Announcing the 2026 R&D 100 Special Recognition: Green Tech winners

The Special Recognition: Green Tech winners for the 2026 R&D 100 Awards have been announced by R&D World. Now in its 64^th year, the global science and innovation competition drew a similarly global judging panel of more than 50 industry professionals.

All three winners this year target the thermal and carbon load of the built environment. Global electricity demand for space cooling has grown by half since 2015, reaching roughly 2,900 TWh, more than the European Union consumes in total, according to a July 2026 International Energy Agency analysis. While space cooling in buildings accounts for about 10% of annual electricity consumption worldwide, it drives 30% of peak demand. The IEA thus points to building-level decisions on insulation, glazing and thermal mass as durable levers. At the same time, more than 60 countries now write cooling provisions into their building energy codes. Two of this year’s winners work that envelope directly, one through transparent insulation and one through a reflective coating. The third addresses the other half of the construction footprint: cement production accounts for roughly 8% of global CO₂ emissions, and more than half of those are process emissions that fuel switching alone cannot eliminate.

Winners are listed below in medal order. Each listing includes the primary submitting organization, followed by any co-developing organizations, as provided to R&D World.

All Finalist, Winner, and additional logos are available for download here.

The 2026 R&D 100 gala banquet will be held at the Grand Hyatt Scottsdale Resort in Arizona on November 19, 2026.

Special Recognition: Green Tech Winners of 2026

Note: Special Recognition categories do not have separate Finalists, so winners are announced directly. All three technologies below also appear among the 2026 R&D 100 Finalists announced on July 30.

GOLD

Mesoporous optically clear heat insulators (MOCHI)

University of Colorado Boulder

The University of Colorado Boulder’s mesoporous optically clear heat insulators (MOCHIs) act as “frozen air,” delivering >99.5% visible-light transmission (outperforming 92% of glass) and ~10 mWm⁻¹K⁻¹ thermal conductivity (outperforming Mars Rover aerogels). Square-meter-large and inch-thick MOCHIs enable wall-grade insulated windows and skylights, glazing retrofits, unconcentrated solar thermal energy harvesting, and condensation-free super-insulated vehicle windshields.

Abram Fluckiger, an undergraduate student at CU Boulder, holds up a block containing five layers of MOCHI material and two panes of glass. The material reflects roughly 0.2% of incoming light, so it insulates without clouding the view. (Credit: Glenn Asakawa/CU Boulder)

CarbonLock concrete paving blocks, co-developed to permanently sequester captured industrial carbon dioxide. (Credit: Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) & CS Tech Solution Limited)

BRONZE

Pintura Autoenfriante

Pinturas Berel, S.A. de C.V.

Pintura Autoenfriante is a water-based paint formulated with nanotechnology, capable of reflecting most solar radiation and efficiently emitting thermal energy toward the cold of space (high SRI). As a result, it can reduce indoor temperatures by up to 5°C compared to ambient conditions, lowering energy consumption and reducing carbon emissions.

A container of Pintura Autoenfriante self-cooling paint, formulated with nanotechnology to reflect solar radiation and reduce indoor temperatures by up to 5°C. (Credit: Pinturas Berel, S.A. de C.V.)

Congratulations to all of the 2026 R&D 100 Special Recognition: Green Tech winners!