A new type of paint could change the way we keep our homes and cities cool.
Called CCP-30, this cement-based paint doesn’t just reflect sunlight—it “sweats” to release heat, much like how our bodies cool off.
Designed by an international team of researchers, the paint offers a breakthrough in passive cooling technology, especially for hot and humid climates.
Unlike most cooling paints that rely only on reflecting sunlight, CCP-30 combines three powerful methods to stay cool: reflection, radiation, and evaporation.
Its secret lies in a special porous structure made from calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) gel mixed with nanoparticles.
This structure allows the paint to reflect 88–92% of sunlight, release 95% of its heat as infrared radiation, and hold up to 30% of its weight in water.
That water slowly evaporates, taking heat away with it.
This triple-action design gives CCP-30 a huge advantage. In tropical climates like Singapore, it has been shown to provide 10 times more cooling than common white paints. Field tests on buildings showed that it could cut electricity use for cooling by 30 to 40%, offering major energy and cost savings.
Cooling buildings currently takes up about 20% of the world’s electricity use and contributes heavily to carbon emissions.
It also plays a big role in the urban heat island effect, where city centers become much hotter than surrounding areas. Passive cooling technologies like CCP-30 can help reduce both greenhouse gases and city heat—without using extra power.
Traditional cooling paints mostly use radiative cooling, a method where surfaces release heat by sending it out into the cold sky as infrared energy.
But this only works well in dry, clear weather and isn’t very effective for walls or shady areas.
CCP-30 fixes this by adding evaporative cooling into the mix. When water inside the paint evaporates, it carries away heat, cooling the surface no matter which direction it faces or what the weather is like.
What really makes CCP-30 stand out is its self-sustaining feature. It can absorb water from rain or even the moisture in the air, keeping the cooling process going without needing to be re-applied or maintained. It also keeps its reflective power even when wet, unlike many other paints.
In tests, CCP-30 showed a 28% lower carbon footprint than typical white paint over its full life cycle. This makes it not only a powerful cooling tool, but also a sustainable one.
With its ability to save energy, lower emissions, and cool cities naturally, CCP-30 could play a key role in fighting climate change—one coat of paint at a time.
