Cooling was a hot topic during the 2023 Asia Clean Energy Forum (ACEF) from 13-16 June 2023 held at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) headquarters in Manila, Philippines. ACEF is the longest running clean energy forum in the Asia-Pacific with the objective of Navigating toward a Carbon-Neutral Future through Clean Energy Solutions.
GIZ joined CLASP, an NGO working on improving the energy and environmental performance of appliances, in organizing a Spotlight Session on Enhancing Energy Efficiency Standards and Labelling for Appliances in Asia-Pacific which highlights the key contribution of Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) as a critical policy instrument in meeting ambitious national and international climate goals.
Lauren Boucher of CLASP started the session by presenting the results of their research on the World’s Best MEPS highlighting various elements in MEPS policy that provides a foundation for higher ambition. Cooling appliances particularly room air conditioners remain a significant contributor to global energy use and improving MEPS can significantly achieve not only national targets but contribute significantly to global climate goals if the key drivers are adopted by countries.
To transparently demonstrate climate action through the MEPS, Maraida Licerio of GIZ presented the use of appliance product registries as a foundation for measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) systems. GIZ, in the context of the project Cool Contributions Fighting Climate Change (C4II) supports the Philippines in the establishment of the MRV system. In the Philippines, the Philippine Energy Labelling Program (PELP) registry contains key parameters to calculate direct emissions from refrigerants and indirect emissions from energy use of different cooling appliances.
A panel discussion among China, India, Indonesia, and the Philippines was moderated by Bishal Thapa of CLASP who highlighted the significant energy demand of the four countries which compose roughly 40% of the world's population. Participation from the audience shows the potential for higher ambition once MEPS are adopted by a country which is still yet to be fully implemented in several countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
