Ideas for Developing Asia and the Pacific

Call for Papers on Low Carbon Cooling in Asia and the Pacific

Low Carbon Cooling in Asia and the Pacific
Asian Development Bank Institute and the Asian Development Bank

Load growth in refrigeration and air conditioning is projected to be one of the top drivers of global electricity demand over the next few decades. Enormous amounts of fossil fuel-powered electricity are already being consumed by the cooling sector, significantly contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution more broadly. According to the International Energy Agency, air conditioners and electric cooling fans account for nearly 20 percent of the electricity used in the world’s buildings, while CO2 emissions caused by cooling energy consumption account for nearly 10% of global CO2 emissions.

Improvements in cooling energy efficiency would create substantial cost savings and climate benefits critical for achieving Paris Agreement targets and the Sustainable Development Goals, but will require further efforts to address knowledge and capacity gaps within the sector. This is particularly the case in developing economies in Asia and the Pacific, where demand for cooling is growing rapidly and energy efficiency and climate measures could have greater impact.

The Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) welcome original, unpublished papers and short case studies on low carbon cooling, including best practices, policy tools, technologies, market mechanisms, and implementation strategies in Asia and the Pacific, especially in developing economies. Selected papers will be featured during a related conference in March 2022. Both these and selected short case studies will be considered for publication in a planned book, to support the deployment of climate-friendly cooling solutions in the region.

Submission topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Cooling needs and the energy, climate, health, and social impacts of meeting them
  • Reducing cooling needs through building design, building codes, and urban planning
  • Other resources for low-carbon cooling such as renewable energy, free cooling with air and water, and cold energy recovery and utilization
  • Measures for improving cooling efficiency
  • Leveraging and aggregating cooling solutions such as thermal energy storage, cooling as a dispatchable load, and district cooling
  • Digitization in cooling
  • Eliminating the dumping of used cooling equipment and recycling and disposing of cooling equipment
  • Policy barriers to enabling climate-friendly cooling and policy tools for removing these barriers such as standards and compliance, Buy Green campaigns, labeling policies, incentive policies, and power market policies
  • Barriers to implementing large-scale programs for deploying climate-friendly cooling solutions and proven implementation strategies that can help remove these barriers

Submission Procedure

Authors have the option to first submit an extended abstract or short case study of at least 1,000 words via this link by 31 July 2021. Authors of selected abstracts and case studies will be notified by 15 August 2021. Those who do not submit an abstract or case study are still eligible to submit a full draft paper.

All authors should submit their full draft papers via the above link by 31 October 2021.

Paper submissions should not be published or submitted for publication elsewhere. Papers should adhere to the ADBI Guidelines for Authors.

Authors of accepted submissions will be notified by 30 November 2021.

Submissions from authors who are citizens of ADB member economies are encouraged.

Arrangements for Selected Papers

Authors of accepted full papers will be invited to present their work during the conference to take place the week of 28 March 2022 at ADBI in Tokyo. ADBI will cover the flight and hotel costs of one author from an ADB member economy per selected paper

The conference will be held virtually in the event of COVID-19 travel disruptions.

Selected full papers and case studies will both be considered for publication in the planned book. Additional details will be announced at a later date.

Project Organizing Committee

  • Tetsushi Sonobe, Dean, ADBI
  • Peter Morgan, Vice Chair of Research, ADBI
  • Dina Azhgaliyeva, Research Fellow, ADBI
  • Bo Shen, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, United States Department of Energy
  • Alfredo Bano Leal, Senior Energy Specialist, ADB and Adjunct Fellow, ADBI

Contact

Inquiries may be directed to Dina Azhgaliyeva.

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