"The researchers estimate that covering an apartment building with the treated wood could save about 35 percent of the energy used for cooling. In a dense urban setting, that number goes up to over half. Plus, it also has the strength to handle some of the internal structure of the building. And while forestry can create environmental issues, it is certainly possible to manage it in a way that is sustainable."
@Antanicus "The precise nature of the process isn't mentioned in the paper, which suggested it might be nightmarishly complex or involve extremely toxic chemicals."
Or, more likely, they are going to patent it, so the planet doesn't get too much of a good thing.
@gemlog unfortunately the article confirms they already hold a patent on the tech, which is extremely disappointing. I wish more scientists would open their eyes and stop validating capitalism with their work. If Arduino made it, they will make it too
"In the heat of the day, a square meter of the wood could radiate away about 16W of power. At night, that figure shot up to 63W, for a 24-hour average of 53 Watts per square meter. At mid-day, if there was no source of heat in the box, its ambient temperature was over 4°C lower than the surrounding air. This is all the result of the fact that the treated wood emits energy in the infrared more efficiently than it absorbs energy in thee visible wavelengths."