Caught in a Vicious Circle ?
Context :
Contribution of air conditioning adoption to future energy use under global warming / 2015
Extract :
Take India, for example. Compared with the United States, India has four times the population, but also more than three times as many cooling degree days (CDDs) per person (3). Thus, India’s total potential demand for cooling is 12+ times that of the United States. Air conditioning is still relatively uncommon in India and other low-income countries, but this is poised to change dramatically as incomes rise around the world.
'Warming to spur demand for a new AC every 15 secs by 2037' / TOI / 02 Dec 2022
Extract :
Rising average temperatures due to climate change will spike the demand for cooling in India by eight times over the current levels by 2037 leading to demand for a new air conditioner every 15 seconds, according to a new report by the World Bank released on Wednesday
With an expected rise of 435 % in annual greenhouse gas ( GHG ) emissions over the next two decades, keeping spaces cool using alternative and innovative energy efficient green technologies can open up an investment opportunity worth $ 1.6 trillion by 2040, says the report
Referring to different scientific studies, the report flagged that over 160-200 million people in India could be exposed to lethal heat wave annually by 2030 and around 3 million people in India will face job losses due to heat stress related productivity decline
It said the current food loss due to heat during transportation is close to $ 13 billion annually
Shifting to a more energy efficient pathway could lead to a substantial reduction in expected CO2 levels over the next two decades , and can create 3.7 million jobs.
“ India’s cooling strategy can help save lives and livelihoods , reduce carbon emissions and simultaneously position India as a global hub for GREEN COOLING manufacturing. The report suggests a sustainable road-map ( to ) reduce 300 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually by 2040 “, said Auguste Tano Kouame, the World Bank’s country head
MY TAKE :
Vissious circle :
More the climate gets hotter, more the requirement for Air Conditioners
These ACs create demand for more electricity – which comes from Coal / Gas operated power plants
These fossil-fuel based power plants produce more Green House Gases ( GHG ), which, in turn, raise the ambient temperature further
That pushes up the demand / production / sale of more ACs
The circle keeps revolving !
What is the Solution ?
( A ) …. Stop producing “ dirty “ electricity , which requires fossil fuel to produce .
Quickly change over to “ clean “ electricity, produced using Solar / Wind power
( Forget hydroelectric / nuclear power plants which take decades to build )
Alternately ( - I would say, simultaneously )
( B ) …. Develop Air Conditioners which do NOT require electricity to operate !
Here is that technology :
No Wires, No Electricity, : World’s First Nitrogen Powered Air Conditioner / 07 Aug 2022
Extract :
Startup patents breakthrough way to stay cool outside without harming the planet
Liquid nitrogen is being used to power the world’s first air conditioner that works without electricity.
There are no wires, no power supply and no greenhouse gas emissions with the revolutionary Kensho unit, which has been developed and patented in Israel.
It simply, silently and gently blows out a jet of freezing nitrogen gas at -10C (14F) that cools the surrounding area.
The first models are to be piloted later this month at six restaurants in Tel Aviv and the company behind the invention, Green Kinoko, says they’ll be ready to market the product in summer 2023.
“We have invented an outside air conditioner which doesn’t need electricity. It creates its own energy,” CEO Tal Leizer tells NoCamels. She says it’s based on textbook physics.( Moran@green-kinoko.com )
“Everybody is amazed about how simple it is, how this energy was right under our nose, but we just hadn’t thought how to use it. Cooling is a lot more difficult than heating, but we have a great solution. And being outside is a basic human need, so we are addressing that as well.
Liquid nitrogen is widely used as a coolant in many industries, but Leizer and her team hit on the idea of building on existing technology to develop a patented system with it to cool the outside air.
“We create the energy from the pressure that is created between liquid nitrogen and gas nitrogen,” she says.
“We use liquid nitrogen at minus 196 degrees. When it turns into a gas it creates a very strong pressure and we use that pressure to activate a mechanical engine.”
Nobody has used liquid nitrogen before in this way, she says. Her team had been working with cryogenic (very low temperature) liquids in an unrelated project and realized the potential value of nitrogen.
Leizer, who also founded the tech consultancy firm Practical Innovation, said she realized there was a gap in the market when she was on holiday in Rome.
“It was the first time that we felt we couldn’t sit outside in the middle of the day because it was so hot,” she says. “It was 35C.
“We looked around and everything was empty, people didn’t want to sit outside. I did some research and found out that in 2010, the average summertime temperature in Rome was 30C to 31C (87F). Ten years later it was 35C (95F).
“A lot of cafes and restaurants can’t welcome their clients in the middle of the day, because it’s too hot outside.”
Two years and several million R&D dollars later, Green Kinoko, based in Shefayim, in central Israel, has the first working prototypes of a machine that could re-write the rules of outdoor air conditioning.
“We are now calculating the carbon footprint. We are using liquid nitrogen, which is a by-product of the oxygen manufactured for hospitals. And our device emits nitrogen, an inert gas that we are breathing,” says Leizer.
“Compare that to other air conditioners with gas that is toxic and polluting. We don’t have any polluting gases. And we don’t consume electricity. An electric air conditioner adds heat to the atmosphere. We have an alternative that doesn’t add heat to the atmosphere.
“Our technology solves many environmental challenges such as greenhouse gas emissions, electricity consumption, noise, and humidity creation.”
The cooling solution makes outdoor living a pleasant experience, and helps combat global warming. Owners will typically have to replace the nitrogen every seven to 10 days, depending how much they use it.
Electric outdoor air conditioners use a water evaporation process to generate a cold breeze. They’re power-hungry because instead of cooling a room with closed windows, they’re bringing down the temperature in the great outdoors.
“We have invented a new generation of air conditioner,” says Leizer. “The technology is unique and amazing.”
The company already has facilities to produce the machines at scale for Israel, as well as its next target market, the UAE. It is now looking for investors to take the product global.
The price to the consumer is likely to be similar to conventional, electric machines. The price for the planet will be less.
Dear Shri Bhupendra Yadavji ,
[ Minister - Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change / mefcc@gov.in ]
I urge you to inquire with that Israeli company regarding licensing its technology to one of India’s government Research Labs
In turn, this Lab can sub-licence this tech to Indian AC manufacturers ( I suggest FREE )
Simultaneously introduce a LAW, which would require AC manufacturers to phase out their existing technology based ACs by 2027 ( just like shift to BS 6 standards for autos )
Get BEE ( Bureau of Energy Efficiency ) to lay down “ Electricity Energy Consumption Standard “, as per :
Energy Consumption Standards : A Beginning
With regards,
Hemen Parekh
hcp@RecruitGuru.com / 19 Dec 2022
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