, 103115 (2010).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fu, Y., Yang, J., Su, Y.S., Du, W., and Ma, Y.G.: Daytime passive radiative cooler using porous alumina. Solar Energy Mater. Solar Cells 191, 5054 (2019).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Atiganyanun, S., Plumley, J.B., Han, S.J., Hsu, K., Cytrynbaum, J., Peng, T.L., Han, S.M., & Han, S.E.: Effective radiative cooling by paint-format microsphere-based photonic random media. ACS Photonics 5, 11811187 (2018).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yang, P., Chen, C., and Zhang, Z.M.: A dual-layer structure with record-high solar reflectance for daytime radiative cooling. Solar Energy 169, 316324 (2018).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Song, J.R., Qin, J., Qu, J., Song, Z.N., Zhang, W.D., Xue, X., Shi, Y.X., Zhang, T., Ji, W.Z., Zhang, R.P., Zhang, H.Q., Zhang, Z.Y., and Wu, X.: The effects of particle size distribution on the optical properties of titanium dioxide rutile pigments and their applications in cool non-white coatings. Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cells 130, 4250 (2014).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gonome, H., Nakamura, M., Okajima, J., and Maruyama, S.: Artificial chameleon skin that controls spectral radiation: Development of Chameleon cool coating (C3). Sci. Rep. 8, 1196 (2018).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lee, G.J., Kim, Y.J., Kim, H.M., Yoo, Y.J., and Song, Y.M.: Colored, daytime radiative coolers with thin-film resonators for aesthetic purposes. Adv. Opt. Mater. 6, 1800707 (2018).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Levinson, R., Akbari, H., Berdahl, P., Wood, K., Skilton, W., and Petersheim, J.: A novel technique for the production of cool colored concrete tile and asphalt shingle roofing products. Solar Energy Mater. Solar Cells 94, 946954 (2010).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: Pigment Database. Available at: http://pigments.lbl.gov (accessed May 4, 2020).Google Scholar
Goldstein, E.A., Raman, A.P., and Fan, S.: Sub-ambient non-evaporative fluid cooling with the sky. Nat. Energy 2, 17143 (2017).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Raman, A.P., Li, W., and Fan, S.: Generating light from darkness. Joule 3, 26792686 (2019).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Al-Obaidi, K.M., Ismail, M., and Rahman, A.M.A.: Passive cooling techniques through reflective and radiative roofs in tropical houses in Southeast Asia: A literature review. Front. Archit. Res. 3, 283297 (2014).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barker, G.: In Storage Tanks. The Engineer's Guide to Plant Layout and Piping Design for the Oil and Gas Industries, Barker, G., ed. (Gulf Professional Publishing, Cambridge, MA, 2018); pp. 361380.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Larsson, E., Sennton, G., and Larson, J.: The vehicle platooning problem: Computational complexity and heuristics. Transp. Res. Part C 60, 258277 (2015).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grand View Research I.: Cool Roof Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report by Roof Type (Steep Slope, Low Slope), by Product (Single-ply Membranes, Asphalt Shingles, Metal Roofs, Coated Roofs), by Application, and Segment Forecasts, 2019–2025 (2019).Google Scholar
Baniassadi, A., Sailor, D.J., and Ban-Weiss, G.A.: Potential energy and climate benefits of super-cool materials as a rooftop strategy. Urban Clim. 29, 100495 (2019).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Li, X.-X. and Norford, L.K.: Evaluation of cool roof and vegetations in mitigating urban heat island in a tropical city, Singapore. Urban Clim. 16, 5974 (2016).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vahmani, P., Sun, F., Hall, A., and Ban-Weiss, G.: Investigating the climate impacts of urbanization and the potential for cool roofs to counter future climate change in Southern California. Environ. Res. Lett. 11, 124027 (2016).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sailor, D.J.: Simulated urban climate response to modifications in surface Albedo and vegetative cover. J. Appl. Meteorol. 34, 16941704 (1995).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Levinson, R. and Akbari, H.: Potential benefits of cool roofs on commercial buildings: conserving energy, saving money, and reducing emission of greenhouse gases and air pollutants. Energy Efficiency 3, 53109 (2010).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosado, P.J. and Levinson, R.: Potential benefits of cool walls on residential and commercial buildings across California and the United States: Conserving energy, saving money, and reducing emission of greenhouse gases and air pollutants. Energy Build. 199, 588607 (2019).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lim, X.: The super-cool materials that send heat to space. Nature 577, 1820 (2020).CrossRefGoogle Scholar