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Buildings are Turning to 'Ice Batteries' for Sustainable Air Conditioning

The Los Angeles skyline is seen from a Baldwin Hills overlook, Feb. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)
The Los Angeles skyline is seen from a Baldwin Hills overlook, Feb. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)
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Buildings are Turning to 'Ice Batteries' for Sustainable Air Conditioning

The Los Angeles skyline is seen from a Baldwin Hills overlook, Feb. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)
The Los Angeles skyline is seen from a Baldwin Hills overlook, Feb. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

Every night some 74,000 gallons (280,000 liters) of water are frozen at Norton Audubon Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky. The hospital used to get all of its air conditioning from a conventional system found in most US buildings, but now 27 tanks of ice sustain a network of cold-water pipes keeping operating rooms at safe temperatures and patients comfortable.

This type of thermal energy storage, also known as ice batteries, is being added to buildings in the US for its ability to provide cool air without releasing planet-warming emissions. These systems cut electricity usage and lower the strain on the grid. With rising temperatures and the growing demand for electricity in the US, ice thermal energy storage offers a sustainable option for cooling buildings, The AP news reported.

Trane Technologies, a company that makes heating and cooling equipment, says it has seen a growing demand for this technology over the past few years. Its ice batteries are mostly used in schools as well as commercial and government buildings. Nostromo Energy, another company that makes ice batteries, is pursuing customers among energy-intensive data centers that have high cooling demands. Smaller systems are also made for homes by companies such as Ice Energy.

Tanks of ice thaw to create air conditioning Ice thermal energy storage technology varies between manufacturers, but each follows a similar concept: At night when electricity from the grid is at its cheapest, water is frozen into ice that thaws the next day to cool the building. The ice chills water that is circulating through pipes in the building, absorbing heat from the rooms and creating a cooling effect. Air cooled by the system is then pushed through vents.

Norton Audubon Hospital uses a Trane ice battery system. Trane said its ice batteries are often used alongside traditional air conditioning, and the ice-based cooling is used to lower energy costs during peak demand times. The traditional AC components are typically left in place or downsized when ice batteries are added.

The stored ice doesn't require energy to thaw, which reduces the strain on the grid and minimizes the building’s electricity usage, ultimately lowering monthly bills.

“Storing energy for further uses is where we’re going with the future of the grid,” said Ted Tiffany, senior technical lead at the Building Decarbonization Coalition. He said access to air conditioning is a major public health need that is being exacerbated by a warming planet, and ice batteries are a sustainable way to address health risks associated with extreme heat.

Energy costs at Norton Audubon were $278,000 lower for the first year the ice battery system was in operation after it was installed 2018. The hospital estimates that the system and other energy-saving measures have saved it nearly $4 million since 2016.

“The technology has been awesome for us,” said Anthony Mathis, a Norton Healthcare executive who oversees sustainability. He said he receives inquiries from other building operators about the technology and thinks more facilities will adopt it as awareness grows.

Using ice to meet growing energy demands Experts on sustainable energy say ice thermal energy storage is among the options commercial buildings can use to reduce electricity demand or store excess energy. Some commercial buildings use lithium batteries, which can store excess solar or wind energy that are available intermittently.

Dustin Mulvaney, environmental studies professor at San Jose State University, said ice batteries are a sensible option for health care settings and senior homes because lithium batteries can pose a fire risk.

Manufacturers also see opportunities in data centers, which are increasing in number to support artificial intelligence and have high energy and cooling needs. A December report from the Department of Energy found that data centers consumed more than 4% of the electricity in the country in 2023 and that number could grow up to 12% by 2028.

“Data centers are very energy-hungry and about 30% to 40% of their energy use is for cooling ... that’s where a solution like ours could really help,” said Yoram Ashery, CEO of Nostromo Energy.

Nostromo Energy said it is discussing deals to install its systems with several large data center operators, but declined to provide further details. Its ice battery technology is also used at the Beverly Hills Hotel in California.

California is currently the biggest market for this technology because the grid there uses a lot of solar power during the day but switches to polluting energy sources such as natural gas after the sun sets. Ice batteries can be used for air conditioning in the late afternoon and evening instead of drawing from the grid.

“A lot of utilities are really interested in this type of load-shifting technology,” said Joe Raasch, chief operating officer at Ice Energy, another ice thermal energy storage company. He said summer is typically the most expensive time for utilities to operate because of the air conditioning demand.

