Optimal cooling pathways of India: an implementation framework of ICAP
The demand of active cooling systems such as air conditioners and chillers is increasing rapidly. This leads to an increase in emissions of Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) and Hydro-Chlorofluorocarbons (HCFC), which negatively impact the Earth's ozone layer. Over the past years, ozone depletion has become a serious concern both at the national and global level. In order to tackle this situation, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India (GOI), launched the India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) in 2019 with an objective of mitigating the negative impacts of the increasing cooling demand. The ICAP provides policy guidance to help India to strategically develop a long term plan to strike a balance between achieving the targets set under the Montreal Protocol, the Sustainable Development Goals, and also meet its Nationally Determined Contributions targets, while simultaneously achieving the overarching goal of providing Cooling for All. The objectives of this study include 1) identifying the least cost pathway to achieving India's ICAP targets and corresponding technology mix; 2) identifying alternative technology mix scenarios for cooling for long-term planning and its impacts on energy supply mix, investments and emissions; and 3) quantifying the optimal demand of refrigerants in the country and its alternative options.