India can become powerhouse for clean tech: Danfoss’ Ravichandran Purushothaman

Climate change presents a great opportunity for India that, coupled with 'Make in India', can help the country become a global powerhouse for clean technologies, says Ravichandran Purushothaman

Ravichandran Purushothaman, president, Danfoss India. Photo: Jithendra M./Mint

Bengaluru: Climate change presents a great opportunity for India that, coupled with ‘Make in India’, can help the country become a global powerhouse for clean technologies, said Ravichandran Purushothaman, president, India region, for Denmark-based Danfoss Industries.

Danfoss, with its more than eight decades of global presence, works on four important areas including clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy for all, sustainable cities and communities, and responsible consumption and production, he said. “We have a factory in Chennai and (are) looking to make it carbon neutral in the next five years,” Purushothaman said. The bulk of the power consumed currently is for cooling, he said.

“It is estimated that the world cooling energy requirement is going to grow 33-fold by the year 2100,” he said, highlighting that the technology used for cooling is more than a century old. The amount of electricity demand for cooling in the US is equal to the entire energy consumption of Africa, Purushothaman said. In cities such as Mumbai and Delhi, the energy used for cooling is as much as half of the total consumption, he said.

India produces around 1.5 million residential AC units per year compared with China’s 6 million. “(China) has actually moved away from energy efficiency norms. They have moved into newer technologies like using heat pumps, district heating and cooling and completely disrupted their energy footprint,” he said, referring to China’s new direction in dealing with the problems of cooling.

“There are technologies that are available in the world that helps us to decouple energy intensity and economic growth but what is important here is to put the policy framework in place and look at how to implement them in the larger context of urbanization,” Purushothaman said. Danfoss is looking at solutions in a similar manner as it is also a firm believer in district cooling and newer refrigerants to help counter the imminent global warming that is likely to be the result of future demands for cooling. This is where the country has great potential not just for economic development but also to make a difference for a cooler planet, Purushothaman added.