News
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
By John Kemp
Converting the world's roofs from dark colours to reflective white would cancel the warming effect of 1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide each year for the lifetime of the roof, according to former California Energy Commissioner Arthur Rosenfeld.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
By Sarah Lakow, Grist.org
Grist.org features Heat Island Group research and outreach efforts for cool pavements.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Mayor of Los Angeles Antonio Villaraigosa has directed the Department of Building and Safety to incorporate cool roof requirements in its building code. Mayor Villaraigosa is also asking the Department of Water and Power (LADWP) to create incentives that make it financially attractive for homeowners to install cool roofs.
Saturday, March 16, 2013
On Saturday, March 16, the Heat Island Group added two new cool pavement coatings to the Bevatron Lot at Berkeley Lab. The new additions feature Western Colloid's Armor Top asphalt-based coatings in two colors: Stealth Gray and California Tan. The coatings are tinted light colors using titanium dioxide and recycled materials to produce a surface with an initial solar reflectance above 20%, higher than the 5-10% of the dark asphalt parking lot surface underneath.
Friday, March 1, 2013
University of California - Research
The University of California Office of Research has released an infographic to highlight the phenomenon known as the urban heat island effect. In three illustrated panels, the graphic shows what characterizes and causes urban heat islands, drawing from Heat Island Group research.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
James Temple, San Francisco Chronicle
When it comes to counteracting climate change, the headlines tend to focus on the seemingly sci-fi stuff. But there are down-to-earth versions of the same basic concept, approaches as simple as painting roofs white or using light-colored pavement. A group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories is exploring how big an impact this approach could have on global warming, as well as developing next-generation building materials that could reflect more light.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Last week, 30 members of the China National Building Waterproof Association, which represents Chinese roofing manufacturers, and Chinese government officials came to Berkeley Lab for a daylong workshop on cool roofs. Participants learned about how cool roofing and paving materials can mitigate the urban heat island effect, reduce building air conditioning loads, and slow global warming.
Friday, February 1, 2013
On February 1, 2013, President Obama presented the 2011 National Medals of Technology and Innovation. Among the recipients was Arthur Rosenfeld, Distinguished Scientist Emeritus in the Environmental Energy Technologies Division at Berkeley Lab, who was recognized for his role in developing energy efficient building technologies as well as related building standards and policies.
Monday, January 28, 2013
HIG Research Assistant Ben Mandel discusses Berkeley Lab's cool pavement efforts, including Berkeley Lab's very own Cool Pavement Showcase.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Allan Chen
California Governor Jerry Brown has signed Assembly Bill 296, which calls upon the California Department of Transportation to develop a standard specification for sustainable or cool pavements that can be used to mitigate urban heat islands. The legislature heard testimony from Berkeley Lab scientists, and consulted Environmental Energy Technologies Division research studies on the science of cool pavements during the bill’s development.