solid cooling – Misryoum reports Barocal raised a seed round to develop solid-material cooling that could cut energy use and avoid refrigerant leaks.
Refrigeration is still built on a century-old idea, but Barocal wants to rewrite the rules of cooling with a technology that relies on squeezing a solid material rather than compressing a gas.
In this context. Barocal’s approach targets one of the biggest pain points of conventional vapor-compression systems: energy intensity and the environmental risks tied to refrigerant leakage.. Misryoum reports that the company is working on heating and cooling using an inexpensive solid “crystal” material. aiming for performance that early prototypes show can match existing compressor systems while using less energy.
The potential business impact is straightforward: if solid-state-like cooling can deliver comparable results with lower power demand. it can translate into cheaper operating costs for utilities. retailers. and building operators. especially where HVAC and refrigeration run for long hours.. That is the kind of efficiency story investors and customers tend to move on quickly.
To turn the technology into market-ready products, Barocal has raised $10 million in seed funding, according to Misryoum.. The round includes investors World Fund, Breakthrough Energy Discovery, Cambridge Enterprise Ventures, and IP Group.. The startup positions its first commercial focus on large systems. where any efficiency gains can show up faster on a customer’s energy bill.
Barocal traces its scientific foundation to founder Xavier Moya’s work at the University of Cambridge. where he explored materials that can store and release heat when mechanically stressed.. Misryoum reports that the technology builds on the behavior of certain organic materials: when pressure is applied. molecular motion changes. and that shift in heat dynamics can be used to move thermal energy from one place to another.
This matters for the wider cooling market because the refrigeration and HVAC industry is under pressure on multiple fronts at once: decarbonizing energy use. reducing climate impact tied to refrigerants. and improving reliability.. A system that avoids gas leakage risks could also simplify compliance and maintenance decisions for buyers.
Operationally. Barocal describes a heat-transfer setup in which water is circulated past the material and routed to a radiator. allowing the device to cool an interior space by moving heat outward.. Because the working material is solid, the startup says the approach reduces concerns associated with leaking gaseous refrigerants.
Going forward, Misryoum reports Barocal is studying larger HVAC and refrigerator systems first. The logic is that scale can amplify benefits, making it easier to demonstrate efficiency and performance where cooling loads are most consistent and costs accumulate most clearly.