Although white houses might seem quite boring, they could actually save the planet! A recent ultra-white paint was found to be able to reflect a whopping 98.1% of solar radiation and could act as a potential air conditioning replacement.
Ultra-White Paint vs Solar Radiation Heat
White houses, although most of the time referred to as quite boring, could actually help save the planet. As reported by USA Today, certain Purdue University researchers have reportedly been able to develop a particular ultra-white paint that reportedly reflects a whopping 98.1% of solar radiation heat!
The ultra-white paint has even gotten recognition by the Guinness World Record for the "whitest paint" in the world! The paint could reportedly leave the surface much cooler compared to the environment, as regular paint is found to warm up the surface.
Potential Air Conditioning Replacement
In some cases, this could even effectively replace air conditioning as it is capable of producing a cooling power of 10kW for a whopping 1,000square foot roof or around 92 sqm. This is reportedly more compared to a typical AC unit. As of the moment, plans towards renewable energy are still being questioned by the public, especially when it comes to the financial aspect.
As of the moment, there are already certain paints that are capable of reflecting heat. According to the story by engadget, however, they are only capable of reflecting just as much as 90% of the sunlight and aren't even able to cool the surfaces.
How Researchers Made the Ultra-White Paint
The team reportedly did not have that much breathing room as well since even white paint could have compromised it. The trick was reportedly to use a very high ratio of barium sulfate, a particular type of compound that is often seen in certain cosmetics, as well as photo paper in a number of varying particle sizes.
The wider range of sizes also helps scatter more of the light spectrum and thus is reportedly able to reflect additional sunlight. As of the moment, it is still not clear how close this particular extremely white paint is to most local stores. The researchers, however, are already fully bent when it comes to commercializing their work.
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Ultra-White Paint for Commercial Use
They have reportedly been able to team up with a company to be able to mass-produce and even sell the paint. They have also already filed patents. If it reportedly lives up to the billing, however, it could also play quite a huge role when it comes to fighting climate change. This could also be a more cost-effective way to help the environment compared to the $15 million worth carbon-sucking machine.
The article by Engadget notes that it could reduce or even eliminate the need for air conditioning in some types of homes. This is especially particularly true in warm regions that already have an ample amount of sunlight. This could reportedly reduce emissions and even be able to power consumption that might actually save the home some money on certain hot summer days.
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Written by Urian B.
