Dynamic evaporative and radiative cooling for efficient year-round energy savings.

Zhou, Zhengui; Aili, Ablimit; Wang, Shancheng; Liu, Rong; Cao, Shaowen; Tan, Gang; Long, Yi · Sci Adv · 2026

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Electricity-free radiative cooling (RC) techniques are gaining ever-increasing attention to decrease energy consumption and carbon dioxide (CO<sub>2</sub>) emissions. However, the cooling power of RC in summer is severely limited by atmospheric window constraints and its negative effect in winter offsets annual energy savings in four-season regions. This study introduces a dynamic evaporative and radiative cooling (DERC) device to maximize the cooling power in hot summer and achieve year-round dynamic thermal management. Adaptive to changes in environmental temperature, the DERC device demonstrates dynamic regulation of water evaporation, along with notable modulation of solar and thermal radiation (Δ<i>A</i><sub>sol</sub> = 87%; Δε<sub>Broadband</sub> = 63%). Theoretical and real-time experiments demonstrate that the DERC device is more energy-efficient than cutting-edge dynamic radiative cooling (DRC) techniques. The energy-saving simulations indicate that the DERC device yields over 40% primary energy savings and CO<sub>2</sub> emission reduction compared to the DRC device. This DERC device represents a conceptual advancement, paving the way for global energy savings and emission reductions.