The Green Cooling approach is to be scaled up through hubs in Thailand, Kenya and Colombia, as well as smaller sub-hubs in other countries
Shutterstock / Andy ShellWhat do an office worker in Thailand, a fisherman in Colombia and a doctor in Kenya have in common? What sounds like a riddle, has a serious background: They all depend on cooling - whether it be in the form of air conditioners in overheated cities, cold chains for fresh food or cooling of vital vaccines. Rising temperatures and population, progressing urbanisation and economic growth are driving up the worldwide cooling demand, particularly in developing countries and emerging economies.
Refrigeration and air-conditioning appliances often use fluorinated gases (F-Gases, mainly HFCs) with a high global warming potential as refrigerants. HFCs are further used as blowing agents in the foam sector. In combination with low energy efficiency and carbon intensive energy production, the RAC sector causes significant and rising amounts of greenhouse gases. So ironically by cooling our environment in the short term, we heat up the climate in the long term.
In short: Green Cooling Initiative III
- Project duration: August 2021 until July 2024
- Target Countries: Thailand, Columbia, Kenya, Vietnam, Uganda, Honduras, etc.
- On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU)
On the upside: The cooling sector, as the major consumer of HFCs, offers considerable mitigation potential. However, insufficient information on and access to alternative technologies as well as lacking safety and certification standards pose the main barriers for developing countries to initiate the transition to Green Cooling. This is where the GIZ project “Green Cooling Initiative” comes into play: With the help of international knowledge exchange on technology transformation, standardisation and capacity building, environmentally friendly cooling technologies should be anchored in national climate mitigation strategies and markets in the partner countries.
The Green Cooling Initiative was established in 2012 on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) and its financing instrument “International Climate Initiative (IKI)”. In August 2021, the GIZ project was extended for a third phase until 2024.
Quote by BMU
"We see an enormous potential for climate action in the cooling sector. The combination of natural refrigerants, high energy efficiency and, in best case, renewable energy sources is the right way forward. With the third phase of the Green Cooling Initiative, we hope to further spread the Green Cooling approach worldwide."
In the new project period, Green Cooling Hubs will be established in the partner countries Thailand, Kenya and Colombia as well as smaller sub-hubs in Vietnam, Uganda and Honduras, with the perspective of expanding to other countries.
Quote by NOU Kenya
"Now that the project has been extended for another three years, I am privileged to continue working with the project on important measures to protect the ozone layer and the resulting climate benefits. As a unit and in collaboration with GIZ and key stakeholders, we look forward to strengthening key actors in the public and private sectors to make the cooling and climate sector sustainable, so as to achieve the set goals within the Montreal Protocol."
Coordinated from the hubs, the Green Cooling approach will be further disseminated to the different regions. Activities will focus on the following areas:
- Strengthening the already existing Green Cooling Network
- Supporting training institutes for refrigeration and air conditioning technicians in integrating Green Cooling technologies into their curricula and certification systems
- Encouraging public and private climate finance for leverage
- Raising awareness of the climate protection potential in the cooling sector and the benefits of Green Cooling
- Supporting the creation of GHG inventories for the cooling sectors in the partner countries and derivation of individual mitigation strategies
The international project team of the Green Cooling Initiative III is led by Mr. Philipp Denzinger. He manages the African portfolio at GIZ Proklima and was already involved in the first and partly the second phase:
Quote GIZ
"The Green Cooling approach is as relevant as ever. We have proven in various pilot projects that natural refrigerants not only save energy and are environmentally friendly but are also just as manageable as any other refrigerant. We look forward to implementing further activities in this area together with our partners!"
