Delivering policies
BEYOND HFCs: A momentum to deliver on policies addressing climate change and global warming
Fluorinated gases (HFCs) are greenhouse gases that have been used by the refrigeration industry over the past 70 years. The impact of greenhouse gases on global warming and thus climate change is indisputable. The 2007 assessment report compiled by the IPCC stated that "changes in atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases alter the energy balance of the climate system".
Political debate, at regional or international level has recognized the need to achieve stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere in order to prevent man-made interference with the climate system. Scientific evidence tells us we need to reduce emissions to as close to zero as possible by 2050. To do that we will need to tap the potential of all sectors that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. We know that based on current knowledge a reduction of 80% is possible.
The refrigeration, heating and cooling sectors also have to contribute in greenhouse gas emissions reductions, both direct and indirect. These sectors have to opt for energy efficient solutions and rely on natural refrigerants to achieve this target.
EU Climate and Energy Package
The EU is taking drastic action to combat climate change by focusing on reducing greenhouse gas emissions as rapidly and effectively as possible. Greenhouse gases are known for the detrimental impact they have on the environment.
It is therefore imperative that the EU not only sheds its dependence on foreign energy sources but also transforms itself into a low-carbon economy.
Objectives and impact of the EU Climate and Energy Package on Refrigeration and Air Conditioning In order to address these pressing issues, the EU’s climate and energy policy is adamant that the following commitments can be met by 2020:
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20% compared to 1990 levels (30% if other developed countries undertake similar commitments);
Establishing a 20% share for renewable energy such as wind, solar, biomass etc including a 10% biofuels target;
Improving energy efficiency by 20% by reducing energy consumption by 20% of projected 2020 levels.
Indirect CO2 emissions resulting from the consumption of energy represent 90% of the climate impact of refrigeration and air conditioning. Approximately 15% of all electricity used in developing countries is attributed to the refrigeration and air conditioning industries.
For the purpose of energy consumption reduction of the refrigeration and airconditioning industries, high-performance technology should be used to optimise refrigeration systems while equipment should be fully standardised, certified and be subject to energy labelling. Also, the use of heat pumps should be further encouraged due to their efficacy in converting low-grade heat into useful heating energy. By 2020, the aim is to cut the total energy consumption of refrigeration plants by 30-50 %, depending on the application, in comparison to the year 2000.
The refrigeration and air conditioning industries also have a significant impact on the environment due to the type of refrigerant adopted.
Indeed, F-gases are used as refrigerants for temperature-control purposes in various applications: domestic air conditioning, automotive air conditioning, food processing and manufacturing, pharmaceuticals storage, cold storage and warehousing of chilled and frozen foodstuffs, supermarket refrigeration...
They are known for their impact on global warming when they inevitably escape into the atmosphere. These direct emissions due to the leakage of the refrigerant are practically impossible to avoid and are a very large share of the overall environmental impact of a cooling system.
In the context of this climate and energy package, it is thus imperative that the impact of direct refrigerant emissions in these industries is halved by 2020 compared to the year 2000. For this ambitious target to be met, the use of HFCsmust be phased out immediately.
In addition, refrigerant containment policies must be pursued with a renewed sense of urgency and must apply to all stages of a refrigerating plant’s life cycle (design, installation, servicing, end-of-life recovery or recycling, reclaiming or destruction) with substantial resources devoted to compliance, monitoring and enforcement.
Looking to the Future The proposed EU climate and energy package would allow the EU to become a major player in the fight against climate change and provide an example to the rest of the world with the goal of eventually reaching a global climate agreement.
Also, despite the increasing commercial viability of renewable energy technologies, much work has to be done if the potential of these technologies is to be fully realised and the climate and energy targets achieved.
From Kyoto to Mexico: high emissions, deep cuts!
Most national governments have signed and ratified the Kyoto Protocol aimed at reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The Kyoto Protocol is an essential first step towards reducing the greenhouse gas emissions that are responsible for the global warming trend, but it was never expected to solve the problem on its own. The Protocol commits only industrialised countries to reduce their emissions, and this by an average of only 5.2% below 1990 levels by 2012. This reduction is not enough to keep within the 2°C temperature increase limit.
An international agreement on deeper, global emissions reductions is needed for the period after the Kyoto targets expire in 2012. Many members of the family of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are very potent greenhouse gases.
They are used as replacements for another family of gases, HCFCs, which damage the ozone layer. The accelerated phase-out of HCFCs over the coming decade which has been agreed under the Montreal Protocol may lead to a rapid increase in HFC emissions as they become more widely used.
The Copenhagen summit in December 2009 was intended to tackle this problem.
However, the climate negotiations in Copenhagen did not deliver a new climate treaty due to strong oppositions between the participating Nations. Talks are have now been postponed until late 2010 in Mexico, the next country to host the UNFCCC Conference.
BeyondHFCs believes that the new climate agreement to be reached in Mexico should include an international arrangement to reduce HFC emissions. This will encourage industry to intensify research into and development of HFC-free and thus GWP-free alternatives.
The potential for global greenhouse gas emission reductions, based on current knowledge, is estimated at 80% by 2050, as compared to 1990 emissions. To stop global temperature rise, the growth of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide will not only have to be halted but also start declining rapidly, reaching as close to zero as possible by mid-century.
Emissions from F-gases can be brought down to almost zero by replacing F-gases with existing climate-friendly alternatives and by fully deploying existing technologies to eliminate F-gases from industrial processes.
The EU F-Gas Regulation and MAC Directive
The European Union is also paving the way for containing F-Gases as much as possible.
New measures entered into force in 2006 based on the recognition that refrigeration systems using HFCs were leaking. With the adopted measures the EU seeks to improve the containment and recovery of F-gases and imposes regular checks on industrial refrigeration installations in order to improve their leakage rates.
Refrigerated and temperature controlled transport is also a major user of F Gases. The equipment used in trucks are not leak-proof and contribute in their way to global warming.
Finally, HFCs emissions from automotive air-conditioning are a growing concern because of their impact on climate change. From 2011 on, the European Union has committed to phasing out F-gases with a global warming potential (GWP) of more than 150 in automotive air conditioning[2]. This will ban potent greenhouse gases such as the refrigerant HFC-134a—which has a GWP of 1410—to promote safe and energy-efficient refrigerants.
Hydrocarbon refrigerants are very well established in automotive airconditioning service markets in Australia and many parts of South East Asia and urgently need to be adopted worldwide in order to achieve very significant climate benefits.
