Startup's Squeeze-Powered Fridge Could Replace 100-Year Tech

Your refrigerator runs on technology invented over a century ago, but a Cambridge startup just figured out how to keep things cold without any of the planet-warming pollution.

Barocal has developed a completely new way to refrigerate that uses nothing but squeezable solid materials and water. No toxic gases, no leaks, and significantly less energy than what's keeping your groceries fresh right now.

The innovation came from founder Xavier Moya's childhood memory of sweltering in a small room in Spain before air conditioning arrived. Years later, as a materials physics professor at the University of Cambridge, he turned that discomfort into a solution.

The technology works like a stretched rubber band. Hold a deflated balloon to your lips, stretch it quickly, and you'll feel it warm up. Let it relax, and it cools down.

Barocal's plastic crystals do the same thing. Inside the material, molecules normally spin freely. But squeeze them, and they stop rotating, releasing heat in the process. Release the pressure, and they absorb heat again.

The company flows water past these squeezed materials to move heat from inside a fridge to outside. It's the same effect as traditional refrigeration, just without the dangerous gases that have plagued the industry for generations.

Current refrigerants either destroy the ozone layer or warm the climate up to 1,000 times more than the same amount of carbon dioxide. Leaks from fridges and air conditioners contribute significantly to global warming.

Why This Inspires

Barocal just raised $10 million from investors including Breakthrough Energy Discovery to bring this technology to market. Early prototypes already match the performance of conventional compressors.

The company is starting with large commercial refrigerators and HVAC systems, where the efficiency gains will save businesses real money while protecting the environment. Once proven at scale, the technology could transform how every building and home stays cool.

Sometimes the best solutions come from remembering what it felt like to be uncomfortable and refusing to accept that as permanent.