For this Cool Talk, we had the opportunity to interview Mr. Damon Wyatt, Vice President and General Manager of Kysor Warren (part of EPTA Group), a leading brand of commercial refrigeration system that offers customers natural refrigeration technologies, including transcritical CO2 (R744) systems and hydrocarbon display cases. The company, understanding that the market is ripe for the uptake of natural refrigerant-based technology, is actively installing and advocating for such systems.
Why has Kysor Warren joined the Green Cooling Initiative?
We are very passionate about our industry and the impact that we have on the environment. We know that over the years refrigeration has polluted the world, and now it is our opportunity to give back. So you guys at ATMOsphere and the Green Cooling Initiative have been doing a great job raising awareness around the world and we share a common goal.
What do you, as an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), think are the biggest obstacles to the adoption of natural refrigerants?
A first obstacle that we have seen is talent, bringing knowledge to the technicians. Secondly, CO2 in some climates has had an energy penalty. And three, there was a cost premium on new technologies. However, there is a lot of hard work going on to overcome these difficulties, so, for example, currently there is a lot of training going on, and the solutions we are bringing to the market are simpler just so that technicians feel more comfortable around it. And we are bringing energy efficiency to CO2 in a simple way that is also easy for technicians.
As the Green Cooling Initiative is very much focused on development in the Global South, what is your commitment to that region? Do you have any plans you could share with us? What would support from the Green Cooling Initiative look like?
We aim to create awareness. We all need to understand the impact that we have and the fact that we can change things. We have several facilities throughout Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Mexico, and there is a lot of awareness that needs to be created in these areas of the world. So a lot of great opportunities.
