World News

Industry news and insights from Europe and around the World

UK News

Latest news and developments in the United Kingdom

Products

Keep up-to-date with the latest new products and technology

Features

General articles, applications and industry analysis

Desiccant AC joins Amazon’s development scheme

USA: Florida-based Blue Frontier, a developer of air conditioners using liquid desiccant technology, has joined Amazon’s Sustainability Accelerator programme to accelerate the development of climate breakthrough technologies.

Blue Frontier, recipient of a $20m investment co-led by Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures in 2022, is one of 11 new start-ups and scale-ups to join the ClimateTech cohort of Amazon’s scheme. 

The four-week programme combines expert-led workshops, mentoring sessions, and leadership panels. It also gives some participating companies the opportunity to run a pilot with Amazon’s European operations.

Blue Frontier uses a liquid desiccant technology that separately manages temperature and humidity, unlike traditional air conditioners that cool and dehumidify air in a single process. This is seen as having the potential to reduce energy consumption by up to 90%. It includes built-in thermal energy storage that allows the system to run for four to six hours without drawing power from the grid.

Amazon invested a total of €750,000 in five ongoing pilots from last year’s cohort, and the company may choose to implement the successful technologies within Amazon’s European operations.

The Amazon Sustainability Accelerator was launched in 2022, initially focusing on creating more sustainable consumer products before expanding into climate tech solutions. Including this year’s intake, the programme has supported more than 70 companies across six cohorts.

Related stories:

Bill Gates joins $20m investment in efficient AC concept29 July 2022
USA: Blue Frontier, the developer of an air conditioning system combining sensible cooling with liquid desiccant dehumidification, has received a $20m investment co-led by Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures. Read more…

Cleantech firm collaborates on smart AC technology – 4 March 2022
USA/CANADA: Blue Frontier, a US company developing smart air conditioning systems combining sensible cooling with liquid desiccant dehumidification, has established a joint commercialisation partnership with Canadian manufacturer Modern Niagara. Read more…

Latest News

18th September 2026

Germany’s seawater heat pump begins supply

GERMANY: Germany’s first seawater heat pump supplying heat into a district heating network has been officially inaugurated after several months of trials.
18th September 2026

Hudson to develop rapid reclaim technology

USA: Refrigerant reclaimer Hudson Technologies has signed a joint development agreement with US company Icorium for the commercialisation of Icorium’s patented extractive distillation technology.
18th September 2026

Carrier adds rooftop on R454C

FRANCE: The WeatherFlex 50FC rooftop unit from Carrier is designed for use with lower GWP refrigerant R454C.
17th September 2026

Arkema files HCFO1233zd(E) patent lawsuit

JAPAN: French refrigerant manufacturer Arkema has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against HighChem Co, a Tokyo-based Japanese hybrid chemical trading house and manufacturer.
17th September 2026

Cooling concept delivers PUE below 1.2 in hot climates

ITALY/SWITZERLAND: Daikin Applied Europe and Swiss data centre contractor CTS Group claim to have developed a cooling concept capable of delivering PUE below 1.2 even in the hottest climates.
16th September 2026

EU president promises European Heatwave Plan

FRANCE: Cooling was amongst the main topics of today’s state of the union address by Ursula von der Leyen, with the EU president proposing a new European Heatwave Plan.