FOR REAL – Scaling up Daytime Radiative Cooling

Step into HELIOS cutting-edge laboratory aimed at the development and characterization of new, The new low-cost kit FOR REAListic and repeatable characterization across all climates
ERC Proof of Concept Lump Sum Grant 2024 (ERC-2024-PoC) groundbreaking passive cooling materials to counteract urban overheating.

Leveraging the unique scientific and technical methods developed in the ERC-StG HELIOS project, we have conceived a precise, robust, and scalable in-lab testing kit and procedure to evaluate the performance of PDRCs, as in the outdoor realistic climate exposure conditions, ensuring replicability and reliability across diverse settings. The FOR REAL kit, complemented by detailed user testing guidelines for sample and sensor positioning, as well as basic procedures for simulation chamber testing, offers a versatile and cost-effective solution that can be integrated within any climate chamber equipped with a solar simulator. The kit features a 20 cm diameter semi-cylindrical aluminium shroud, designed to control radiative heat exchange through a specialized Mid-Infrared (MIR) filter. Furthermore, a fully conditioned sample holder is strategically positioned to face an azimuthal opening, allowing solar radiation to target the sample, ensuring optimal exposure, parameter control/monitoring, and conditioning. This design enables three key functionalities: exposure of the test material—whether PDRC or traditional cool materials—to solar radiation, quantification of heat flux within the AW via radiative exchange between the test material and a low-temperature heat sink, and elimination and control of parasitic effects, particularly unwanted convective heat transfer, being able to perform replicable test up to the vacuum conditions.  Overall, the FOR REAL system (kit + user testing guidelines) uniquely enables a comprehensive, realistic, and repeatable assessment of cool materials’ performances in diverse climate conditions.
Confirming the unique values via an intense validation campaign to reach TRL4 and paving the way to TRL5 with preliminary tests in the operational environment, FOR REAL stands to redefine the role of PDRC materials in urban overheating mitigation and energy efficiency, positioning Europe as an innovation leader