During the summer of 2025, extreme heat waves strained power grids across North America, Europe, and the Middle East, highlighting the growing need for innovative cooling solutions. As global warming intensifies, reliance on air conditioning increases, placing further stress on energy infrastructure. Radiative cooling, a technology leveraging paints, coatings, and textiles to scatter sunlight and dissipate heat without additional energy input, is emerging as a potential solution.

Qiaoqiang Gan, a professor of materials science and applied physics at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia, explained that radiative cooling is a universal phenomenon. "Radiative cooling is universal—it exists everywhere in our daily life," Gan said. He noted that objects absorb heat from the sun during the day and radiate some of it back at night. This process, he explained, is why cars parked outside overnight often have condensation on their roofs, as the metal dissipates heat, cooling the surface below the ambient air temperature and leading to dew formation.

Humans have utilized this natural process for millennia. In desert regions of Iran, North Africa, and India, people historically manufactured ice by leaving pools of water exposed to clear night skies, allowing radiative cooling to freeze the water. Modern advancements are now enhancing this ancient technique with new materials and technologies.

The development of advanced paints, coatings, and textiles capable of maximizing radiative cooling is gaining momentum. These materials are designed to reflect sunlight and efficiently emit heat, reducing the temperature of surfaces and spaces. The implications of widespread adoption of these technologies are significant, potentially reducing the demand for air conditioning, alleviating strain on power grids, and lowering energy consumption. Further research and development are focused on improving the efficiency and scalability of radiative cooling materials for various applications.