Research Projects

India's Cooling Action Plan predicts a 11-fold increase in space cooling needs by 2038, and the International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts India will be responsible for 44% of peak load and 28% of electricity demand by 2050. The country's climate is changing rapidly, particularly in tropical and subtropical climates. The global air-conditioner demand is expected to reach around 4000 TWh by 2050, intensifying the environmental crisis and putting a significant load on grids and consumers. The peak demand is expected to be over 300 GW, mainly from air-conditioners, contributing to over 0.5°C of global warming by 2100. Conventional air conditioners fail to improve indoor air quality, increasing the risk of spreading airborne diseases. To address these issues, an alternate passive cooling system called thermally activated cooling system (TABS) is proposed. The TABS system consists of a network of pipes embedded within the structure, distribution manifolds, and a cooling tower, providing uniform cooling inside the building. Experimental investigations have shown that the TABS system has significant energy reduction potential, peak shifting capability, and improved thermal comfort. Geothermal energy is another easily accessible and 24x7 renewable energy source that can be used for heating and cooling applications in the built environment. A comprehensive review on energy demand reduction in the built environment using shallow geothermal energy found that effective integration significantly reduces energy consumption. The main objective is to study the performance of the shallow geothermal combined TABS system to develop a sustainable cooling solution for Indian climatic conditions using GeoTABS.