“It’s really great technology that the grid really needs because so much of the future electric load is driven by cooling,” said Raasch.

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Varieties

British Writer John Harrison Wins 2026 Booker Prize for ‘The End of Everything’

British author John Harrison poses after winning the 2026 Booker Prize for his novel "The End of Everything" at the awards ceremony in London, Britain, 09 November 2026. (EPA)
British author John Harrison poses after winning the 2026 Booker Prize for his novel "The End of Everything" at the awards ceremony in London, Britain, 09 November 2026. (EPA)
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British Writer John Harrison Wins 2026 Booker Prize for ‘The End of Everything’

British author John Harrison poses after winning the 2026 Booker Prize for his novel "The End of Everything" at the awards ceremony in London, Britain, 09 November 2026. (EPA)
British author John Harrison poses after winning the 2026 Booker Prize for his novel "The End of Everything" at the awards ceremony in London, Britain, 09 November 2026. (EPA)

British author ‌John Harrison has won the 2026 Booker Prize for his novel, "The End of Everything," a dystopian satire that the prize says probes the limits of human understanding, becoming the oldest winner in the literary award's history at age 81.

Harrison's 13th novel follows Phillip Tennent and his elderly aunt Marnie on England's south coast years after social order has broken down ‌and mysterious entities ‌known as the iGhetti have arrived.

The ‌Booker ⁠judges unanimously selected ⁠the 198-page book, saying it "turns you upside down, raises a wry smile and, surprisingly, given the subject matter, leaves you with a twinge of optimism."

The victory was the first Booker Prize for Harrison, whose career as a ⁠novelist and critic spans six ‌decades and includes acclaimed science ‌fiction and fantasy works.

His win also marks ‌a rare triumph for speculative fiction.

Mary Beard, ‌chair of the judging panel, described the book as "the politics of now seen through the lens of the future", saying it depicts a society grappling ‌with a catastrophe its inhabitants do not fully understand.

Accepting the £50,000 ($67,235) prize at ⁠a ⁠ceremony in London, Harrison said literary awards remained important in a "landscape of industrialized fiction."

Speaking to the Booker Prize in August, Harrison said his novel was inspired by the 2008 financial crisis and asks what happens when "all of our expectations and explanations of the world become an ongoing disaster, but we still have to make a life."

Harrison beat a shortlist that included former Booker winners Douglas Stuart and Marlon James.

Varieties

Fossil Fuel Emissions Fall Due to Iran War, Renewables, Research Finds

Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, November 9, 2026. (Reuters)
Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, November 9, 2026. (Reuters)
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Fossil Fuel Emissions Fall Due to Iran War, Renewables, Research Finds

Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, November 9, 2026. (Reuters)
Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, November 9, 2026. (Reuters)

Global fossil fuel emissions are projected to fall slightly in 2026 due to the expansion of renewable energy and the oil price shock sparked by the Iran war, researchers said Tuesday.

Emissions from the burning of oil, gas and coal -- the main drivers of climate change -- rose by 0.9 percent per year on average in the past decade, hitting a record high in 2025, according to the Global Carbon Budget report.

But they are expected to drop by 0.4 percent in 2026, according to the research, published as nations meet at the UN's COP31 climate summit in Antalya, Türkiye.

It would be the first annual drop since 2020, when the Covid pandemic paralyzed the global economy, trade and transport.

This year, the US-led war in Iran and closure of the Strait of Hormuz played a role in driving emissions down as it caused a drop in oil consumption amid soaring crude prices, the researchers found.

The deployment of solar panels, wind farms and electric vehicles also contributed to the drop. Two thirds of the increase in global energy demand is being met by solar and wind power and electric vehicles, the report found.

"A decline in fossil CO2 emissions is encouraging, but a reduction driven partly by geopolitical shocks is not a sustainable climate solution," said Pierre Friedlingstein, director of the Global Carbon Budget Office at the University of Exeter in Britain.

"The long-term answer remains the rapid deployment of clean energy technologies," said Friedlingstein, who led the study published in the journal Earth System Science Data.

- Rebound looms -

Corinne Le Quere, a climate change science professor at the University of East Anglia, noted that emissions rebounded when economies recovered following shocks such as Covid or the global financial crisis.

A rebound is likely "when the oil tensions go away", she said in a media briefing.

Oil-related emissions are projected to drop 1.9 percent last year but it was "likely a short-term response to the energy shock triggered by the Iran conflict", the researchers said.

