Tropospheric Ozone Formation Potential and Related Design Considerations for Radiative Coolers

Abstract

Recently, radiative coolers have been widely explored for reducing cooling loads or lowering temperatures in buildings, and at urban scales as a heat-mitigation measure. However, the potential impacts of radiative cooler deployment on the chemical composition of the atmosphere remain largely unexplored. A defining feature of recently-designed radiative coolers is their high ultraviolet (UV) reflectance, which is required for sub-ambient cooling under strong sunlight. Yet, wide adoption of such UV-reflective radiative coolers could substantially increase the UV actinic flux in the atmosphere above. This, in turn, may affect tropospheric ozone concentrations, particularly in urban atmospheres with high NOx concentrations. Here, as a case study, we use a 0-dimensional photochemical box model, constrained by field measurements of meteorological conditions and chemical concentrations in the urban environment of Houston, Texas, to explore the potential impact of the widespread use of UV-reflective radiative coolers on ozone concentrations. Our calculations show that complete deployment of radiative coolers may increase tropospheric ozone levels by as much as 30% during specific meteorological conditions in Houston. Informed by the wavelength-dependent modelling results, we propose specific designs, namely pigmented radiative coolers with different UV reflectances, and UV-absorptive visible-reemitting fluorescent radiative coolers, that could minimize negative ozone formation while retaining appreciable cooling performance. Our results motivate further study on the effects of widespread deployment of radiative cooling designs like superwhite roof paints on air quality, and materials that simultaneously minimize adverse photochemical impact and maximize cooling performance.