Future of efficiency and growth powered by HVAC

Madhur Sehgal
Head- Climate Solutions,
Danfoss India Region.

HVAC systems and equipment must primarily be energy efficient to answer – how the system will help reduce the overall carbon footprint.

India is the third-largest energy consumer in the world today. Moreover, energy demand will grow more than four-fold over the coming decades. Given the rapid urbanisation in the country, energy consumption and supply are on the rise in line with India’s economic development. 

Further, the surge in industrial growth and technological advancements has resulted in a widespread move into cities and the expansion of city limits. According to a United Nations Report, about 55 percent of the world’s population lives in urban areas. It will increase to 68 percent by 2050 exponentially. Further, cities account for 60- 80 percent of global energy consumption and 75 percent of carbon emissions, and this alarming growth will inevitably increase the pressure on the climate. India is at the cusp of growth. Two-thirds of the country is yet to be built. Come 2030, 41 percent of Indians will be residing in cities leading to a need for robust and sustainable infrastructure. Also, driven by the government’s mandate to ensure energy for all by 2022, there is immense pressure on energy consumption.

 

Danfoss creates a sustainable platform

 For 90 years, Danfoss has pushed the boundaries of what is possible with climate and energy technologies. Danfoss is working with industry and national and local governments worldwide to engineer products, solutions and services that deliver superior performance and value today and create a sustainable platform for tomorrow. The HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) holds a significant share of electricity consumption among residential, commercial, and industrial applications, leading to tremendous pressure on energy sources. With Danfoss’s promise of Engineering Tomorrow’s India in a sustainable manner, it is committed to facilitating partnerships and developing solutions in the HVAC space. Danfoss’ solutions for the HVAC industry are of high quality that helps maximise process performance and save most of the energy and therefore minimise emissions into the environment. Danfoss’ passion drives it to develop this industry to meet its growth potential. 

 

HVAC – the key to energy efficiency

Energy-efficient solutions neutralise the adverse impact caused by high consumption, making them cost-effective. In addition, with fluctuations in power supply emerging as a constant problem, the nation needs to bet on energy efficiency as an alternate fuel. The selection of the right HVAC design will make a critical difference in energy consumption. Therefore, HVAC systems and equipment must primarily be energy efficient while answering questions such as ‘how will the system help reduce the overall carbon footprint and use less energy?’ and ‘what are the specific features and advanced technology offerings of the system?’

 

HVAC Systems in the food industry 

According to the Central Institute of PostHarvest Engineering and Technology (CIPHET), India’s cold chain infrastructure and inefficiencies result in about 16 percent of its farm produce getting wasted, although it is an agrarian economy. HVAC solutions will prove to be instrumental in solving this issue as it helps improve the shelf life of food and ensures supplies match the demand. Danfoss’ refrigeration solutions offer highly efficient and reliable refrigeration systems optimised for ammonia and other natural refrigerants to address the concern of food wastage. In addition, the design of the Danfoss solutions provides the lowest total cost of ownership while ensuring near-zero downtime in food-processing plants, warehouses & storage facilities. 

Regarding dairy, India is the world’s largest milk producer and one of the biggest dairy consumers. The modern dairy industry is highly technological, and the demands for HVAC systems throughout the value chain are immense. In dairy production, end products such as milk, yoghurt, and ice cream require precise temperature management to achieve consistent quality safely and efficiently. Danfoss has the experience and knowledge to act as a competent and trustworthy partner for the national and global dairy industry. Danfoss’ industrial refrigeration solutions provide customers with accurate temperature control and a consistent production flow. In addition, Danfoss’ SVL SS Flexline™ components in stainless steel offer Dairy customers a wide range of stainless-steel valves that covers all modern refrigeration systems, including CO2 .

India’s meat and fisheries segment is a vital part of the Indian agricultural setup, as India is responsible for 3 percent of the total meat production in the world. Meat processing of a live animal to frozen or cooled product requires fast, safe, and secure cooling. Therefore, the components needed to make meat handling safe and healthy with modern refrigerants, such as CO2 and ammonia, must be produced and fitted with the same care and attention to detail. Danfoss offers a wide range of stainless-steel components for the meat processing industry, including its ICF SS Flexline™ line. These stainless steel components help maintain high hygiene and deliver reliable, efficient, and environmentally friendly refrigeration for meat processing applications, regardless of production scale and location. 

 

HVAC systems in the infrastructure industry 

The HVAC industry and infrastructure segment share an intertwined and deep-rooted relationship. As the nation recovers and emerges from the pandemic, there is a sense of optimism in this space, owing to the considerable rise in construction activity in the real estate market. However, specific trends influence the use and growth of HVAC within the industry. 

A key trend witnessed today is the increased demand for greener buildings. The increasing need for urbanisation has accelerated the growth of commercial buildings owing to their need to maintain parity between dynamic development and sustainable management. Building energy-efficient commercial buildings like airports, hotels, supermarkets, or public spaces help in reducing carbon emissions and costs to serve the hour’s need. Danfoss plays a significant role as Danfoss AC drives increase precision, save energy, and extend the application lifetime of the entire HVAC system, which helps in accelerating the construction of greener commercial buildings. Moreover, with regulations regarding environmental efficiency continuously tightening worldwide, factors such as building CO2 emissions are coming under stricter regulations. Parallelly, it is necessary to establish low-GWP refrigerants (global warming potential) as the new norm in HVAC by proactively developing products that meet the industries’ demands for practical and safe solutions without compromising energy efficiency. 

Increasing digitalisation is becoming the norm in modern intelligent buildings resulting in HVAC’s seamless integration with other building systems. The smarter the solution, the more safety, reliable and accuracy. There has been an increase in the need for customizability in buildings, as automated climate control in hotels and individual control in offices. Such opportunities show that the potential for growth in the HVAC sector is positively endless. Danfoss strongly believes that the right technology will convert every building into a green building. Danfoss’ Turbocor compressors, VLT HVAC drives, pressure and temperature valves, and controls aid in building infrastructure smartly while meeting the growing need for energy-efficient and sustainable infrastructure. 

Danfoss will continually develop novel solutions that ensure environmental sustainability, high energy efficiency, and easy installation, servicing, and maintenance. Instituted in 1998, Danfoss India is headquartered in Chennai amidst a sprawling 50-acre campus that serves the application development centre, not just for India but globally. Housed within the state-of-the-art campus are a future-facing research & development centre, customer-focused testing labs, robust manufacturing processes and an efficient supply chain system that put Danfoss India on the global map. Currently, Danfoss India has manufacturing capabilities in Chennai, Pune and Vadodara. Danfoss India is proud to have been a trusted partner in transforming India’s ambition of Net zero emissions into an achievable vision. With the perfect marriage of scale and skill, this partnership will soon accelerate the shift to cleaner, more energy-efficient technologies.