Science and Technology Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan today announced the launch of the Global Cooling Prize, an international competition to incentivize the development of a residential cooling technology that will have at least five times less climate impact that the standard Room Air Conditioning (RAC) units sold today.

Speaking at the inaugural event of the Global Cooling Innovation Summit in New Delhi, Dr Harsh Vardhan said, concrete and collective actions are required to address the colossal challenge of global warming. He said, India is close to doubling its research and development activities in this regard. The Minister also said that the government is committed to cleaner energy generation and its effective utilization.

The Summit is a first-of-its-kind solutions-focused event organized to explore concrete means and pathways to address the climate threat that comes from the growing demand from room air conditioners. The event is jointly organized by the Department of Science and Technology along with Rocky Mountain Institute, Alliance for An Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE), Conservation X Labs and CEPT University.

Global Cooling Prize is a competition with global reach and participation to achieve dramatic breakthroughs in cooling technologies. The objective of this competition would be to develop a cooling technology that requires radically less energy to operate, utilizes refrigerants with no ozone depletion potential and with low global warming potential, and has the potential to be cost-effective at scale. Distinguished speakers from around the world, including innovators, philanthropists, venture capitalists, and other industry leaders participated in the event.