And finally…Los Angeles aims to cool streets with heat replant paint
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Los Angeles has become the first major city in the world to test a new paint technology that coat roads in order to reflect, rather than absorb, the blistering heat of the Californian summer sun.
Normal black asphalt absorbs 80 to 95 percent of sunlight, while the innovative grey “cool pavement” reflects it — dramatically lowering ground temperature and reducing urban street heat, its developers claim.
During a demonstration of the technique, Jeff Luzar, sales director at GuardTop, which markets the product, showed how applying the paint could drop street temperatures by about 12 degrees Fahrenheit after just one coat.
Los Angeles is the first city in California to test the treatment on a public road, after initial trials on parking lots, according to Greg Spotts, assistant director of the city’s Bureau of Street Services.
“We’re hoping to inspire other cities to experiment with different ways to reduce the heat island effect,” he said. “And we’re hoping to get manufacturers to come up with some new products.”
“Potentially there could be a huge market for cool pavement products, and in fact, it’s part of a much larger economic trend where solutions for climate change could be the next great investments for the future,” Spotts added.
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