Cool pavement testing could spark urban heat island breakthroughs

By Jesse Sanchez. 

Industry expert discusses a groundbreaking pavement rating system that could transform how cities tackle the urban heat island effect. 

The Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC) has long been recognized for its work on roofing materials, but now, it’s setting its sights on something much closer to the ground, the pavement beneath our feet. Erick Sharp, CEO and founder of ACE Laboratories, shared insights on this initiative in this episode of the Roofing Road Trips® podcast, highlighting how new testing programs could drive major innovations in combating the urban heat island effect. 

Erick explained that the CRRC’s Pavement Ratings Steering Committee is in the early stages of developing a system to evaluate the radiative properties of pavement materials. “I think it's a great idea. There's a lot of untapped innovation when it comes to pavement and asphalt technology, that this could really lead to,” he said. “Once we start measuring this, then that's going to start the rat race to ‘how do we improve it?’ And then, that's going to initiate the innovation.” 

Part of that innovation could be as simple and as groundbreaking as applying specially formulated coatings to existing roads. Erick noted that research has explored “using emulsion, almost like a coating over the top of an asphalt” that can be tinted to reflect more sunlight. In some studies, this light-gray coating significantly reduced heat absorption without requiring roads to be replaced. 

ACE Laboratories’ deep experience in asphalt testing puts them in a strong position to support the CRRC’s work in this new sector. “We already play in a lot of this asphalt technology. We have that infrastructure and we have the CRRC infrastructure and we can easily put the two together,” Erick said. While the program is still in its exploratory stage, the potential impact is global. The urban heat island effect intensifies extreme summer heat in cities worldwide and more reflective pavement could be a powerful tool in reducing temperatures, energy demand and related environmental stress. As Erick put it, “It is global warming, it's not US warming.” 

Read the transcript or Listen to the podcast to learn more about the CRRC’s pavement initiative and ACE Laboratories’ role in advancing it!