Sustainable cooling provides a major opportunity to enable carbon neutrality in Europe by combining energy efficiency and a shift to renewable energies, thereby maximising the benefits of cooling whilst creating the smallest footprint in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and reducing electrical peak demand.

Andrea Voigt, EPEE director general, said: “The demand for cooling will grow significantly over the coming decades, and we take our responsibility very seriously. Cooling is indispensable for our society, and we have the solutions to contribute effectively to reach carbon neutrality and help the EU achieve its climate and energy goals.

“Cooling is part of the solution, and its potential needs to be better recognised. We will therefore work closely with the Commission to foster the sustainable cooling approach within the upcoming actions undertaken as part of the EGD.”

Cooling provides a variety of benefits to consumers and society which are taken for granted. For instance, in homes, at workplaces, in shopping malls, datacentres, for the cooling of products and reduction of food loss. Demand for cooling is expected to grow significantly in the coming decades, triggered mainly by increasing temperatures and global societal trends such as urbanisation and digitalisation.

The growth in the use of cooling could lead to increased energy consumption, and therefore to higher CO2 emissions and could place significant burdens on the electricity grid. These negative effects can be avoided with a sustainable cooling approach, as described in EPEE’s recently published five-step approach to deliver sustainable cooling.

The EPEE White Paper outlines five steps which would result in optimising cooling demand, increasing the energy efficiency of cooling systems, and enabling a shift towards renewable energy sources by integrating the cooling sector into the power generation system.

Solutions for sustainable cooling already exist, but their broad deployment is hindered by silo thinking between the demand and supply side, low political and market awareness about the benefits of energy efficient and integrated solutions, and challenges to attract, retain and up-skill professionals.

Ms Voigt added: “Coordinated actions are urgently needed to address barriers to the uptake of sustainable cooling. Cooling needs to be addressed with an integrated approach, which is the heart of the EGD. In that respect, the Green Deal is a golden opportunity to leverage the potential of sustainable cooling and deliver on its promise.”

EPEE sent a letter last week to executive vice-president Timmermans and commissioner Simson, calling for an EGD that promotes sustainable cooling and helps overcome the barriers to its uptake.