INDEE+: Focus on the two-day workshop “Hotel Decarbonisation using R744 Heat Pump/chiller” organised in April

 

INDEE+ project celebrated its second anniversary in December 2023, marking another milestone in India for prompting and developing sustainable heating/cooling technology. This year’s annual meeting was organised at its first R744 heat pump/chiller demosite installed in a hotel in Goa, India. The presence of the INDEE+ team on this occasion is a promising sign for the Indian market and stakeholders that R744 is a technology of the future. This occasion was also marked by the presence of Ms. Beate Langset, Climate and Environment Counsellor and Vivek Kumar, Senior Advisor from the project’s funding agency, the Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway.

 

A two-day workshop titled “Hotel Decarbonisation using R744 Heat Pump/chiller” was also organised on 26-27 April 2024 at Antarim Resorts, Goa. The technical session was followed by a demonstration of the R744 HP/C unit each day. The active participation of technocrats and various end-users from the hotel industry on both days paved the way for the promotion of decarbonisation in the hotel industry.

 

The two-day workshop was hosted by Prof. Armin Hafner and Dr. Simarpreet Singh, NTNU Norway, who gave an overview of the R744 smart heat pump/chiller units installed in the hotel. Prof. Armin Hafner introduced the INDEE+ project and its wider scope in India. Ms. Andreas, Director E-jector, spoke about his many years of experience working in the field of energy recovery ejectors and their implementation in supermarkets. Prof. M.S. Dasgupta (BITS Pilani) highlighted future research opportunities involving institutes. Mr. Aditya Garg (CEEW) discussed refrigerants transition in India. Last but not least, Mr. Kumodak Sharma (OEM) discussed about heat pump/chiller units and their benefits. The technical session was followed by a demonstration of the unit in the hotel.

 

An overview of the technical session, the annual meeting and the INDEE+ team was shared. Apart from the hotel demosite, this year INDEE+ has three other operational demosites in Bangalore and Kochi. The advancement in the eco-friendly technology achieved during this project, highlighted the suitability and applicability of R744 in various domains such as hotels, hospitals, the maritime sector, etc.

The efforts made by the professors, researchers and the project coordination team in promoting the INDEE+ project in India and disseminating its results at global level are now widely acclaimed by Indian and international manufacturers and end-users. INDEE+ acknowledge the financial support received from the MFA and the IIR as the knowledges dissemination partner in the project. INDEE+ will keep on laying similar milestones in the Indian HVAC&R sector to promote clean and green heating and cooling technologies.