This post is created by The Better India and sponsored by Wingify Earth.

Researchers from IIT-Guwahati have developed an affordable and efficient coating material called a “radiative cooler”, which operates as an alternative to air conditioning.

The material can be applied to rooftops and functions both day and night by emitting heat absorbed from the surroundings in the form of infrared radiations that pass through the atmosphere before being emitted into the cold outer space. While most passive radiative coolers only work at night, the researchers have designed a coating that reflects the entire solar radiation as well, making it effective round-the-clock.

The team used thin films of silicon dioxide and aluminium nitride, which have low optical density for the wavelength range of solar and atmospheric radiations, and high optical density at atmospheric transmittance wavelengths, where they absorb radiations and emit them like a black body. The researchers hope their innovation will reach the market once large-scale prototypes are developed and tested for operational stability and durability under different climatic conditions.

The radiative cooler could be an excellent alternative to conventional air conditioning systems in countries experiencing hot weather. It could replace traditional cooling technologies that dump waste heat into the surroundings.

#WingifyEarth encourages such proactive actions to safeguard the environment and keep it clean.

#WingifyEarth in partnership with 'The Better India'