- How have you seen the sustainable cooling space in India evolve since the launch of ICAP in 2019. In your opinion, what interventions should be prioritized for ICAP implementation, especially in the wake of PM’s Panchamrit climate commitments at COP26
ICAP was instrumental in building a policy discourse around sustainable cooling in India. It also acted as a template for other countries to build their sustainable cooling plans. Going ahead, targets in ICAP can be refined to estimate the the costs and benefits of the different proposed interventions. This can inform the prioritization of different goals in short and mid-term. Efforts should also be made to design specific programs and ensure budgetary allocation and other sources of fund to implement them. One such example can be the Super Efficient Equipment Program for ceiling fans which was launch by the BEE for ceiling fans but has been stalled. The other focus area of ICAP should also be a good monitoring and evaluation framework with adequate data collection process in place so that the progress of ICAP goals can be tracked.
- India is facing increasingly intense and frequent heat waves. How can we ensure equitable access for low-income groups and socially disadvantaged communities who face disproportionate impacts due to lack of access to cooling?
Access to affordable cooling is certainly an issue for low-income group households. With increasing heat stress owing to changing climate and urban infrastructure, low-income group settlements in urban areas will be the ones who will bear a harsher brunt. Reliable and affordable access to electricity and cooling appliances is one way of ensuring that -there is an equal opportunity for all to get relief from heat. A Super-Efficient Equipment Program for ceiling fans can play a significant role in improving the overall efficiency of fans and provide the much-needed financial stimulus for the same. A dedicated SEEP program for low-income groups can also be introduced. Other non-energy measures are also slowly gaining importance these low cost and alternative techniques like thermally insulated roofs, low-cost air circulation promoting windows or heat reflective wall paints. Creating awareness and access to such alternative sources of cooling will be critical in the coming years.
- The peak electricity demand in India reached an all-time high of 210 GW in June this year. How can cooling demand be managed to ease the pressure on grids?
Firstly, it is important for the entire community to assess the share of space cooling electricity demand in the peak demand. This will help in quantifying the demand for space cooling by region and type. Multiple load surveys will help in further getting more information on space cooling appliance usage patterns across different consumer groups. Based on this information programmatic approaches will have to designed to increase penetration of smart – efficient space cooling appliances. Further the utilities will also have to place in critical role in designing demand management programs to enable curtailment or shifting of demand to avoid peak loads. Urban infrastructure developers will also have critical role to play to ensure that building infrastructures will help in reducing the demand for space cooling.
- What role do you think India Cooling Coalition can play in scaling up efficient and affordable cooling solutions in India?
The India Cooling Coalition can play an instrumental role in bringing together different stakeholders, understanding their challenges in implementing efficient/affordable cooling strategies and using this input to make suggestions to state and central governments. The Cooling Coalition can also independently commission studies which will build the necessary evidence required for dialogues with governments. From one such research conducted by Prayas (Energy Group), we find that the monitoring and verification process of appliance testing for S&L needs to be strengthened. The coalition can further develop a action plan and engagement with BEE to improve the process of appliance testing for appliances. The coalition should also actively use the expertise of its members and member networks to develop policy briefs to address the different issues in scaling up efficient and affordable cooling solutions.