The Needs of Tropical Mega-Cities Could Drive Innovation in Air Conditioning

August 2nd, 2010 by Susan Kraemer

Nearly all of the globe’s top 30 mega-cities are in the tropics, in developing nations. As they develop – while simultaneously, over the coming decades; the climate heats further, the demand for air conditioning in these gigantic mega-cities (in India, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nigeria) is going to skyrocket, according to a study by Michael Sivak at the University of Michigan.

The potential is for a huge increase in energy demands. India’s 18 million people, just in Mumbai alone could potentially need energy for cooling that is equivalent to a quarter of the demand of the entire US.

Simultaneously, climate change itself makes it imperative that the world replace fossil sources for electricity to run the air conditioners that will help make a warmer planet bearable.

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As a result, one of the most rapidly growing new business sectors will be in innovation in low carbon cooling technologies.

We have a choice still, between a warmer planet and a truly chaotic phase change in climate. It depends on whether we continue to innovate – like California did – to meet this challenge.

Currently, consumers in the undeveloped world with no air conditioning have a 3 ton carbon footprint. US consumers average a 20 ton footprint, split evenly between how we heat and cool the buildings we live and work in, and what we drive between them.

We could do better. With 30 year old technology, Californians average only a 10 ton carbon footprint thanks to appliance and building efficiency mandates like Title 24 signed by former Governor Jerry Brown in the eighties.

Germany proposes that everyone on the planet should aim for a 5 ton footprint, which is what the planet can support sustainably. If everyone lived like Americans currently we would need five planets. Air conditioning that cools future mega-cities in the developing world should be a One Planet solution to get us all to 5 carbon tons each.

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.

Image: Maxsimus

Susan Kraemer@Twitter

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Tags: air conditioning, future, innovation, mega-cities, tropical

About the Author

Susan Kraemer writes at CleanTechnica, CSP-Today, PV-Insider , SmartGridUpdate, and GreenProphet. She has also been published at Ecoseed, NRDC OnEarth, MatterNetwork, Celsius, EnergyNow, and Scientific American. As a former serial entrepreneur in product design, Susan brings an innovator's perspective on inventing a carbon-constrained civilization: If necessity is the mother of invention, solving climate change is the mother of all necessities! As a lover of history and sci-fi, she enjoys chronicling the strange future we are creating in these interesting times. Follow Susan on Twitter @dotcommodity.

http://cleantechnica.com/author/susan Susan Kraemer

Roger, I am curious. Why do you keep coming back to read here if you object so much to those who successfully encourage clean energy solutions, like Jerry Brown in this case?

My goal is to counter the propaganda put out by fear-mongers that we just cannot move to a cleaner energy economy. So I will always endorse those who show we CAN do it (by doing it).

Clean energy policy ideas that worked in countries like Finland, and China, and from companies, like SunRun and Solar City, and from politicians like Al Gore, and former CA Governor Jerry Brown (who, if he succeeds in overcoming Meg Whitman’s millions and the support of Big Oil, will be our next Governor and save us from Big Oil-supported climate catastrophe here).

Wherever I see successful policy that actually worked to create a business framework that promotes the clean energy economy that will stave off (the worst of centuries of) climate change that will otherwise be devastating to our human civilization, of course I write about it.

I am never going to “tamp down” my support of these things, because that is what I believe more people need to find out about. You can always read the Wall Street journal to get your ideas endorsed.
http://cleantechnica.com/author/susan Susan Kraemer

@Isabel

Tokyo, London and NYC are mega-cities (over 10 million) but they are neither tropical (by number of cooling days per year), nor “developing world”. Here’s the original abstract.

at Science Direct
Roger L

Susan:

Good article bringing a few themes to the public and you tamped down your endorsement of Governor Moonbeam at the same time.

Way to go
Timothy Chase

I think that rather than wait until a large group of people in a specific area requested the services, companies should put their foot forward and start the ball rolling. We need stop making it easy for power companies and start passing the savings on to the consumer. Schools should teach the science of building homemade solar panels. True there are tax breaks but any accountant will tell you that first you need the money to spend before you can get the tax break. And what about those on social security who don’t file tax returns? they get totally gipped.
Isabel

Hey,

which list of the “top 30 mega-cities” do you use that Japan (Tokyo) the USA( NY), GB (London) or HongKong are developing countries or just make 2 out of 30?!

Just interested

Cheers
http://www.webhostinglogic.com Frank Adams

Sure thing, those mega cities in tropical countries does need effective cooling systems that are earth friendly. But they are also the dumping ground of all waste that comes from the develop countries. Even with the new refrigerant, that old refrigerant will exist in those cities until their supply lasts.