Smart Roof Panels Turn White When It is Hot and Black When Cold

The next advance in roofing materials may be smart roofing tiles that can change color based on outdoor temperature to maximize or minimize solar gain.

"MIT researchers have developed roof tiles that change color based on the temperature, turning white when it’s hot to deflect heat and turning black when it’s cold to absorb it ... the tiles can reflect about 80 percent of sunlight when they’re white and 30 percent of sunlight when they’re black. ... white state ... could save as much as 20 percent of present cooling costs ..."

" ... system ... made of a ... polymer in a water solution ... encapsulated between flexible plastic layers, with a dark layer at the back. When the temperature is above a certain level ... the polymer  ... produce a white surface and scatter light.  ... Below that temperature, the polymer stays dissolved, revealing the tile’s black backing and absorbing the sun’s heat ..."



Via: SmartPlanet LINK