Volume 20: Sustainable Energy Solutions for a Post-COVID Recovery towards a Better Future: Part III

Improving Cooling Production Combining Radiative Cooling and Phase Change Materials Nicolas Féat, Albert Castell, Marc Medrano, Roger Vilà

Abstract

Radiative cooling is a process by which a surface reduces its temperature by emitting thermal radiation towards outer space. Devices using this process to produce cooling are commonly named Radiative Coolers (RC). The energy transmitted to the sky by RC highly depends on the temperature of its surface; the higher the RC surface temperature, the more energy it radiates. In order to increase the potential of cooling production, this paper presents a numerical approach to the use of Phase Change Materials (PCM) as storage system in combination with RC. The use of PCM can result in a higher and more constant RC temperature during the cooling process compared to that when using conventional water tanks. Results show the combination of PCM and RC can improve the cooling production, in both summer and winter periods, compared to the conventional water tank system.

Keywords Radiative cooling, phase change material, renewable energy