UAA Partners with LG Electronics to Create Consortium for Advanced Heat Pump Research
LG Electronics North America President and CEO Thomas Yoon, UAA Chancellor Sean Parnell, and James Lee, global president of the LG Electronics Air Solutions business unit, solidify a partnership to extend research in cold climate heat pumps during a signing ceremony for the Consortium for Advanced Heat Pump Research.
LG Electronics
UAA and home appliance and air handling company LG Electronics recently announced they have formed the Consortium for Advanced Heat Pump Research. The agreement will facilitate collaboration among LG innovators, university researchers, local industry, and government agencies to help drive market transformation through research on heat pump technology and electrification.
Pairing Technology and Research Capabilities
Addressing the growing worldwide interest in cold-climate heat pump technologies, the consortium will leverage the complementary expertise of technologists at LG Electronics, a global heat pump leader, and the College of Engineering at UAA and its highly regarded heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) Lab.
Research initiatives from the consortium are expected to make a substantial global impact, establishing new benchmarks for energy efficiency and sustainability and demonstrating the depth of LG’s HVAC product capabilities in both heating and cooling, while championing environmentally responsible solutions.
“The Consortium for Advanced Heat Pump Research will raise the bar and push the limits of the high-performance, high-capacity heat pump industry,” says James Lee, global president of the LG Electronics Air Solutions business unit. “Results from the joint research will be used in North America and Europe to help shape the future of the HVAC industry.”
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Lee says Alaska is the perfect place to do this research, “both for the opportunity to work closely with the talented UAA engineering faculty and graduate students, and because of the state’s extreme temperatures.”
UAA Chancellor Sean Parnell shared the university’s excitement for the Consortium. “Collaboration in research is a cornerstone of UAA’s mission. Our partnership with LG Electronics advances climate solutions in the HVAC industry and beyond. UAA is proud to lead this collaboration with LG to further innovation across industry and our communities,” says Parnell.
Parnell says the activities of the Consortium for Advanced Heat Pump Research will include identifying pivotal research areas, as well as comprehensive studies and presentations on advanced heat pump technology.
The consortium will foster entrepreneurship and a culture of problem-solving through enhanced research and development. LG and university researchers will conduct studies in two dedicated LG Cold Climate Heat Pump Labs in Anchorage and Fairbanks. These facilities will be configured like real-world homes, using a range of LG’s leading-edge HVAC solutions, including both ducted and duct-free indoor and outdoor units, along with LG’s inverter heat pump water heater.
“This cutting-edge consortium sets the stage for a new era of electrification, enabled by heat pump innovations as well as energy storage systems and smart appliances. Working with the University of Alaska will further accelerate LG’s efforts to drive market transformation supporting the decarbonization of buildings throughout North America and around the world,” says LG Electronics North America CEO Thomas Yoon, who joined Lee and Parnell at the signing ceremony.
LG Electronics USA, a ten-time Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) “Energy Star Partner of the Year,” is an active member of the EPA Manufacturers’ Action Councils for heat pump HVAC systems and water heaters. The company participates in the Advanced Water Heater Initiative. and is the first home appliance member of the Building Decarbonization Coalition, which is paving the way to a clean energy future for America.
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