Gas emissions are set to fall 0.3 percent while those from coal use will rise 0.6 percent.

Overall, fossil carbon dioxide emissions are expected to reach 38.2 billion tons in 2026.

Including emissions from land-use change such as deforestation, total CO2 emissions are projected to rise to 43.3 billion tons, from 42.8 billion tonnes last year.

The researchers said land-use emissions are projected to rise partly due to peat fires and forest degradation in southeast Asia, associated with drier conditions linked to this year's exceptionally strong El Nino climate pattern.

The report found that the world's carbon budget -- the amount of CO2 that can be emitted before global warming exceeds 1.5C above pre-industrial levels -- stands at 150 billion tons.

The researchers calculated that at the current, the carbon budget would be exhausted in less than four years.

Nations agreed at the 2015 UN climate talks in Paris to keep global warming "well below" 2C above pre-industrial levels, while pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5C.

But the United Nations declared in September that the long-term 1.5C target would be missed in a matter of years.

Scientists say it is crucial to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels to limit the period of "overshoot" above 1.5C and bring temperatures back down as quickly as possible.

Varieties

Food Industry Pushes Back on WHO Guidance for Products with Added Color, Sweeteners

Around 11 million deaths a year are linked to unhealthy diets, according to the agency, based on data from a global study. (Getty Images)
Around 11 million deaths a year are linked to unhealthy diets, according to the agency, based on data from a global study. (Getty Images)
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Food Industry Pushes Back on WHO Guidance for Products with Added Color, Sweeteners

Around 11 million deaths a year are linked to unhealthy diets, according to the agency, based on data from a global study. (Getty Images)
Around 11 million deaths a year are linked to unhealthy diets, according to the agency, based on data from a global study. (Getty Images)

Governments should consider regulating foods that include added colors, flavors or sweeteners designed to make the product more appealing to consumers, according to new draft World Health Organization guidance that has sparked swift pushback from the food industry.

The WHO draft aims to help governments identify which foods should be consumed in moderation as part of a healthy diet – and which products could be subject to measures like warning labels or taxes, depending on national priorities.

The new draft food-profiling model, published last week, marks the first time the UN health agency has included this type of ‌ingredient in its guidance, ‌previously only focused on nutritional content, including fat and salt.

“This draft ‌goes ⁠beyond traditional nutrient ⁠profiling by recognizing that foods may need to be considered not only for their nutrient content, but also for other aspects of their formulation” in order to prevent diet-related disease, said Katrin Engelhardt, technical officer at the WHO's department of nutrition and food safety.

Around 11 million deaths a year are linked to unhealthy diets, according to the agency, based on data from a global study.

The proposed new model is also the WHO’s attempt to guide member states through an increasingly polarized debate ⁠about ultra-processed foods (UPFs), a class of food or drink made using processing ‌techniques, additives and industrial ingredients, which often contain little ‌whole food. Examples include carbonated soft drinks or instant noodles.

BEYOND NUTRIENTS ALONE

Many food scientists say UPFs pose ‌numerous health risks but others – and the food industry – say they are defined too widely, ‌which risks demonizing healthy products.

The International Food and Beverage Alliance, an organization representing major multinational food and beverage companies, said it was concerned the proposed approach shifts attention away from nutritional quality and could capture more products for potential regulation.

"Of particular concern is the potential to undermine established nutrition priorities and reformulation ‌efforts,” said IFBA Secretary General Rocco Renaldi.

Other concerns for the food industry are higher costs from reformulating products or stringent labelling requirements, as well ⁠as the risk ⁠of class-action lawsuits as seen in the United States, and higher taxes for processed food companies.

Broadly, the WHO said the model covers “industrially-produced foods to be consumed in moderation” and is a bridge between its healthy diet recommendations and government policy on individual food products.

Lindsey Smith Taillie, co-director of the Global Food Research Program at the University of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, said the point of the model was to target unhealthy foods, combining both nutrients and UPFs.

“These two frameworks have never been mutually exclusive and can and should be used by policymakers as the starting place,” she said, adding that healthiness is measured by multiple criteria.

Kraft Heinz CEO Steve Cahillane last week told Reuters that industry players should have a say.

"We're in the food business and we care about consumers deeply," Cahillane said. "And so we ought to have a seat at the table as these discussions evolve."

The WHO proposal is out for consultation until November 27.