Can we cool the earth by using mirrors to reflect sunlight?

Welcome to this special episode of Hardware to Save a Planet. Joining us today is Dr. Ye Tao, Founder and Executive Director of MEER, a company that uses mirrors at scale to reflect sunlight and mitigate the impact of global warming. 

Join us as we discuss the innovative concept of MEER and its potential to combat climate change. Dr. Tao shares his insights on the urgent need for sustainable solutions and how MEER can help transition civilization toward a more sustainable future. We delve into the fascinating world of nanoparticle research and the possibilities of dimensional reduction. Discover the limitations of renewable energy and the importance of energy ROI. Dr. Tao also explores the exciting applications of mirrors in controlling sunlight and optimizing temperature reduction.

About Dr. Ye Tao and MEER’s mission

Dr. Tao has a multidisciplinary background in physics, chemistry, engineering, and material science, which is uncommon among today’s scientists. He received a doctorate from the Department of Chemistry at MIT in 2015 and completed the research requirements for a doctorate in Physics at ETH Zurich.

Climate change and greenhouse gas accumulation are, in essence, a three-dimensional problem because we have emitted so much gas in a three-dimensional space, Earth’s atmosphere, and it is very freely mixed. To clean this enormous volume of space, we have in front of us a 3D engineering problem, and if you factor in the time needed to suck all the air out and circulate it through a filter, then it becomes a four-dimensional problem.

We are obsessed with removing greenhouse gases to try to open a window so the heat from Earth can escape. What if instead of letting the heat escape from Earth, we try to find a way to stop it from developing in the first place, just by reducing the amount of heat produced on the ground as the sun shines on the planet? And in fact, this is a much more efficient way of solving the problem, reducing it from its original three dimensions to just two dimensions.

Key takeaways

• 04:22 – Climate change as a symptom: Dr. Ye Tao argues that global warming is just one symptom of a broader systemic problem, which includes resource depletion, ecosystem collapse, and humanitarian crises, such as those seen in Gaza and Freetown. He emphasizes that while climate change is a significant issue, it is part of a larger “poly crisis” at a critical juncture for humanity. Understanding that climate change is a symptom of these intertwined crises is essential for addressing the overall challenge.

• 24:02 – Energy return on investment (EROI): Dr. Tao discusses the challenge of addressing global warming, emphasizing the need for highly efficient processes that surpass 100% efficiency due to the scale of the problem. He parallels real-life examples like air conditioners, which achieve a coefficient of performance (COP) of 3 or 4 by moving more thermal energy than the electrical energy they consume. To tackle global warming, a COP of 100 is necessary, given the 2000 terawatts of global warming power compared to the 20 terawatts of human consumption. However, diverting sufficient energy to combat global warming is unrealistic without compromising human activities. He highlights the importance of maintaining a high energy return on investment (EROI) to sustain human development and suggests that fighting global warming should not reduce the EROI below 15 to ensure a decent standard of living.

• 28:22 – Using mirrors to combat global warming: Dr. Tao explains that all energy on Earth, including fossil fuels, originates from the sun. Optimizing sunlight with high spatial and temporal resolution allows control over downstream processes, affecting meteorological and biological activities. Most biospheres, including human habitats, exist within 20 meters of the land surface and up to 200 meters of the ocean surface. Mirror-based solar radiation optimization can provide localized cooling, benefiting specific ecosystems with minimal impact on neighboring areas. This method is efficient, cost-effective, and easy to implement with existing technologies. Local cooling with mirrors can address major stressors like excess light, heat, and water scarcity. For example, creating shade with mirrors can significantly reduce soil temperatures, decreasing the need for irrigation by lowering leaf surface temperatures and transpiration rates. Dr. Tao believes this approach, requiring minimal engineering effort, can be scaled effectively with broader scientific and engineering involvement.