Electric container ships: The Reengineer Monitor #29

Spanish blackout report, fake e-bikes - and more!

Photo by Naval Dynamics.

Heating and cooling

Scientists in Singapore have come up with a paint that “sweats” – by adsorbing moisture when it is cold outside, and allowing it to evaporate when temperatures rise (the transfer of liquid to gas requires energy and therefore has a cooling effect). It’s part of a trend in paint and coatings developments that aim to increase buildings’ resilience to climate change. I’ve written about some of these efforts for BBC News in the past.

A new study in the journal Energy and Buildings explores the efficacy of passive cooling measures such as strategically placed vegetation and cool roofs in the Italian city of Naples.