Cooling without the chemicals: solid-state fridges pass the kilowatt mark

The fridge of the future may contain no refrigerant gas at all. 'Caloric' cooling uses solid materials that warm and cool when squeezed, stretched or exposed to magnetic or electric fields — absorbing and releasing heat with nothing that can leak and warm the planet. A review in Nature Energy by researchers at Germany's Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and partners finds the field quietly growing up: magnetic cooling prototypes now exceed three kilowatts of cooling power, and mechanically driven devices pass one kilowatt — well beyond tabletop curiosities. Material fatigue and heat losses still stand between the lab and your kitchen, but for a world whose demand for cooling may more than double by 2050, a second way to chill is very good news.

SDG 9 · Industry, innovation and infrastructure — Mechanism: tech innovation