BRI & HK | CityU researchers develop 'electric-free cooling technology' for sustainable future

Heat waves, torrential rains, droughts and hill fires......The global climate has been facing many challenges in recent years, and extreme weather conditions have been staged in various corners of the world, with most of the underlying causes originating from the rapidly rising global temperatures.

According to the meteorological data recorded by the Hong Kong Observatory, between 1885 and 2022, the average rate of increase in global average annual temperature was 0.14℃ per decade; and between 1993 and 2022, the average rate of increase was 0.28℃ per decade. As the temperature rises, the excessive use of air-conditioning is aggravating global warming, leading us into a vicious cycle.

A research team from the School of Energy and Environment at the City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has developed a paint coating that can produce cooling without electricity. The zero-energy, low-cost, highly-efficient passive radiative cooling paint saves energy and reduces carbon emissions in cooling buildings.

"Just by applying a layer of paint, the temperature can be lowered by two to three degrees, which can save electricity," said Dr. Martin Chu, a graduate of the CityU. He is a core member of the R&D team and co-founder of i2Cool, a company that puts research results into practice. In just two years, their "electricity-free cooling technology" has not only entered thousands of homes in Hong Kong, but also gone global, benefiting more people in Southeast and Central Asia. Watch the video now to learn more about their story.