Evaporative Cooling: Reducing carbon footprint and improving indoor air quality

Debashish Roy Choudhury, AVP of the ARCTIC Division at DRI, highlights how evaporative cooling technology innovatively conditions the air while eliminating the need for harmful refrigerants. This environmentally friendly approach to cooling significantly reduces the carbon footprint.

With the onset of summer, the acute rising temperature becomes a matter of enormous concern. People generally resort to air conditioning for relief to beat the scorching heat. But in return, it poses severe irreparable environmental damage while overshooting the electricity bill. The problem becomes even more amplified in the commercial and industrial spaces. Amidst such conditions, green cooling provides perfect cooling solutions for giving comfort from the heat in the most economical way possible.

Based on the sustainable cooling mechanism, it fights against the issue of global warming and climate change in the most energy-efficient way by harnessing the benefits of ancient traditional methods. India projecting a surge in power consumption by 9% in February showcases the importance of adopting the green cooling solution. According to the World Bank report, the low-carbon cooling method can translate to a $1.5 trillion investment opportunity in the country in the next two decades.

Here, it is important to understand that the heat issue gets further aggravated in the commercial and industrial space. As a result, it immensely jeopardises the health and productivity of the occupants. For instance, places such as schools and colleges, offices, restaurants, factories, warehouses, etc., are large complex spaces requiring more ventilation. The spaces accommodate many people at a given time, making it difficult and tricky to cool down the space naturally. Deploying air conditioning in such large spaces for cooling purposes can impose huge installation costs and continually levy heavy operational charges, making it a costly option. Moreover, considering the large area, much energy is wasted in cooling down the extra space.

Hence, looking at the cooling requirement of commercial and industrial space, Industrial Evaporative Cooling works best and most economical for large spaces. Providing thermal comfort, it efficiently protects the integrity of the space. Compared to other alternatives, evaporative cooling requires minimal installation capital cost, charging approximately 60-70 percent of the cost of setting up an air conditioning system. Additionally, using natural resources for cooling substantially minimises the running cost of the machines. Packed with high-adsorbent materials, evaporative cooling comes with elevated saturation efficiency that contributes to the overall cost-effectiveness of the machines. It can substantially reduce energy consumption by utilising 80 percent less electricity as compared to other alternatives available in the market. The range of ARCTIC Coolers is highly efficient in providing cooling solutions for large spaces, especially in warm and tropical Indian weather conditions.

The innovative cooling system takes an environment-friendly route to provide relief even in the peak summer months. It can achieve a temperature of 27°C, bringing it down from 45°C against harsh outdoor conditions in most parts of India. The technology works on the principles of evaporating water into the air, extracting 100 percent natural fresh air from the surrounding, and bringing down the temperature of large, complex spaces. In the process, it maintains continuity in the supply of fresh oxygen to the room. This continuous supply and circulation of fresh air is a major factor in reducing the stale indoor air within the space.

Considering the cooling mechanism involved, it eliminates the stagnant indoor air responsible for the proliferation of viruses and bacteria. Likewise, it removes fumes, odour, and carbon dioxide, including other airborne impurities and built-in dust, from the vast space. Cumulatively, apart from cooling, the evaporative cooling solution also improves indoor air quality.

Based on green air conditioning, the technology very innovatively conditions the air with the help of evaporative cooling. It prevents the dependency on any harmful refrigerants for cooling. On the whole, the process of cooling reduces the carbon footprint effectively. As a result, it perfectly complies with the India Cooling Action Plan for promoting affordable and energy-efficient cooling. Aimed at reducing the refrigeration demand of the country, the plan advocates for passive cooling in the building. At the same time, the cooling mechanism serves the purpose of reaching the net-zero targets set to be achieved by the country.

In conclusion, Industrial Evaporative Cooling is the ideal solution for various heat problems, making it the most sought-after cooling option for summer. Being economical and energy-efficient, sustainable cooling is the most suitable method for relieving unbearable heat