Summer is here, quips a colleague of mine. “With 36 degree Celsius already, we know what to expect in the coming month,” her tone almost warning us. And she is right; the sun scorching down on us in the month of March is bad news. But, the bigger cause of concern is the expanding use of air conditioners, to beat the heat, especially in residential and commercial sectors, which are stressing the electricity grid and power sector, causing long power outages. And therefore, increasing the efficiency of air conditioning units is an immediate opportunity to strengthen the power sector and tackle climate change.
In 2014, Power Minister Piyush Goyal announced a goal of uninterrupted access to energy for all homes, commercial buildings, and industry within the next five years. To meet this very goal, India must grab all energy-saving opportunities.
India is one of the fastest growing economies, with a large population of aspirational middle class, willing to spend that extra money to buy comfort. And if that comfort meets conscience, then there is nothing like it. One key means for increasing the energy efficiency of air conditioning units is through changing the refrigerant used as coolants in AC units along with improving the energy efficiency components. A 2014 analysis by Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) found that a switch to lower-global warming potential (GWP) room ACs with energy efficiency improvements could offer a 15% energy savings over a business-as-usual scenario, contributing to reductions of 31-38% in the global warming footprint of the residential AC sector in India.
This will not only give India a chance to be responsible towards climate change and its effect, but also reap the energy benefits of commercially viable options, already available.
India has been at the receiving end of the effects of climate change. Starting from food, to drought to floods, India has been battling the ill effects. Our country has already experienced a national increase temperature of 0.4°C, variable regional monsoons, and sea level rise of 1.06-1.75 mm per year. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has predicted with virtual certainty that frequent hot temperature extremes will be one of the many impacts of increased global temperature, which basically means, India very likely will experience amplified and extended heat waves. That in turn will increase the usage of air conditions. As, a responsible country, therefore, it is imperative to push for efficient alternatives.
Your comments/valuable suggestions would turn this initiative into public movement.