This natural air conditioner does not require electricity
Due to climate change, the energy demand for cooling is also increasing. Researchers have now developed a natural air conditioning system that works without electricity. The backgrounds.
In addition to the additional hours of sunshine, summer also brings temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius in this country. However, due to climate change, the hot days are becoming more frequent. The need for cooling is therefore increasing.
In this country, air conditioning systems in private households are still a rarity. However, this could change in the foreseeable future. However, in addition to pleasantly cooling down our living spaces, such systems often have a disadvantage: they require a large amount of energy. At the same time, there is still not enough green electricity available.
Natural air conditioning works without an additional energy source
Hence the announcement sounds by researchers at the University of Cambridge almost too good to be true. Because they developed a film that continuously cools down when exposed to sunlight. The system does not require an additional energy source. In professional circles, this process is called “passive radiation cooling”.
The surface radiates energy and cools down. The system has a decisive advantage: Compared to previous approaches, which only achieved the effect with a white foil, the new natural air conditioning system can take on almost any color. This is made possible by nanocrystals, which color the foil but at the same time do not store any additional energy.
The main ingredient comes directly from nature
A main component of the film is the naturally occurring cellulose. This is available in wood or cotton and hardly absorbs any solar energy. At the same time, cellulose radiates a relatively large amount of heat. The new film therefore does not require an external energy source and at the same time comes from natural raw materials.
The researchers hope to bring the system into mass production in the foreseeable future. In addition to being used in new buildings, the material is of particular interest to the automotive industry. Because if a car manufacturer offers its vehicles with the film, all color variations are possible and at the same time it stays cooler in the cars even on summer days.
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