The Need For Air Conditioning Innovation

Across Europe and America, this summer has proven to be a record-breaker in terms of heat indexes. With weather becoming relatively warmer, energy consumption becomes quite problematic, and as such, we look to more sustainable consumption possibilities. In the United States, the carbon footprint is not evenly spread in regards to energy standards. States like California were quick innovators in the late 1980s; when under Title 24, the state mandated each Californian would be allotted to expend a 10 ton carbon footprint.

The whole issue of energy consumption and weather patterns becomes more confounding when we take into consideration that burgeoning metropolises are in tropical climates from India, to Thailand and Vietnam. Population density offers a bigger energy challenge in these cities, for they have to quickly solve the issue of not only dealing with higher heat indexes but do so with shorter cool (rain) periods.

Clean Technica suggests that this would be the opportune moment for sustainable innovation research into air conditioning alternatives:

An example would be a new refrigerant developed by Honeywell with a 99.7% lower global warming potential. It was developed to meet European emissions standards under Kyoto climate legislation. Another example would be an invention that ARPA-E has funded that makes it possible to do without any refrigerant in A/C altogether.

Clean Technica: “The Needs of Tropical Mega-Cities Could Drive Innovation in Air Conditioning”