SBIR Phase I: Hybrid Solar Panel for Radiative Thermal Exchange

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project is to catalyze the domestic market for renewable solar heating and cooling. Over 50% of the world's energy provides heating and cooling for residential, commercial and industrial applications, most of which is generated from the combustion of fossil fuels. The basis for this work is a low-cost panelized solution for renewable solar heat collection incorporating a cooling component at night. For multi-family homes, this singular approach will make it possible to satisfy more than 60% of the hot water, space heating, and space cooling demands. This solution could address up to 4,400 TBtu of this demand, a $34 B opportunity, while reducing electricity consumption and demand for refrigerants. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will build on the proven solar heat architecture. The current solar heat only solution will be modified to enhance its inherent radiative cooling capability. The effort will focus on identifying and specifying novel polymer and fluoropolymer films whose emittance and transmission properties can be enhanced. After optical characterization, sample films of interest will be fabricated at scale for inclusion into a full-sized test panel to be evaluated using an in-house solar simulator and ultimately via field testing. The work will also require modifications to the panel architecture to decrease the heat absorbed from the environment. The result will be an extension of the solar heat product family. Cooling rates as high as 100 W/m2 are theoretically possible. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.