Advanced Inorganic Passive Radiative Cooling Coatings for Overhead Power Transmission Lines

In recent years, driven by climate change, global temperatures have risen, inducing problems to environment’s stability. Among these, overhead electrical transmission powerlines suffer from a significant reduction in ampacity, maximum amount of electrical current, during hot periods. This, since the current-carrying capacity depends on the operating temperature, elevated temperatures caused also by joule’s effects inhibit the grid efficiency of the conductor leading to energy and thermal losses. To improve the situation, passive radiative cooling technologies developed over the years. This research aims to develop a functional inorganic coating system tailored for overhead powerlines. It is engineered to maximize solar reflectance in the UV-Vis-NIR spectrum while optimizing thermal emittance in the atmospheric window.