Ozone and Climate Friendly Cooling in West and Central Africa (ROCA)

The ROCA project promotes ozone- and climate-friendly cooling technologies in the four African countries Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Mali and Senegal. It started in April 2021 and will run until March 2025. 

Map with partner countries

Partner Countries

RAC appliances are spreading rapidly across Africa, particularly in the cities. In rural areas, on the other hand, there is still a lack of refrigeration equipment for agriculture and medical care. The rising number of RAC will contribute to increased energy needs as well as the use of refrigerant gases, many of which are highly damaging to the ozone layer and the global climate. To limit this dual impact, it is necessary to introduce a wide range of ozone- and climate-friendly cooling solutions.

Technicians at a training for Senegal's network of women in refrigeration, February 2023

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ROCA (Refroidissement respectueux de l'Ozone et du Climat en Afrique de l'Ouest et Centrale) contributes to an increasing use of Green Cooling technologies through improving the policy and regulatory framework on the one hand and building capacity for the use of such technologies on the other. In our understanding, Green Cooling is the use of natural refrigerants combined with energy efficient appliances (→ learn more). ROCA is the first project with a focus on natural refrigerants in West and Central Africa.

ROCA includes the following measures: 

  • Analysing current and future cooling demands in the partner countries (RAC inventories)
  • Advisory services for the governments, based on RAC inventories and assessment of existing policies
  • Trainings of RAC technicians on safe handling of natural refrigerants online and in Germany (Cool Trainings) as well as in the partner countries
  • regional workshops on climate finance and business models to promote the accelerated adoption of ozone- and climate-friendly as well as energy-efficient appliances using natural refrigerants
  • Pilot projects using Green Cooling technologies; e.g.
    • Air Conditioning: R290-ACs for public buildings
    • Food Security:
      • cold rooms for agricultural cooperatives in Mali and Senegal;
      • an ice machine for a fishermen's cooperative in Senegal
      • a cold chain between the slaughterhouse and the market in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
    • Good Health: cooling for vaccines in Burkina Faso and for a hospital in Cameroon

The project is co-funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

Proklima Impact Stories

Let us give the word to people in our project countries.

Learn more about Alimata

"As refrigeration technicians, we contribute to environmental pollution and global warming", explains Alimata COULIBALY KINDO, trainer in refrigeration and air conditioning . Her sector is responsible for around 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions are caused by the high electricity consumption of the appliances and the high global warming potential of the refrigerants in use. In October 2022, Ms Coulibaly took part in our Cool Training. "In the GIZ Cool Training, I learnt how to use natural refrigerants to reduce pollution and save energy."
One year later, she says that she uses the content of the training in her lessons. She says: "Other generations will come after us. So we are all called upon to protect this planet!"

The project "Climate and Ozone Friendly Cooling in West and Central Africa (ROCA)" has trained more than 150 instructors in its project countries Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Mali and Senegal. In Burkina Faso alone, those trainers have teached over 2 700 students in 2023.

 

Country: Burkina Faso

Project: ROCA (opens in a new window)

Donors: European Union, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development

Listen to Alimata and other Cool Training participants who explain the advantages of natural refrigerants:

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Learn more about Simplice

Simplice Tirogo is a nurse and head of the centre for health care and social support in Tovor, Burkina Faso. The project 'Ozone and Climate Friendly Cooling in West and Central Africa (ROCA)' supported his health care centre with a vaccine refrigerator in 2023. "Our refrigerator was broken since 2020, so the vaccines had to be stored in a neighbouring village. Each time, we had to travel 15 km to bring back the vaccines in a transport box that lasted cold during only a day or two. That means, the cold chain was not sufficient and many vaccines spoiled", explains Simplice Tirogo. "Since we received the refrigerator, we can store the vaccines and keep them fresh on site. We can now instantly immunise the pregnant women and the children who come here and whose vaccinations had to be postponed before. This is very satisfying. I thank all partners who made this possible."

During the first year after the acquisition, 11 000 persons profited from vaccinations in Tovor and in nine other newly equipped health care centres. The new refrigerators are even more climate-friendly than the previous ones: they are very energy-efficient and run on the natural refrigerant isobutane (R600a). The necessary electricity comes from solar panels. 

 

Country: Burkina Faso

Project: ROCA (opens in a new window)

Donors: European Union, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development

More stories coming soon...

Latest News

National Energy Efficiency Strategy for ACs and refrigerators in Mali

09/2023 , Publication - Inventories & Cooling Strategies :

The demand for energy could be significantly reduced by improving energy efficiency. This would have a double effect: lower costs for consumers, and lower CO2 emissions. This report recommends steps Mali could take towards more energy efficiency.

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The growing demand for electricity has a number of implications, principally more frequent power shortages as production fails to meet the increased demand, leading to major investment in additional power stations. This additional electricity production will increase CO2 emissions, contributing to global warming. The demand could be reduced if energy were used more efficiently. Compared with the economic cost of installing new power stations, energy efficiency (EE) is a low-cost alternative for meeting the country's energy needs. What's more, consumers save on their electricity bills and CO2 emissions are reduced.

Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) and energy efficiency labels are one of the most useful tools for increasing the energy efficiency of products on the market. SMPEs indicate the minimum energy efficiency level of products that can be placed on the market, eliminating the least efficient appliances. Energy labelling informs consumers of the potential energy savings and environmental benefits of choosing more efficient products, thereby increasing sales of the most efficient products and preparing the market for the application of more restrictive standards in the future. In addition, in countries where electricity is fully or partially subsidised by the state, improving the energy efficiency of consumer products will also generate savings for the state, which can be passed on to society through rebate schemes to help consumers buy more efficient products.

To this end, more and more countries are implementing standards and labels around the world, starting with the most energy-intensive products, such as fridges and air conditioners, and then extending to other electrical products.

This report recommends the application of energy efficiency regulations in Mali in a two-stage process:

  1. application of existing standards and labels as soon as possible and on a mandatory basis,
  2. updating of standards to a more stringent level by 2026 at the latest, followed by a second update in 2027 for refrigerators and 2028 for domestic air conditioners.

Based on the data collected and international best practice, recommendations are provided for energy efficiency standards and labels for refrigerators and air conditioners. The adoption of advanced energy efficiency standards and the transition to low-GWP refrigerants are necessary to achieve significant greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions. It is recommended that, in addition to the label agreed in the UEMAO framework on the energy efficiency of refrigeration and air-conditioning appliances, the label should also contain information on the refrigerant used, its quantity and its global warming potential (GWP).

The adoption of increasingly ambitious standards and labels will not result in higher costs for end users. With the expected increase in the cost of electricity in the future, the introduction of energy standards and labels, coupled with stakeholders' understanding of the life-cycle cost analysis of refrigeration and air conditioning products, will lead to energy savings for end-users, which will benefit the Malian economy.

Background

The project ROCA (Refroidissement Respectueux de l’Ozone et du Climat en Afrique de l’Ouest et Centrale) is co-financed by the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and implemented by GIZ, as a contribution to EU's global initiative "Global Climate Change Alliance (opens in a new window)". The national ozone units and their ministries are the project's main coopearation partners. In Mali, the project is implemented in cooperation with the national department for pollution controle (Direction Nationale de l’Assainissement du Contrôle des Pollutions et des Nuisances (DNACPN)) of the ministry for the environment and sustainable development (Ministère de l’Environnement, de l’Assainissement et du Développement Durable (MEADD)), to which the national ozone bureau belongs.