Pascal Secures $9.3 Million to Commercialise Solid-Refrigerant Cooling Technology

US climate technology company Pascal has secured approximately $9.3 million in additional funding to advance its solid-refrigerant cooling technology towards commercial deployment. Announced on 21 October 2026, the financing includes $8.5 million in venture capital and $839,000 in government grants. The Massachusetts-based company will use the funding to support its first commercial pilot with a multinational beverage manufacturer and develop cooling systems designed to reduce reliance on conventional hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants.

The funding brings Pascal's total financing to $17.3 million as it moves from laboratory research towards industrial applications. The company has completed a working prototype of its pilot refrigerator and reports that its solid-refrigerant technology has achieved energy efficiency comparable to conventional vapour-compression cooling systems. Its longer-term ambitions include refrigeration, commercial building cooling and data centre applications, where increasing electricity demand is creating opportunities for more efficient thermal management.

 

Funding Supports First Commercial Cooling Deployment

 

The $8.5 million venture investment was co-led by Sazze Partners and LB Investment, with KDB Silicon Valley also participating. Pascal secured a further $500,000 from the US Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), alongside $239,000 through the InnovateMass programme and $100,000 through the ClimateTech Tax Incentives Program, both supported by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center.

The investment will help Pascal move its technology into initial customer operations, beginning with a multinational beverage manufacturer whose identity has not been disclosed. The company expects the deployment to assess energy efficiency and operating costs under commercial conditions, with the next project phase anticipated in early 2027. The agreement represents an initial commercial opportunity, although the announcement does not specify the number of units involved, contract value or expected energy savings.

 

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Solid Refrigerants Aim to Reduce Cooling Emissions

 

Conventional refrigeration and air-conditioning systems commonly rely on gaseous refrigerants, including HFCs, some of which have high global warming potential when released into the atmosphere. Pascal is developing solid refrigerant materials that respond to changes in pressure, allowing cooling systems to transfer heat without relying on traditional HFC refrigerants. According to the company, its materials are non-flammable, PFAS-free and operate within pressure ranges comparable to conventional systems.

Pascal says its technology has demonstrated efficiency on par with existing vapour-compression equipment and could achieve further improvements as development continues. Adam Slavney, Co-founder and CEO of Pascal, said, "We’ve now proved that solid refrigerant systems are just as efficient as a conventional vapor-compression system doing the same job and are expecting further improvements in the near future." The environmental benefits would come from reducing refrigerant-related emissions and potentially lowering electricity consumption. However, the company has not yet published verified commercial-scale energy savings or lifecycle emissions reductions from customer deployments.

 

Commercial Expansion Targets Refrigeration and Larger Cooling Systems

 

Pascal's initial focus is beverage refrigeration, an application that offers an opportunity to test its technology under continuous commercial operating conditions. Successful deployment could provide evidence of reliability, efficiency and maintenance requirements before the technology is adapted for larger systems. The company also sees opportunities in building air conditioning, heat pumps and data centre cooling, where demand for efficient thermal management is increasing.

Global electricity demand for cooling is expected to rise substantially as temperatures increase and cooling equipment becomes more widespread. Pascal cites projections of an additional 1,600 terawatt-hours of cooling electricity demand by 2035. The company believes its solid-refrigerant technology could serve this expanding market while addressing environmental concerns associated with conventional refrigerants. However, adapting the technology to different cooling applications will require further engineering development, manufacturing scale-up and validation under operating conditions.

 

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New Manufacturing Capacity and International Partnerships

 

The investment strengthens Pascal's connections with South Korea, where its new investors have experience in technology manufacturing and commercial development. The company considers Korea an important potential partner for scaling production, while also identifying Europe and the United States as significant markets for advanced cooling technologies. Jay Kwon, Principal at Sazze Partners, said, "We have been impressed by the team's technical progress and ability to translate breakthrough materials science into a product platform with significant commercial potential."

Pascal has also opened a new 21,000-square-foot headquarters in Watertown, Massachusetts, to expand its engineering, prototyping and testing capabilities. Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Jinyoung Seo was recognised in MIT Technology Review's 2026 Innovators Under 35 list in September. These developments support the company's transition from research and product development towards its first commercial applications.

Pascal's next challenge will be demonstrating that solid-refrigerant systems can deliver reliable cooling, competitive operating costs and measurable environmental benefits outside controlled testing environments. The planned beverage refrigeration deployment will provide an initial test of those claims. If the technology performs successfully and can be manufactured economically, it could offer an alternative approach to cooling in a market facing growing electricity demand and increasing pressure to reduce refrigerant emissions.

 

Source: Pascal