How a New Type of Cooling Could Replace Your Fridge's Harmful Gases

A company called Barocal, created by researchers at Cambridge University, has won a $1 million award for a new way to cool things down. Instead of using the gas-based systems in today's refrigerators and air conditioners, this technology uses plastic crystals and pressure to create cold. Early tests suggest it could use 2 to 3 times less energy while avoiding the gases that damage the climate.

How the New Cooling Works

Think of traditional cooling like a constant cycle: a gas inside the machine is compressed, heated up, then released to cool down and absorb warmth. It's been the standard for over a century.

Barocal's approach is simpler. It uses plastic crystals—materials that change their structure when you squeeze them. When you apply pressure, they release heat. When you release the pressure, they absorb heat from their surroundings. This back-and-forth creates cooling without needing a gas at all.

The plastic crystals themselves are flexible, cheap, easy to source, and not toxic. That matters because today's cooling systems often use chemicals called HFCs that can leak out and trap heat in the atmosphere. The solid plastic crystals stay contained inside the machine, so they never escape into the air.

Why This Matters for the Planet

Breakthrough Energy, a climate investment group, estimates that Barocal's technology could cut emissions from cooling by up to 75 percent. This comes from two things: removing the harmful gases entirely and making the cooling process itself much more efficient.

This timing is not accidental. Around the world, governments have been phasing out the old cooling chemicals because they harm the ozone layer and contribute to climate change. The European Union and the Montreal Protocol are both pushing to eliminate them. Companies need new options, and new technology like Barocal's could make that transition easier.

From Lab to Stores

Barocal has already earned credibility in the cooling world. The company was picked as a finalist in a major international competition for new cooling ideas in 2019, and now this $1 million award signals that serious investors believe the technology works.

History shows this pattern before. When solid-state drives started replacing the mechanical spinning hard drives in computers around 2010, people were skeptical about cost and reliability. But manufacturing improved, prices fell, and eventually the old technology almost disappeared. The same thing could happen with cooling.

The Hard Part: Making It Work in the Real World

Creating cooling systems in a laboratory is different from building them at scale for homes and businesses. Engineers need to figure out how to use pressure systems reliably, how to handle the heat transfer efficiently, and how to make these new machines cost about the same as traditional ones.

The biggest challenge is the pressure mechanism itself. Regular cooling uses compressors that run continuously, like a pump. Barocal systems have to carefully squeeze and release pressure on the plastic crystals in precise ways. This means inventing new parts and control systems that don't yet exist.

Where This Could Make the Biggest Difference

Cooling and heating account for 40 percent of all energy use worldwide. That's enormous. This technology could apply to home air conditioning, commercial refrigeration, data center cooling, and industrial plants—basically anywhere people need cold.

Data centers might be the first place to use it widely. The companies that run them already spend huge amounts on energy costs, they have engineers who can evaluate new tech, and they're willing to try new systems if they save money in the long run. Plus, data centers have predictable cooling needs, which makes engineering easier than, say, an air conditioner in a home that gets used more in summer and less in winter.

Early on, this technology will probably show up where companies really care about the environment or where energy costs are highest. As manufacturing ramps up and prices drop, it could eventually reach everyday products like home refrigerators.

Historically, the cooling industry has been cautious about new ideas. Equipment needs to work reliably for decades, and supply chains are already set up for the current technology. Even if Barocal's system is better, it will take time for manufacturers, installers, and customers to trust it and start using it widely. The real test is not just proving the science works—it's convincing the entire industry to change.