By Michael Taylor
KUALA LUMPUR: A newly developed “liquid window” can block sunlight to keep a building cool but can also absorb heat released slowly during the day or night to reduce energy costs, scientists said.
Researchers from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU) use hydrogel-based fluids between window glass panels and were found to reduce energy consumption in buildings by up to 45% compared to conventional glass windows.
NTU scientists, who have spent nearly a decade on the project, said it was about 30% more energy efficient than commercially available energy-efficient glass.
“In the past, people talked about blocking the sun in the summer and getting sunlight in the winter, but no one talked about storing heat – we’re the first to do so,” said lead researcher Long Yi.
“Liquid window” material can be used for small or large pieces of glass. “It’s just like water,” Yi told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
According to a United Nations 200 report, energy-intensive buildings, many of which are heated by fossil fuels, account for 40% of the world’s 40 use of vacancies, and Windows account for half of that consumption.
The International Energy Agency said direct and indirect global warming emissions from electricity and commercial heat used in buildings reached record highs in 2019, accounting for 28% of CO2 emissions worldwide. Is.
The agency said in a 2020 report that the increase was partly due to increased demand for heating and cooling, with increasing ownership of air-conditioners and extreme weather.
Conventional energy saving windows are made of expensive coatings that cut off the infra-red light going in or out of a building, helping to reduce heat and cooling demand.
But they do not regulate visible light, a major part of sunlight that causes buildings to heat up.
To address the shortcomings, NTU researchers combined micro-hydrogen, water and a stabilizer, finding that energy release consumption can be effectively reduced in many weathers as it automatically responds to temperature changes. Is.
The liquid mixture in the “smart window” obscures the sun or obscures it when exposed to heat.
When the temperature cools, it returns to its original clear, transparent state, excluding light and heat.
NTU scientists performed simulations using building models and weather data from Shanghai, Las Vegas, Riyadh and Singapore, as well as external tests in Singapore, Guangzhou and Beijing.
They hope to work with businesses soon to arouse business interests.
Windows, which are the most suited fit for office buildings that come up during the day, can be adapted to different locations.
But they are most effective in warmer countries and places where temperatures rise during the day and fall faster at night, Long said, according to Long.
Tests also suggest that smart liquid windows reduce noise noise by 15% more effectively than double-glazed windows.
Thomson Reuters Foundation