Cool Revolution: The Future of Climate-Friendly Cooling Technologies

As cities heat up due to climate change, the urgent need for innovative cooling technologies has never been more pressing. Sneha Sachar, associated with the Clean Cooling Collaborative, highlights how escalating temperatures are impacting livelihoods, particularly for outdoor workers. While there are low-tech cooling methods like airflow designs and cooling stations, the increasing heat demands more robust solutions. Analysts at Morgan Stanley project the global cooling market, currently at $235 billion, could double by 2030. However, traditional cooling systems using hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) suffer from leakage issues and have a high global warming potential, prompting the need for environmentally-friendly alternatives.

Options like propane and ammonia present their own risks, solidifying the need for revolutionary technologies that do not rely on hazardous refrigerants. One innovative approach involves solid-state cooling, which employs solid materials and external forces (pressure, voltage, etc.) to induce temperature changes, offering greater efficiency and eco-friendliness. Lindsay Rasmussen from RMI refers to several startups developing these technologies, such as Magnotherm, which utilizes magnetocaloric effects to provide safe and efficient cooling without toxic components.

Another promising technology is thermoelectric cooling, currently in use across numerous sectors, including data centers and supermarkets. This method offers silent operation and is energy-efficient, making it a modern alternative to traditional cooling systems. Phononic, a key player in this field, emphasizes the flexibility of activating cooling on demand, reducing costs and energy needs.

Further innovation includes elastocaloric cooling, achieved through mechanical stress on specific materials, although this technology is still developing with performance improvements expected. Researchers have already created prototypes exceeding notable cooling power thresholds, such as the recently successful 1,284W device using new materials like graphene nanofluids. Despite current limitations, the potential for solid-state devices to become the future of cooling solutions is bright, with many hoping to scale these technologies to meet global demands and make them accessible to all.