ShareSustainable cooling and heating in India: IIR partners in new INDEE3 project
The INDEE3 project aims to support India’s transition to low-carbon heating and cooling technologies. It promotes the use of natural refrigerants, improves refrigerant lifecycle management, and develops more efficient cold chain solutions across sectors such as seafood, food processing, and buildings.
The IIR continues the mission of the INDEE+ project and is now a partner in the new Norwegian National project INDEE3, financed by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the Royal Norwegian Embassy in New Delhi and led by SINTEF Energy. The project started in May 2025 and will run for four years, until December 2028.
The motivation is to extend access to efficient, climate-friendly heating and cooling, which is becoming increasingly vital due to:
- rising temperatures,
- growing concerns about food security,
- and the significant contribution of the refrigeration and air-conditioning sector to global CO₂-eq emissions.
In India, inadequate cold chain infrastructure, refrigerant leakage, and inefficient energy use result in the loss of up to 40% of food production, with particularly high losses in perishable goods like fruits, vegetables, and seafood. These challenges are compounded by rising energy demand and the urgent need to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
The project brings together 11 partners, including: NTNU, SINTEF Energy, the Norwegian Environment Agency, IIT Madras, IISc, BITS Pilani, CEEW, AEEE, ISHRAE, IIT Kharagpur, and the IIR. They will collaborate to advance decarbonisation and environmentally friendly technologies in India’s heating and cooling sectors, aligning with India’s international commitments under the Kigali Amendment and national ambitions outlined in the India Cooling Action Plan.
The IIR takes part in the project as a strategic partner to support knowledge transfer between the Norwegian and Indian institutions and companies. It will organise project workshops and disseminate results through IIR conferences and IIR co-sponsored conferences.
Visit the INDEE3 project presentation on the SINTEF website.
To learn more on current IIR projects, visit our dedicated page.