Seeley joins RACE for 2030 CRC
Seeley International has become the first air-conditioning manufacturer to join one of Australia’s largest ever clean energy focused collaborative research centres – RACE for 2030 CRC (RACE).
Seeley this week formalized a partnership with other industry, research and technology partners to incorporate innovative air-conditioning solutions into projects aimed at boosting energy productivity and demand flexibility, cutting energy costs and reducing emissions, for Australian homes, businesses and industries.
Head-quartered in South Australia, and having manufacturing in both Australia and USA, Seeley exports hyper-efficient cooling and heating technologies to over 100 countries. Seeley is renowned for its strong R&D investment, focused on energy efficiency and peak demand, health and biological control and extreme climate performance capability.
Seeley’s Executive Director of Imagineering, Rob Gilbert, said that HVAC technology will play an increasingly critical role in the clean energy transition and that the Company’s next generation products were a natural fit with the RACE mission to drive innovation for a secure, affordable, clean energy future.
“We know that cooling is a huge component of a building’s energy demand, which multiplies during peak demand, especially during the hot, Australian summers”, Mr Gilbert said.
“The major challenge in our clean energy transition will be to shape the energy load so that it aligns with the demand. As global demand grows for air-conditioning and well-ventilated buildings, we cannot overstate the importance of clean, efficient HVAC technology”.
RACE partner, Professor Frank Bruno of UniSA’s Future Industries Institute, said that he was extremely proud to have such a South Australian partner on board.
“UniSA has had a strong partnership with Seeley for more than 20 years and this initiative will enable us to continue to collaborate on exciting new projects”, Professor Bruno said.
“Since cooling and heating in buildings represents a significant portion of energy use and peak power demand, Seeley, as the only air conditioning and heating manufacturer in the CRC, will play an important role in ensuring the latest innovations are used for a secure, affordable, clean energy future”.
In its 2018 Future of Cooling Report, the International Energy Agency described the growing demand for air conditioning as one of the most critical blind spots in today’s energy debate which, if left unchecked, will see energy demand from air conditioners more than triple by 2050.
With COVID-19 having forced industry and governments to consider efficiency policies through the lens of health, Seeley noted that additional challenges and opportunities will be explored through RACE.
“The demand for air-conditioning will continue to grow strongly, as will the emphasis for healthier buildings. Homes and businesses will be wanting to heat and cool 100% outside air efficiently, rather than recirculating “rebreathed” air.” Rob Gilbert said.
“This is central to Seeley’s technology and our growth, and we are delighted to now be partnering with RACE and its network participants, ultimately to deliver social, environmental and economic benefits on a far broader scale.”
Jon Jutsen, the CEO of RACE for 2030 stated that ‘we are delighted to have a really innovative company like Seeley on board the powerful RACE collaborative. There are great opportunities for us to work together with our partners to improve energy efficiency, provide load flexibility and deliver better and more economical cooling solutions for consumers and businesses.”
About RACE for 2030 (RACE) RACE for 2030 is committed to accelerate the transition of Reliable, Affordable, Clean Energy by 2030. RACE is an industry led collaborative research centre established in 2020 with $68.5 million of Commonwealth funding. RACE will invest $350 million of resources over 10 years to catalyse lower energy costs and a substantial reduction in carbon emissions.
For more information visit www.racefor2030.com.au