[ad_1]
The Virgin Group co-founder Richard Branson has put US $ 3 million towards the new competition, which will stimulate the production of more environmentally sound air-conditioners.
By Daniel Herborn
Posted on November 14, 2018
Branson said: "The increase in energy consumption for cooling represents a mbadive risk to meeting our climate goals.
He also said that he would be able to "literally help save the world from the disaster."
The prize comes on the back of the publication of a report that suggests the expansion of air-conditioning alone in global temperatures by half a degree by 2100.
Who can solve the global cooling challenge? @MIT, @Stanford, @GeorgiaTech, @Cambridge_Uni, @IITDehli? We challenge you! Global @CoolingPrize starts today https://t.co/3mQte6vLLT
– Richard Branson (@richardbranson) November 12, 2018
The Global Cooling Prize will spark innovation
The competition is a joint venture with the Government of India, Global Clean Energy Initiative Mission Innovation and Non Profit Organization Rocky Mountain Institute.
The prize's website notes that today's most advanced air-conditioning technology has only reached 8%.
The prize aims to change that. It will require participating companies to produce air-conditioning solutions that can operate at a lower cost.
Next year, the prize will award US $ 200,000 to 10 companies, facilitating the construction of prototypes. These prototypes will then be tested in laboratories and apartments in India. The winner will receive at least US $ 1 million.
Iain Campbell, Managing Director at Rocky Mountain Institute, also said the market was not rewarding energy-efficient air-conditioning units and was driven by price-based competition.
Branson has been optimistic that the market could not be reduced to a high level of energy efficiency, and that it could be used in the field of research and development.
"If we can say," Boeing 737 can not afford $ 70 million, then I'm pretty sure we can do it with air conditioning, "he said.
Every summer is getting hotter and it's important that everyone has access to cooling. Have an innovation that can help us keep cool without warming the planet? Apply for the Global Cooling Prize! https://t.co/oqzyopZVyQ pic.twitter.com/wxM2mOYZr4
– Erik Solheim (@ErikSolheim) November 12, 2018
The big picture: the number of air-conditioning units worldwide is expected to soar
Air-conditioning is expected to increase temperatures. It is estimated that up to 74% of all people could be exposed to deadly temperatures for at least 20 days a year by 2100.
India has a particularly strong growth in the air-conditioning units and is projected to have 1 billion room air-conditioners by 2050.
The number of air-conditioning systems worldwide is expected to rise from around 1.2 billion currently to 4.5 billion by the midpoint of the century.
Header image credit: Kris Krüg
[ad_2]
Source link
