Eco-Architecture in Egyptian Blue: Scientists Discover Modern Usage for the 4000-Year-Old Pigment 

Egyptian
blue was a brilliant blue color first created in ancient Egypt over
4000 years ago. Now, scientists have found it to hold unique qualities
that can “reduce building energy consumption and boost solar energy
output.”

Scientists at the  Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California studying the ancient Egyptian shade of blue
announced that it might not only boost “building energy efficiency in
sunny climates by keeping walls and rooftops cool,” but that it can also
“increase the output of certain types of solar cell, through strong
infra-red emissions” according to a report in PV-Magazine.

What Are the Properties of Egyptian Blue?

Derived from calcium copper silicate, it was already known that
photons absorbed by ‘Egyptian blue’ can be emitted in the near-infrared
range, however, scientists “measuring the temperature of surfaces coated
in the color,” demonstrated that it was “able to emit as many photons
as it absorbs.” This, Berkeley researchers believe ,
might lead to “applications in building integrated PV, such as solar
windows tinted with the blue, and transparent cells tuned to absorb the
near infrared part of the light spectrum.”

continue