A revolutionary paint cooling technology designed to tackle global warming has been hand-selected by the UK’s national innovation agency to deliver net-zero urban solutions in Singapore.
Harrogate-based Pirta is one of 15 British firms joining the Global Business Innovation Programme (GBIP) Net Zero Singapore 2023, running from June 05-09. Organised by Innovate UK, and delivered by Innovate UK EDGE, GBIP helps ambitious businesses collaborate and expand in new markets.
The international tour includes pitching sessions and meetings with government officials, key industry players, NGOs and academia. It will see Pirta pitching to industry professionals at the ‘Towards Net Zero: Advancing Innovations in Green Buildings’ event, organised by the Energy Systems Catapult with the BCA (Building and Construction Authority) as part of the Built Environment Innovation Hub.
Pirta representatives will also attend the inaugural UK-Singapore Business Partnership forum organised jointly by Innovate UK and Enterprise Singapore, alongside the annual sustainability event Ecosperity Week 2023 – Breakthroughs for Net Zero, plus Asia’s flagship tech event Asia Tech x Singapore 2023.
It comes as the World Weather Attribution group – an international coalition of leading climate scientists – released a new report detailing how South Asia’s recent heatwave was made 30 times more likely due to human-caused climate change. Researchers analysed weather data and computer model simulations to compare today’s climate, after about 1.2°C of global warming since the late 1800s, with the climate of the past.
Pirta R&D Director Robert Atkin, who will join the GBIP Singapore delegation, said: “There couldn’t be a more appropriate time for Pirta to be visiting Asia. In April, Bangladesh, India, Laos and Thailand experienced record-breaking heatwaves causing deaths, hospitalisations and widespread damage. Severe events like this will only become more frequent, until greenhouse gas emissions are reduced, with experts calling on policymakers to rapidly prepare heat action plans, especially for vulnerable communities. This underlines the urgent requirement for new and innovative forms of technology capable of bridging the Net Zero gap.
“Consistently ranked as one of the world’s most innovative cities, Singapore serves as a gateway to Asia and presents an ideal setting to introduce Pirta’s novel paint technology. Our paint formulation allows a surface to lose more heat than it absorbs from the sun, cooling it down to below ambient temperatures. This brings major environmental benefits by reducing over-reliance on energy-dependent cooling systems and slashing carbon emissions. It’s a simple yet versatile technology which can be adopted by multiple billion-dollar markets – from construction, shipping, logistics, agriculture and energy.”
In 2021, Singapore released the ‘Green Plan 2030’ to galvanise a ‘whole-of-nation’ movement and advance the national agenda on sustainable development. It contains concrete targets over the next 10 years, strengthening commitments under the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and Paris Agreement, to achieve long-term net zero aspirations by 2050. The Green Plan comprises of five pillars influencing all aspects of life in Singapore including: City in Nature, Energy Reset, Sustainable Living, Green Economy and Resilient Future.
Pirta CEO Scott Fleming said the firm’s ethos and outlook is perfectly aligned with Singapore’s Green Plan 2030. “We’re thrilled to have been selected for GBIP Net Zero Singapore 2023,” he said. “This is an ideal market for our technology and gateway for our expansion plans into Asia, The upcoming delegation allows us to explore opportunities first-hand and forge direct connections with local partners. Pirta is a young business with tremendous potential and with backing from the UK’s leading innovation agency we can provide confidence to potential international partners and investors.”
Pirta’s unique paint formula has been validated by the University of Leeds following a rigorous testing process involving more than 1000 samples over a two-year period. The provisional results reveal exceptionally high emissivity, or ability to release heat, reaching 0.998 on a scale of 0-1. Due to its unique properties, the paint formula can reduce surface temperature by up to 64°C (114.4°F) compared to a black surface, as revealed by its Solar Reflective Index (SRI). Lab tests showed a peak reflectance of 99.82% across visible and ultraviolet light spectrums.
Pirta has received support from UK Government backed authorities, investment arms and innovation accelerators including Leeds City Region Local Enterprise Partnership, Innovate UK Edge and the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI).
For more information visit www.pirta.com email info@pirta.com or call +1-801-946-7838
