Talk about blinding white.
Years ago, a scientist at Purdue University created a white paint that can cool down buildings and prevent global temperatures from rising. In 2021, the Guinness Book of World Records named it the whitest paint on earth.
Xiulin Ruan, a professor of mechanical engineering at the school, concocted award-winning paint that reflects 98% of the sun’s rays away from the Earth’s surface. When this is applied to the roof of structures, the paint cools down surfaces as much as eight degrees during the day and up to 19 degrees at night according to a report in The New York Times.
“If you were to use this paint to cover a roof area of about 1,000 square feet [93 m2], we estimate that you could get a cooling power up to 10 kilowatts. That’s more powerful than the air conditioners used by most houses,” Ruan said.
With his invention, Ruan doesn’t want to stop at buildings. Last year, he announced that he has invented a version of this paint for vehicles.
Unfortunately, the paint won’t be on sale for about another year, as researchers are working on improving it.
In an age of global warming, scientists consider paints like this crucial for cooling down the planet and reducing electricity use, since buildings with this kind of white paint would rely less on air conditioning.
