The catch is whether they can match the efficiency of conventional AC. \u201cOne of the key questions that remain is why are the solid-state coolers not as efficient as typical thermodynamic cycles?\u201d says Pramod Reddy, a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Michigan who studies heat transfer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Research and pilot programs are underway to test a range of approaches. Brooklyn-based Mimic Systems uses thermo\u00adelectric cooling, which passes a current through semiconductive materials to shift heat from one side to another. Its room-scale climate control system is being piloted in an apartment in Vancouver. <\/p>\n
The German company Magnotherm is set to test its system, which relies on a magneto\u00adcaloric setup that transfers heat by magnetizing and demagnetizing materials, in a chain of supermarkets. A team in Hong Kong has announced that its elastocaloric device, whose material heats and cools as it expands and contracts, can dip below 0 \u00b0C. And the UK\u2019s Barocal is betting on barocaloric systems, which change temperature in response to shifts in pressure.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But experts, especially in thermoelectrics, have doubts about how well any solid-\u00adstate scheme can compete. For most modern HVAC systems, the coefficient of performance (COP) is 3, explains Jeff Snyder, a professor at Northwestern University who studies electrical and thermal conductivity. That essentially means the system moves three units of heat for every unit of energy that goes into it. <\/p>\n
Thermoelectrics in particular tend to have a much lower performance at high levels of temperature change, Snyder says, which means they\u2019re best suited for niche uses such as cooling the back of a car seat.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"brown](\"https:\/\/wp.technologyreview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/IMG_3420.jpg?w=1500\")
COURTESY OF MIMIC SYSTEMS, INC<\/p>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n
Efficiency, however, isn\u2019t everything, argues Lindsay Rasmussen, a manager at the Rocky Mountain Institute\u2019s climate tech accelerator Third Derivative, which supports both Magnotherm and Mimic. In the US, most ACs currently in use employ a refrigerant called R410A, which has a global-\u00adwarming potential more than 2,000 times that of carbon dioxide. Plus, their moving parts can make them less durable, especially compared with a solid-state model that\u2019s less mechanically complex.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
#solidstate #ACs #promise #cool #future #Scientists #arent<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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