Reflective Cooling
Every ray of sunlight a surface reflects is a ray it never has to release as heat. Reflective cooling raises a surface's albedo — with white paint, mirrored films or reflective canopies — so less solar energy enters the local energy balance.
Scientific detail
Reflective cooling is the fraction of shortwave insolation returned to space via broadband surface reflectance. Increasing albedo from a typical urban value of 0.15 toward 0.85 can reduce absorbed solar flux at the surface by more than 800 W m⁻² at noon in the tropics, translating into large reductions in sensible heat flux, mean radiant temperature and urban heat-island intensity.
Related terms
Albedo
The fraction of sunlight a surface reflects — 0 is black, 1 is a perfect mirror.
Solar Reflectance
The fraction of incoming solar energy a surface reflects across the sun's spectrum.
Cool Roofs (Reflective Roofs)
Roofs coated or built with high-reflectance materials so buildings absorb far less heat.
Reflective Canopies
Overhead structures with a reflective upper surface that shade people and land beneath.
Surface Energy Balance
The bookkeeping of energy flowing into and out of a surface at every moment.
Passive Daytime Radiative Cooling
A material that stays cooler than the air even under direct sunlight by radiating heat to the cold sky.
Where this concept shows up on MEER
Related projects
- Freetown, Sierra Leone
Reflective rooftops across informal settlements.
- Pune, India
Rooftop reflective installations in dense urban housing.
- California, USA
Rooftop mirror arrays measuring cooling potential.
Related publications
Related MEERTalks
- MEERTalks
Recorded conversations with scientists and partners.
Explore in topic hubs
Curated collections of MEER research, projects, publications and stories that feature this term.
Passive Cooling
Everything MEER publishes on passive cooling — reflective roofs, PDRC materials, canopies, reservoir systems, projects, publications and stories, gathered in one place.
Radiative Cooling & PDRC
PDRC materials, the atmospheric window, thermal emittance and the practical engineering of surfaces that radiate heat directly to deep space.
Albedo & Reflectivity
Understanding planetary albedo, surface reflectivity, ice-albedo feedback, and why restoring Earth's reflectivity matters for global temperature.
Water & Cooling
How passive cooling and reflective materials protect water resources: reservoir systems, evaporation reduction, and the hydrological co-benefits of surface cooling.
Agriculture & Cooling
How reflective materials, canopies and passive cooling protect agricultural yields, livestock and rural livelihoods under extreme heat.