New podcast episode explores how the invention of air conditioning changed the world

The IEA today released the final episode in a three-part podcast miniseries focused on energy innovations that have influenced our lives and economies.

The new episode looks at the air conditioner. Invented at the turn of the 20th century to control humidity at a New York printing plant, the air conditioner has reshaped the societies that have had access to it. Today, more than 1.5 billion AC units are in use around the world – and as incomes and temperatures rise, demand continues to grow rapidly.

But there are challenges associated with this air conditioning boom. If a city’s residents all turn on their ACs at the same time, the resulting surge in electricity demand can strain power grids. Growing electricity demand from air conditioning also contributes to higher energy sector emissions. That’s why innovators are working to improve cooling technologies, be it by making air conditioners more efficient or by developing entirely new systems to help people stay cool.

Guests on the episode – available now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify – include IEA analysts Chiara Delmastro and Simon Bennett; Eindhoven University of Technology Professor Daniel Barber; Blue Frontier Co-founder and CEO Daniel Betts; and University of Cambridge Professor and Barocal CEO Xavier Moya.

The first episode in the innovation miniseries looked at the silicon solar cell and how its development has underpinned today’s solar power boom. The second episode explored advances in drilling and their energy sector impacts.

The IEA’s Everything Energy podcast offers insights and perspectives on leading global energy issues. In other recent episodes, IEA experts have unpacked a number of topics linked to the energy crisis stemming from the war in the Middle East – including an underused resource for lowering energy costs, how the crisis is reshaping energy investment trends, the impact of cooking fuel shortages, and what the energy world looked like on the eve of the crisis. All past episodes are available here.