Events and Exhibitions
KIGALI AMENDMENT
HFC PHASE DOWN – LESSONS LEARNED
The Department of Forestry , Fisheries and the Environment ( DFFE ), together with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation ( UNIDO ) hosted a workshop in Gauteng on 27 and 28 March . The roadshow thereafter moved to Cape Town on 30 and 31 March . The last such visit had been in 2019 , and this meeting reflected the urgency of the need to take action .
DFFE ’ s Margaret Molefe was Master of Ceremonies , and noted that importers and exporters of HCFCs and HFCs were soon to be locked into a system of phase down and an online application process relating to reporting requirements under the Kigali Amendment , which has so far been ratified by 148 countries or three-quarters of the world .
The workshop looked at alternatives to the phased-out refrigerants , as well as essential training on these natural refrigerants .
Natasha Kochova , project coordinator at UNIDO and part of the Montreal Protocol Unit , who has been working with the DFFE for six years on the HCFC Phase-out Management Plans ( HBMP ) stage one implementation and HFC ( hydrofluorocarbon ) stage two to follow , presented an overview of the Kigali Agreement with its ‘ freeze year ’ in 2024 and stepped phase down thereafter against baselines set .
The fundamental issue , she pointed out , is that consumption of high-GWP gases represent more than 97 % of the total consumption .
“ We see HFCs gases used in many applications and everyday lives . These gases are different to HCFCs in that they don ' t have an ozone depleting potential ( ODP ) but are nonetheless harmful for the climate for their global warming impact through global greenhouse gas emissions .
“ The HVAC & R sector is responsible for quite a portion of global greenhouse gases , from both direct emissions and indirect emissions , with indirect emissions considerably higher than direct emissions due to the energy consumption that goes into it . We have reduced CO 2 emissions already with the work that has been done . We cannot live without refrigeration from a human comfort perspective in public spaces or our homes , as well as in science and research – it ' s across the board , Kochova noted .
The refrigeration , air conditioning and heat pump ( RACHP ) sectors account for almost 80 % of usage , with other sectors
All photos by © Eamonn Ryan / RACA Journal
A selection of the attendees at what was a packed workshop .
such as foam also using HCFCs . In terms of refrigeration , three-quarters of usage comes from the commercial side of refrigeration , followed by industrial .
The estimated ‘ bank ’ of systems operating worldwide is about three billion systems and they all consume energy and produce emissions . By 2050 , this number is expected to double . The majority of these refrigerants ( R400s or R500s ) have a high global warming potential , resulting in even more emissions in the atmosphere unless curbed and finally eliminated .
Kochova said : “ The no . 1 means to reduce emissions is to change refrigerants to more environmentally friendly ones – low GWP options naturals , ones that do not have a high GWP potential . Some commonly used HCFCs and HFCs , R404 and R404a , have a high GWP potential close to 40 000 . The scale goes from as low as 675 for R32 to HFC 23 , which is a by-product of R22 , which is close to 20 000 .
HOW CAN THE RACHP SECTOR REDUCE EMISSIONS ? The sector is responsible for 3.5 % to 4.5 % of the net energy intake on a global level , so reaching net zero targets requires
www . refrigerationandaircon . co . za RACA Journal I May 2023 21