Engineers at the University of Buffalo have designed a new system that helps cool buildings without consuming electricity. The system consists of a special material an inexpensive polymer/aluminum film that is installed inside a box at the bottom of a specially designed solar shelter. The film helps to keep its surroundings cool by absorbing heat from the air inside the box and transmitting that energy through the Earth’s atmosphere into outer space. The shelter serves a dual purpose, helping to block incoming sunlight, while also beaming thermal radiation emitted from the film into the sky. This is called radiative or passive cooling.