Scientists created the world's whitest paint. It could eliminate the need for air conditioning.

LiveLife

Active member
Just came across this ... I didn't know how much regular white latex paint actually absorbed heat and turns out reflects about 80-90% of sunlight and absorbing rest as heat gain (Which we use air conditioning to counter).

Scientists created the world's whitest paint. It could eliminate the need for air conditioning - https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...test-paint-created-global-warming/8378579002/
  • The paint has now made it into the Guinness World Records book as the whitest ever made.
  • The idea was to make a paint that would reflect sunlight away from a building.
  • The paint reflects 98.1% of solar radiation while also emitting infrared heat.
Their findings indicate building painted with this new pant (walls and roof) reflects so much sunlight that need for air conditioning to remove heat gain from sunlight may not be necessary.

I can see immediate application of this new paint for metal shop buildings with metal roof and perhaps the RV industry.

 

wiscoaster

Well-known member
I see they're using barium sulfate instead of titaniam dioxide to make the white pigment. That's interesting, as well as unique. I don't know what the raw material availability of barium is. Sulfur is pretty common. Titaniam is scare and expensive. So I think if barium is not also scarce these guys could have something here. Now if they'd invent something that reflects cold for winter in Wisconsin, they'd really be in it ... but hey, that's not how heat transfer works, sorry.
 

roscoe

Well-known member
What is old is new, again (Santorini, Greece).

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Phantom 309

Well-known member
Their findings indicate building painted with this new pant (walls and roof) reflects so much sunlight that need for air conditioning to remove heat gain from sunlight may not be necessary.

This article could be a bit misleading to most people. The key words here are "heat gains from sunlight". Solar gains are only a portion of the heat loads calculated when sizing air conditioning equipment. Average ambient temps, electronics, and occupancy levels of human beings are examples of additional heat loads to be considered on a system.

I have personally installed 15 tons (180,000 btu/h) of air conditioning in a 600 square foot insulated, windowless room in the middle of a climate controlled building for the sole purpose of keeping computer equipment at an acceptable temperature.

Edit for perspective: a similarly sized 600 sq. ft apartment in my climate would only require about 1 ton of cooling to keep the residents comfortable.
 
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