India’s tropical climate and increasing extreme weather events are expected to drive up the usage of electric fans and air conditioners in the coming years. Unfortunately, India has the world’s lowest access to cooling, with less than 5% air conditioner penetration. The combination of increasing urbanization rates and GDP growth is projected to create an additional demand of 800 GW of electricity to supply cooling, leading to 900 MMT of CO2 emissions from space cooling by 2050.
Recognizing the significance and magnitude of the urban cooling challenge in the country, India took pioneering approach with mainstreaming of cooling in national level policy framework including India Cooling Action Plan and National Potential Study for District Cooling, where it has prioritized heat stress and cooling energy demand as key areas of intervention.
India through Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) under Ministry of Power (MoP) has partnered with UNEP, UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre (UNEP CCC), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) under the framework of GPUC program, to promote sustainable cooling solutions in Indian cities and national policies. The program aims to promote the implementation of sustainable cooling solutions in cities, offering insights encompassing urban planning, passive cooling techniques, nature-based solutions, improvements in cooling equipment efficiency, and the shaping of consumer behaviour, enhancing the country’s resilience to extreme heat, while striving to achieve the ambitious goal of net-zero emissions.
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Country / Region: India