Abstract

This paper presents design and simulation of a switchable radiative cooler that exploits phase transition in vanadium di-oxide to turn on and off in response to temperature. The cooler consists of an emitter and a solar reflector separated by aspacer. The emitter and the reflector play a role of emitting energy in mid-infrared and blocking incoming solar energy inultraviolet to near-infrared regime, respectively.

Because of the phase transition of doped vanadium dioxide at room tem-perature, the emitter radiates its thermal energy only when the temperature is above the phase transition temperature. The feasibility of cooling is simulated using real outdoor conditions. We confirme that the switchable cooler can keep adesired temperature, despite change in environmental conditions.