Green Cooling Initiative

Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV)
Partner countries: Bangladesh, Colombia, Honduras, Kenya, Thailand, Uganda, Vietnam (with regional hubs in the highlighted countries)

Map with partner countries

Partner Countries

Rising temperatures and population, progressing urbanisation and economic growth are driving up the worldwide cooling demand, particularly in developing countries. But many of the refrigerants and insulating foams currently in use are harmful to the environment. In 2023, it is estimated that the refrigeration industry accounted for around ten to twelve per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Objective

The Green Cooling Initiative contributes to raising international awareness of the significant mitigation potential associated with environmentally- and climate-friendly cooling technologies. In its third phase, GCI supports its partners worldwide by accelerating the transformation of the cooling sector towards energy efficient technologies using natural refrigerants. This includes policy advise, technology transfer and capacity building. 

Green Cooling is the most viable way to meet the growing cooling demand and protect our climate at the same time. It is based on two principals: using natural refrigerants with an ultra-low global warming potential and highly energy-efficient appliances. Ideally, the energy comes from renewable sources. All measures should be complemented by passive cooling, e.g. shading, surrounding vegetation and good insulation.

Approach

The work of the Green Cooling Initiative III is based on three pillars:

  • Policy advise: We support key actors with access to Green Cooling instruments and arguments, offer demand-based support services and strengthen networking between stakeholders. We shed light on appropriate financing mechanisms.
  • Technology transfer: We pilot innovative Green Cooling technologies in the partner countries and in cooperation with the private sector. We therefore demonstrate their technical and economic feasibility and spark interest in further upscaling. 
  • Capacity building: We train policy makers, refrigeration trainers and technicians on the handling and characteristics of natural refrigerants. In addition, we offer needs-based trainings.

Moreover, the Green Cooling Initiative III recognises that exchange between technology suppliers and users, as well as between the industry, public institutions and civil society is important for the promotion of said technologies. One of the main goals is therefore to create global and regional networks with representatives from different sectors (see Network).

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Targeted policy advice based on Cooling Strategies will support partner countries in the implementation of cooling technology standards and measures, whilst capacity building will allow them to sustainably manage their technology transformations. Voluntary private sector contributions will increase transformational readiness and will generate public-private partnerships. Proposals to financing institutions can provide replicable funding models and instruments to facilitate access to Green Cooling technology.

Bildergalerie

The phase-out and phase-down of F-gases and the increase in energy efficiency in the RAC sector make it easier to achieve ambitious NDCs, which were defined by UNFCCC COP21 as the basis for global GHG emission savings. So far, Ghana is one of the few African countries that has integrated F-gases into its NDC to a limited extent. GCI advised Ghana on this by drawing up a GHG inventory of the RAC sector, on the basis of which a Cooling Strategy for emission reduction measures was drafted.

Latest Publications

Environmentally and climate-friendly solar-powered walk-in cold rooms

05/2022 , Publication - Technical Publication :

Solar walk-in cold rooms are used as an eco-friendly refrigeration alternative for food and medicine storage. This publication by the Green Cooling Initiative (GCI) and Water and Energy for Food (WE4F) project provides helpful guidelines on how to minimize their climate impact most effectively.

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As needs for food conservation, thermal comfort or safe medicines access grow, the numbers of solar powered walk-in cold rooms increase every year. Many people and organisations believe that by constructing a solar walk-in cold room, they are green, environmentally and climate-friendly. However, many technologies are still having quite some negative environmental and climate impacts, which often eliminates the positive side of using solar energy to run the system. Cooling technologies currently constitute about 10% of global energy consumption [1] and a significant share of global GHG emissions. Refrigerants of the cooling system and blowing agents of the insulation materials often used are harmful to the ozone layer and/or have a high global warming potential and therefore have a negative impact on the climate. In addition, solar walk-in cold rooms often use batteries that have high embedded CO2 emissions from manufacturing and transport and negatively affect the environment at the end of life.