Join us as Professor Hashem Akbari, Leader of the Heat Island Group (Concordia University, Montreal, Canada) presents a seminar on urban surfaces (roofs, pavements) with high solar reflectance (albedo) reduce solar energy absorbed by buildings and pavements, leading to a reduction in air-conditioning use and improved indoor thermal condition in non-conditioned buildings. Cool surfaces also improve summertime outdoor environment that in turn yield a better urban air quality, reduce morbidity and mortality. A reduction in cooling energy use reduces demand for electricity generation and lowers CO2 emissions from fossil fuel power plants. Independent of the direct CO2 reduction, high-albedo surfaces reflect a greater fraction of solar shortwave radiation back to space and create a negative radiative forcing (RF) that counters the RF induced by accumulation of greenhouse gases (primarily CO2). This seminar presents and overview of cool surface materials and their potential in savings energy, improving indoor and outdoor comfort, improving ambient air quality, and countering global warming. Benefits of cool surfaces typically occur at no incremental cost.

Seminar will take place on Thursday, October 3 from 10:30-11:30am in Maeder Hall Auditorium.