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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…

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