In order to provide an update on the recent progress made in the deployment of natural refrigerants in developed and developing countries during a recent Montreal Protocol meeting, shecco hosted a side event on 22 April bringing together over 50 international climate negotiators and industry representatives; and presented at a workshop on management of HFCs, which preceded the extraordinary meeting. During the ATMOsphere Network Bangkok event, shecco shared results of the biggest ever industry survey on natural refrigerants in China, which complemented a presentation by a representative of the China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection.
A weeklong Montreal Protocol meeting held in Bangkok between 20 and 24 April 2015 combined a workshop on the management of HFCs and an extraordinary Open Ended Working Group meeting to discuss how to make progress towards reducing the emissions of HFCs. Discussions focused especially on the availability of alternatives to high GWP HFCs across different sectors. To this end Marc Chasserot, shecco’s Managing Director highlighted in his presentation during the workshop the major trends in adoption of natural refrigerants in Japan, North America and China.
In order to bring more focus to the achievements of developing countries in introducing natural refrigerants, shecco organised a side event to the 35th Open Ended Working Group meeting on 22 April. In relation to the on-going discussions related to a potential HFC phase down, Sidi Menad Si Ahmed, shecco’s International Chief Advisor noted: “A lot of things are moving forward, there are new ideas, new proposals, the scene is moving forward and shecco will contribute to this move and provide its own position, a position which we are seeing is becoming more and more shared by different stakeholders”.
China has the potential to become a world leader for natural refrigerants
Nina Masson, Deputy Managing Director at shecco provided a sneak peak into the findings of the biggest-ever natural refrigerant survey in China conducted among close to 1,100 HVAC&R experts. “Natural refrigerants are already today a legitimate choice and are real competition. There are a growing number of successful cases globally, showing us there is no need or a very minor need for f-gases,” she highlighted. Masson concluded by noting that China has the potential to quickly become a world leader for natural refrigerants in different applications, especially NH3 in industrial refrigeration, HC in domestic and light commercial refrigeration, as well as air conditioning, with a high potential for CO2 in heat pumps and supermarkets.
Zhong Zhifeng from China’s Foreign Economic Co-operation Office at the Ministry of Environmental Protection confirmed the results found by shecco. “Although China has made progress in HCFC phasedown, we are aware that we still have large responsibilities in ozone protection and face a lot of long-term challenges,” Zhifeng noted.
Progress in adoption of natural refrigerants presented by Mexico, UNIDO, SINTEF and Mayekawa
Mexico’s progress in phasing out HCFCs was detailed by Agustín Sánchez Guevara who noted that there is now a refrigeration company producing domestic refrigeration units using hydrocarbons and also two companies producing stand-alone commercial refrigeration units with hydrocarbons and R744 in Mexico. Stephan Sicars, UNIDO’s Director of the Environment Branch, informed participants on UNIDO’s progress in phasing-in naturals, especially highlighting the on-going projects in The Gambia and Vietnam in the fisheries sector. From the research point of view, Petter Nekså from SINTEF, showed that CO2 has made great leaps in the past decade and should no longer be deemed as inefficient in higher temperatures. Eric Delforge from Mayekawa, representing the manufacturer’s point of view insisted that in industrial refrigeration, ammonia is the clear choice, while highlighting opportunities for developing countries especially in light of recent technological advancements related to reduction of ammonia change.
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 the HVAC&R sector, where the focus is on sustainable refrigeration, heating & cooling technologies using natural refrigerants. shecco offers a variety of services in three areas: 1) media & publications, including online industry platforms and a catalogue of dedicated research reports; 2) business development, including market research, consultancy and public affairs services, as well as special international projects; and 3) events, including international conferences and national workshops.
Contact
Marc Chasserot
Publisher / Managing Director
marc.chasserot@shecco.eu
Nina Masson
Deputy Managing Director
nina.masson@shecco.eu
Sidi Menad Si Ahmed
International Chief Advisor
sidi.siahmed@shecco.eu
Klara Skacanova
Senior Analyst
klara.skacanova@shecco.eu
Media contact
Janaina Topley Lira
Media Relations
jana.topleylira@shecco.eu
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