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From fighting in the military to fighting climate change
August 08, 2016A Roof that Beats the Heat
Roofs and pavement make up about 60 percent of urban surfaces in some U.S. cities, according to Heat Island Group. When the sun is shining, this concentration of warmed surfaces can turn the heat up an extra 3 or 4 degrees.
A solution to reduce this urban heating? There could be one in your roof – reflecting the light back off the surface of structures.A Roof that Beats the Heat
Roofs and pavement make up about 60 percent of urban surfaces in some U.S. cities, according to Heat Island Group. When the sun is shining, this concentration of warmed surfaces can turn the heat up an extra 3 or 4 degrees.
A solution to reduce this urban heating? There could be one in your roof – reflecting the light back off the surface of structures.A Roof that Beats the Heat
Roofs and pavement make up about 60 percent of urban surfaces in some U.S. cities, according to Heat Island Group. When the sun is shining, this concentration of warmed surfaces can turn the heat up an extra 3 or 4 degrees.
A solution to reduce this urban heating? There could be one in your roof – reflecting the light back off the surface of structures.According to Frank Klink, 3M laboratory manager, the ability to reflect light can help reduce the amount of air conditioning you need – ultimately cutting back on local energy consumption and the need for fossil fuel. In states like California, where power grids are often stressed on hot afternoons, this reduction in energy consumption is crucial.
According to Frank Klink, 3M laboratory manager, the ability to reflect light can help reduce the amount of air conditioning you need – ultimately cutting back on local energy consumption and the need for fossil fuel. In states like California, where power grids are often stressed on hot afternoons, this reduction in energy consumption is crucial.
According to Frank Klink, 3M laboratory manager, the ability to reflect light can help reduce the amount of air conditioning you need – ultimately cutting back on local energy consumption and the need for fossil fuel. In states like California, where power grids are often stressed on hot afternoons, this reduction in energy consumption is crucial.
Photo: Frank Klink, 3M laboratory manager, with a vial of Cool Roofing Granules
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One of 3M’s contributions to reducing urban heating comes in the form of Cool Roofing Granules. The technology behind the new roofing granules was originally used on military hardware – like aircraft and armor – to make it less visible, says Frank.
3M’s product development team wanted to create a variety of colors that would preferentially reflect back more infrared radiation – which makes up a little more than half of the solar radiation that hits the earth. The colored coatings that go on the granules reflect more of the sunlight back up to the sky – so that less goes into heating the roof.
“Our focus was on developing a way to absorb less radiation but still offer a variety of colors to customers. We realized that they needed to reflect more of the infrared portion. We needed granular structures that reflected back.”FRANK KLINKLABORATORY MANAGER, 3M INDUSTRIAL MINERAL PRODUCTS3M ROOFING GRANULESCool Roofing Granules are mostly sold in the U.S., because many other countries use metal, clay or asphalt. “There is a growing awareness outside the U.S.,” Frank says, “that we may see a growing demand for these granules in the tropical areas of the world.”
3M ROOFING GRANULESCool Roofing Granules are mostly sold in the U.S., because many other countries use metal, clay or asphalt. “There is a growing awareness outside the U.S.,” Frank says, “that we may see a growing demand for these granules in the tropical areas of the world.”
3M ROOFING GRANULESCool Roofing Granules are mostly sold in the U.S., because many other countries use metal, clay or asphalt. “There is a growing awareness outside the U.S.,” Frank says, “that we may see a growing demand for these granules in the tropical areas of the world.”
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