Cold sits at the heart of many global issues. Whether considering how to cut food waste and alleviate hunger; how to transport medicine to where it is needed; or how to connect remote communities with digital communications, these challenges have one thing in common – they all rely on cooling.
Without cold, our modern way of life would simply break down. However, despite the fact that cold is both essential and energy intensive, Governments and industry alike have largely overlooked it. People have focused on the creation of heat and the generation of electricity, but have not considered the impact of cooling on the environment or on our energy infrastructure.
But there is evidence, glimmers of hope at least, that things might be changing and that the world is waking up to both the environmental challenge posed by growing global demand for cold and the opportunity that a new ‘cold economy’ presents. In the recent Budget, the UK Chancellor announced multi-million pound support for a new Energy Research Accelerator. Crucially this project, which brings together leading universities from across the Midlands, includes support for research and development of new thermal technologies. Thermal meaning cold – not just hot.
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