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    Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia Cool Roof Team launches Becool, solution to overcome global warming

    The Cool Roof Team of the Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia and international partners have issued a product labeled beCool which has the meaning of cold. The product is under the license of Millennium Solution, USA, is produced at the Science, Technology, and Building Materials lab of the Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia and it has been registered with the directorate general of intellectual property and coolroof rating council (CRRC).

    Eng. Beta Paramita, who is an Assistant Professor in the Architecture Study Program of the Faculty of Technology and Vocational (FPTK) of the Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia and is also the project manager of Cool Roofs Indonesia, explained that beCool is a solution in overcoming global warming as a result of building density, especially in big cities and causing the Urban Heat Island (UHI) phenomenon. The warming trend continues and global temperatures in 2021 = 0.85 degrees Celsius above average since modern records began in 1880. This phenomenon is characterized by the increase in the temperature of the downtown area compared to the surrounding area. The density of buildings and short waves of solar radiation reflected on the city’s cover materials cause trapped heat and lead to an increase in the microclimate of the region.

    beCool has a white color which has SRI’s 106 specifications, solar reflectance 0.84, thermal emittance 0.90, so it can economize electricity by 5-6% of total usage per month. The drying time is quite fast + 30 minutes. Product quality resistance up to 3 years depends on the level of humidity and air pollution in each location and this product has advantages based on water and waterproof.

    Eng. Beta Paramita explained that beCool presents solutions for society with institutional, academic, and community partners to overcome these challenges to achieve these targets and make cool roofs more affordable and accessible to many rural and underdeveloped areas of our country.

    We are developing additional resources to bring the benefits of cool roofs to more users in Indonesia and hope our learning helps increase the use of these cooling solutions around the world.

    Becool is part of the Cool Roof project of the Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia in a global project, the Million Cool Roofs Challenge (MCR). The Million Cool Roofs Challenge (MCR) is a global initiative to accelerate access to affordable and sustainable cooling through the rapid deployment of cool roofs.  Noah Horowitz, director of the Clean Cooling Collaborative, said that the lack of access to cooling is deadly and become a problem for more than a billion people worldwide. We need to fulfill the growing demand for cooling with more climate-friendly and equitable solutions. The Million Cool Roof Challenge offers the global potential to expand the scale of solar reflective roof deployments that make buildings more comfortable for the occupants and reduce the onset of heat stress.

    The Million Cool Roofs Challenge was launched in 2019 as a project of the Clean Cooling Collaborative in collaboration with the Global Cool Cities Alliance, Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), and Nesta Challenges. The Million Cool Roofs Challenge awarded $125,000 in grants to 10 finalist teams based in South Africa, Bangladesh, Cote D’Ivoire, the Philippines, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Niger, Rwanda, and Senegal. In less than two years, collectively, the ten countries managed to apply more than 1.1 million square meters of cool roofs — an area equivalent to 250,000 small rooftops, despite the numerous obstacles due to the coronavirus pandemic. The global competition for the scale of cool roof uses in developing countries officially announced that Indonesia represented by the Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia(UPI) is the winner of the Million Cool Roofs Challenge to demonstrate the best sustainable model through innovation and solar reflective roof technology. UPI is then entitled to a prize of $ 750,000 or equivalent to 11 billion Rupiah to expand the implementation of cool roofs in Indonesia.

    UPI’s Becool products were developed in collaboration with the University of Florida, and Millennium Solutions, USA. The Cool Roof Team of the Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia in MCR activities has applied cool roofs to eight provinces and fifteen cities in Indonesia which are perceived by more than 10,000 building users. Noted in factory buildings, schools, MBR houses, government offices, mosques, OR (sports) facilities, and boarding schools and orphanages have become pilot projects in the implementation of MCR. Based on field measurements from the pilot project, the application of cool roofs in industrial buildings are able to lower the room temperature to 10 degrees Celsius. On the other hand, the use of cool roofs is able to reduce the energy consumption of buildings and it is counted as equivalent to 5-6% of total energy.

    During MCR activities, the Cool Roof Team of the Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia has been able to produce its own cool roof coating paint under the millennium solution license, USA. UPI’s Science paint lab, Technology, and Building Materials Lab production paint have obtained an international certificate issued by CRRC (Cool Roof Rating Council). This production has provided opportunities for field workers, as well as practical learning opportunities for lecturers and students who work together in a series of MCR activities. The impact of the Cool Roof team activities of the Universitas Pendidikan Indonesiahas met the targets which are imposed by the MCR jury, namely being able to provide thermal comfort and access to cooling; energy savings, as well as significantly contributing to the reduction of the effects of UHI.

    UPI Becool’s products as part of the efforts of the Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia to participate in developing local product innovations. Cool Roofs Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia plans to establish the first SRI (Solar Reflective Index) testing facility in Indonesia by increasing local production and hopes that it could reduce the production costs by about 20%, and make this solar reflective paint cheaper and accessible to all walks of life. Becool UPI also opened cooperation with the central government through ministries, as well as local governments to build on the success of their Million Cool Roofs Challenge project and develop its policies (e.g., Indonesian National Standards, green building applications, etc.) that will facilitate the continued adoption of solar reflective roofs across the country.