More than 50 delegates attended the 3rd edition of ATMOsphere network Tokyo, shecco’s popular series of informal business networking meetings to promote and accelerate the uptake of natural refrigerant solutions in Japan. The event was sponsored by CAREL, a leading supplier of controls for the HVAC&R industry, and organised in Marunouchi, Tokyo on 2 April.
Alongside presentations on market trends and policy developments, ATMOsphere network Tokyo provided participants with the opportunity to learn about CAREL’s cutting edge technologies for CO2 commercial refrigeration.
“Carel continues to cooperate with international partners and customers to develop new environmentally-friendly solutions. With our solutions that are part of the CAREL retail sistema, we have developed – and are continuing to develop – numerous applications based on CO2, both transcritical and subcritical, in countries around the world with positive results,” said Michael Englebright, CAREL.
Natural Solutions for Japanese Convenience Stores
Under the central theme, “Natural Solutions for Japanese Convenience Stores”, the event brought together both Japanese and international stakeholders. Participants included representatives from leading retailers such as Lawson, AEON and Family Mart, as well as long established suppliers such as CAREL, Compact, Panasonic, Sanden, Bitzer, Nihon Netsugen Systems, Yamato, Okamura and Fukushima Industries. Also in attendance was JRAIA (The Japan Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Industry Association).
The programme included high-profile speakers from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), and the Ministry of Environment (MOE), who provided the latest update on the Japanese f-gas regulation revision, and on subsidies supporting the introduction of natural refrigerant-based technologies.
CAREL: investment in R&D brings innovative CO2 solutions
Katsunori Shibata, president of CAREL Japan presented the first Japanese-made CO2 booster system, developed by CAREL Japan and Shibata Welding Construction (SWC). Premiered at HVAC&R Japan 2014, the system is currently undergoing testing.
“In Japan, CO2 systems are rapidly becoming a popular solution for convenience stores, already used by Lawson for example, and also for refrigerated warehouses. To meet this growing demand we are currently testing and developing a CO2 transcritical booster system, a technology already widespread in Europe. We plan to have a working installation operational in Japanese supermarkets within the fiscal year,” said Katsunori Shibata.
Introducing CAREL’s control solutions and technological advances for CO2, was Michael Englebright, Global Key Accounts Manager for Retail at CAREL. Thanks to significant R&D investment, CAREL has developed a controller for CO2 integrated systems that have a single compressor rack able to supply refrigeration, AC and hot water. These systems are becoming increasingly popular in Europe. For warm climates, CAREL is researching parallel compression technology to increase the efficiency. Other research avenues include CO2 ejector technology and CO2hot gas defrost, a promising method of increasing CO2 system efficiency.
Update on CO2 commercial refrigeration trends in Europe
shecco’s Managing Director Marc Chasserot presented the company’s new study on the European market for CO2commercial refrigeration, which puts forward some of the strongest evidence that natural refrigerants are now a mainstream solution in the commercial refrigeration sector. According to the study, retailers in Germany, France, UK, Denmark and Norway now deem CO2 and hydrocarbons to be on par with HFC systems in several key areas.
Chasserot also spoke about market trends observed at one 2014’s major European trade show, EuroShop 2014: “In my 10+ years of following natural refrigerants I have never seen so many commercial products for R744 and hydrocarbons, from so many companies.”
About shecco
For more than a decade market development expert shecco has been active in helping bring climate friendly technologies faster to market. shecco supports over 100+ partners worldwide in two areas: the HVAC&R sector, where the focus is on sustainable refrigeration, heating & cooling technologies using natural refrigerants; and the transport sectors where an emphasis is put on electric vehicles (cars, heavy duty vehicle, scooters, bikes). shecco offers a variety of services, ranging from world-leading online industry platforms, to market research & consultancy services, events management, funding & grants support, and public affairs.
Contact
Marc Chasserot
Managing Director
shecco Japan KK
marc.chasserot@shecco.eu
Jan Dusek
Business Development Officer
shecco Japan KK
jan.dusek@shecco.eu
Media Contact
Janaina Topley Lira
Media Officer
jana.topleylira@shecco.eu
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