Implementation of Low Carbon Intensive District Cooling in Developing Countries: Learnings from India Cooling Action Plan

Implementation of Low Carbon Intensive District Cooling in Developing Countries: Learnings from India Cooling Action Plan"

July 5, 2023; 18:00-20:00; Room Asia Pacific Foyer, UN-ESCAP, Bangkok, Thailand

The Indian Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) is one of the first unique policy documents globally that links climate, refrigerants, and access to cooling in one comprehensive plan. One learning from the ICAP and other countries' experience is that even with strong building codes and standards, India will still have huge energy and refrigerant demand for space cooling.

This demand is likely to be larger than in any other country in the world. This is one reason why the ICAP advocates for a shift to not-in-kind technologies in the medium and long term. These technologies include district cooling, trigeneration, and thermal storage. District cooling systems use a central plant to cool multiple buildings. Trigeneration systems generate electricity, heat, and cooling from a single source. Thermal storage systems store heat or cold during off-peak hours and release it during peak hours.

Cooling has been a neglected issue in global energy discussions, despite the clear impacts that have been reported from countries with high air conditioning demands for decades. ICAP believes these not-in-kind technologies can help countries to meet their cooling needs in a more sustainable way. These technologies can reduce energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and air pollution. They can also improve air quality and public health.

Focusing on this critical issue, the TERI cooling team will organise a side event at the 45th Open-ended working group (OEWG) at the ozone secretariat at United Nations Environment Programme. The event will involve a technical presentation by sector experts and engagement with the audience which will be helpful in achieving sustainable cooling.

For more, please contact: shaurya.anand@teri.res.in