Mark Vender
A global coalition led by the government of India along with Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) has announced the eight finalists of the Global Cooling Prize. The international innovation competition aims to promote the development of super-efficient and climate-friendly residential cooling solutions for homes.
The finalist teams include some of the world’s largest air conditioner manufacturers, start-ups and corporations, and one university. They have pitched a wide range of technologies:
- Daikin Air Conditioning India Private Limited (Japan/India) – partnering with Daikin Industries Ltd and Nikken Sekkei Ltd. Vapour compression technology with improved system design and low-GWP HFO refrigerant integrated with evaporative cooling.
- Godrej and Boyce Mfg Co Ltd, Appliance Division (India) –partnering with A.T.E. Enterprises Private Limited (India). Advanced vapour compression technology integrated with proprietary evaporative cooling and solar PV.
- Gree Electric Appliances Inc of Zhuhai (China) – partnering with Tsinghua University. Advanced vapour compression technology integrated with evaporative cooling and solar PV.
- Kraton Corporation (USA) – partnering with IIT Bombay, Infosys and Porus Laboratories. Evaporative cooling and membrane dehumidification for independent sensible and latent cooling.
- M2 Thermal Solutions (USA). Evaporative cooling and membrane dehumidification for independent sensible and latent cooling.
- S&S Design Startup Solution Private Limited (India). Two-stage cooling system integrating a water loop and a traditional vapour compression system with natural, low-GWP refrigerant.
- Transaera Inc. (USA). Vapour compression technology with desiccant dehumidification.
- Barocal Ltd, a new startup based on University of Cambridge research (UK). Solid state Barocaloric cooling technology.
More detail on each of the systems is available here.
The competitors showcased technologies that reduce or eliminate refrigerants linked to climate change, advances that will be vital as the number of room air conditioners (RACs) nearly quadruples by 2050.
“It gives me immense satisfaction to say that we have received some absolutely revolutionary cooling ideas,’’ says Sir Richard Branson, founder and CEO of the Virgin Group and global ambassador for the Global Cooling Prize.
“What makes this competition especially exciting, is the market transformation opportunity. It could be one of the biggest technology-based steps we can take to arrest climate change. Congratulations to the finalists of the Global Cooling Prize. I look forward to following all of you on your journey to winning the Prize and scaling your solutions globally.”
Many other people echoed these sentiments in a congratulatory video released by RMI. AIRAH is an official outreach partner of the prize, and CEO Tony Gleeson, M.AIRAH, offered his words of encouragement to the finalists.
“What you do is doing something special,” says Gleeson. “It’s doing it more efficiently and more affordably so that the world can be a better place.”
The finalists have been awarded US$200,000 each to develop and ship their prototypes to India for testing in the summer of 2020.
The winner of the Global Cooling Prize will be announced in November of 2020 and awarded more than US$1 million in prize money as well as assistance to take the cooling solution to market.
Read more here.
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