On April 4th 2019, Kenya’s National Ozone Unit of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry together with GIZ’s Green Cooling Initiative kicked off a multi-stakeholder workshop to establish a Qualification, Certification & Registration (QCR) scheme for the RAC sector in Kenya.
The QCR scheme aims to support a sustainable transformation of the Kenyan RAC sector towards green cooling technologies. The RAC sector contributes significantly to Kenya’s CO2 emissions and its damaging environmental effects. To mitigate the effects of ozone depleting substances & CO2 emissions from low energy efficient appliances, the Green Cooling Initiative supports Kenya’s efforts to introduce green cooling technologies. The introduction of RAC units running on natural refrigerants, which are more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly, come with certain challenges.
The safe & efficient handling of natural refrigerants requires specific theoretical & practical training for installation, maintenance, servicing and operation. A QCR scheme to standardize competences for skilled technicians is important to guarantee a sustainable uptake of green cooling technologies. The QCR workshop in Nairobi involved stakeholders from government, training institutions and the industry. An integrated process across sectors will strengthen the design, implementation and enforcement of the scheme to support a sustainable green cooling transformation in Kenya.