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UK lab promises air-con revolution without polluting gases

A UK laboratory led by Professor Xavier Moya is developing a solid refrigerant air-conditioner prototype in 2025 to replace gas-based systems.
The project responds to rising emissions from about two billion air-conditioners worldwide that leak gases and consume increasing energy as global demand grows.
Barocal, Moya's startup founded in 2019 and backed by £4 million in funding from the European Innovation Council and Breakthrough Energy, focuses on cooling units using plastic crystals showing a barocaloric effect.
The suitcase-sized prototype uses pressure changes in waxy solid crystals to cool without leaks and could cut emissions by up to 75 percent, with commercial director Florian Schabus promising gas-comparable performance within three years.
If successful, Barocal's technology might reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly and expand initially to large shopping centres, warehouses, schools, and data centres amid expected global air conditioning demand growth by 2050.

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UK lab promises air-con revolution without polluting gases

The soft, waxy "solid refrigerant" being investigated in a UK laboratory may not look very exciting, but its unusual properties promise an air-conditioning revolution that could eliminate the need for greenhouse gases.

8 hours ago·Missoula, United States

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