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Sustainable Cooling

Sustainable Cooling

The sustainable cooling team works towards harnessing the potential for jobs, growth, and sustainability in the Heating, Ventilation and Air-conditioning (HVAC) and allied sectors, thereby achieving the goal of providing access to thermal comfort for all. As co-authors of the India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP), our research focuses on bridging technology and knowledge gaps in the HVAC value chain and developing a framework for India’s Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) transition and end-of-life management of refrigerants. Further, our research extends to building a collaborative R&D ecosystem for cooling innovation, catalysing the training and formalisation of the refrigeration and air-conditioning servicing sector, leading market-shaping efforts through consumer awareness campaigns on energy efficiency, and developing novel financing options for upcoming technologies.

The Council is among the pioneering institutions to begin India-focused research on phasing-down HFCs. Our modelling of India’s long-term HFC emissions, and analysis of different trajectories to leapfrog away from them, enabled us to support India’s negotiations to phase-down HFCs under the Montreal Protocol. We continue to adopt an integrated and inclusive approach in our research by combining rigorous methodologies and strategic engagement across various stakeholders, including policymakers, industry associations, academia, independent experts, and civil society, to achieve impact at scale.

  • 323 million

    people in India are at high risk due to heat
    Source: SEforALL, 2022
  • Only 7%

    households in India have access to air-conditioners
    Source: India Cooling Action Plan, 2019
  • 0.5 degrees Celsius

    of warming by 2100 can be avoided if cooling is sustainable
    Source: WEF, 2019
  • I congratulate CEEW for underlining India’s leadership on the innovation front and simultaneously informing us about ways to maximise the economic gains from scaling up domestic production in the room air conditioning sector.

    Shri Bhupender Yadav

    Union Cabinet Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and Labour and Employment, Government of India

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