News

Jessica Granderson, a senior scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), has been named director of the Building Technology and Urban Systems (BTUS) Division in the Energy Technologies Area. Her appointment is effective immediately and follows an extensive international search.“Jessica’s formidable experience of over 17 years at Berkeley Lab, her management skills,... Read more

As the world copes with more extreme heat because of climate change, the need for efficient cooling devices is more pressing than ever. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) is co-leading an effort to create global equipment guidelines that serve the places where this equipment is needed most. In October, the Lab and the United Nations Environment Program’s United for Efficiency... Read more

Photo by IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis Following the hottest summer on global record this year, climate reporters from Scientific American and the Washington Post turned the spotlight to the growing importance of next-generation air conditioning technologies like those championed by researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). Both outlets spoke with expert Nihar Shah,... Read more

Two researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have been recognized by the Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program (K-CEP). The awards for Nihar Shah and Won Young Park honor their work on improving the energy efficiency of cooling systems and evaluating the benefits of those improvements.Shah, Presidential Director of Berkeley Lab’s Global Cooling Efficiency Program, received... Read more

The Economist Intelligence Unit published an in-depth report on the future of cooling demand, sponsored by the Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program. Founding Director of the Global Cooling Efficiency Program Nihar Shah participated as an interviewee for the development of this report. Link to report: eiu.com/graphics/marketing/pdf/TheCoolingImperative2019.pdf... Read more

Six researchers in the Energy Technologies Area have been recognized in the annual Director's Awards, which applauds outstanding scientific contributions at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab).Tom McKone received the Berkeley Lab Prize, a lifetime achievement award; Nihar Shah, a research scientist/engineer, received a societal impact award; and the... Read more

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s (Berkeley Lab’s) Global Cooling Efficiency Program is well-renowned for conducting global analysis on carbon emissions related to air-conditioner use. Much of the program’s research focuses on geographic areas where air-conditioner demand is growing rapidly, such as in China and India. The Economist published a feature article on the environmental cost... Read more

Energy Innovation, a nonpartisan climate policy think tank, contributed an article in Forbes about the rise of global cooling demand. The article cites research from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's Global Cooling Efficiency Program on improving the energy efficient air-conditioners 30% by 2030 could reduce peak electricity demand by the same amount of electricity produced by more than 1500... Read more

As demand for air conditioners (ACs) grows, particularly in emerging economies, there is a global concern that this will dramatically increase energy consumption and emissions. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s (Berkeley Lab’s) Global Cooling Efficiency Program is researching how to improve AC energy efficiency and transition to low-global warming potential refrigerants, while keeping... Read more

Nihar Shah, founding director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's Global Cooling Efficiency Program, was interviewed on Boston's NPR news station, WBUR, about the global air conditioning boom, and the push to decrease its negative effects on the environment. Link to the interview, which aired on June 2, 2016: wbur.org/hereandnow/2016/06/02/world-air-conditioners... Read more

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s (Berkeley Lab's) study on the global air-conditioner (AC) boom is discussed in a Washington Post article on the ramifications of the drastic growth in AC use. The article cites Berkeley Lab’s findings that tremendous growth in AC demand is expected in China, India, Indonesia and Brazil, and highlights the significant impact that energy efficient AC... Read more