Field evaluation of the efficacy of passive radiative cooling infrastructure: A case study in Phoenix Arizona

Radiative properties of shade structures affect their surface temperatures, sensible heat fluxes and longwave and shortwave radiation exchange. In fact, structures with high solar reflectance and thermal emittance have the potential to remain below ambient air temperatures, convecting sensible heat from the air to the surface and then radiating that heat to space—a sort of radiant heat pump.

We explore cooling benefits of urban surfaces with high solar reflectance and high thermal emittance radiative cooling films through a field measurement campaign in Phoenix Arizona, USA. The tested films have solar reflectance and selective thermal emittance (in wavelengths 8–13 μm) close to 95 %. We applied films in both before-after and control-test experimental designs on thin metal roofs of park shade structures. We measured surface temperatures, surface heat fluxes, upward- and downward-welling longwave and shortwave radiation, and local weather conditions.

Results demonstrate the ability of radiant cooling films to reduce surface temperatures on hot days below ambient air temperatures. Test surfaces with cooling films were an average of 7 °C cooler than control shelter surfaces over the diurnal cycle, reducing sensible heat fluxes into the environment by up to 80 %, and lowering mean radiant temperatures for pedestrians using the shelters by more than 3 °C. It was also observed that the sum of the net reflected shortwave and emitted longwave radiation over the diurnal cycle can exceed the total incident longwave and shortwave radiation on the surface, demonstrating the ability of these materials to radiatively “pump” heat out of the city.