Africa's first climate and environmentally friendly air-conditioning chiller has been installed at the nearly Zero Emission Building in Accra, Ghana. The chiller uses the natural refrigerant R290 and is mainly powered by a photovoltaic system, setting a new standard for sustainable construction.
Under the GIZ project Sustainable Energy for Climate Protection(SustainE4Climate) (opens in a new window) in cooperation with the Energy Commission of Ghana (opens in a new window), the first climate and environmentally friendly Air-Conditioning (AC) chiller in entire Africa has been installed. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) provided funding for the project, which was implemented by GIZ in cooperation with the Ministry of Energy and the Energy Commission.
The chiller was installed at the nearly Zero Emission Building (nZEB) in Accra and has a cooling capacity of 115 kW. The chiller uses the natural refrigerant R290, which has almost zero climate impact. Moreover, R290 also does not have any negative environmental impacts because it is PFAS free and does not break down to TFA. R290 also provides great thermodynamic properties in terms of energy efficiency, even in tropical climate zones like Ghana. The chiller is mainly powered by a photovoltaic system that is installed at the nZEB, minimizing the indirect emissions and thus setting a pioneering example for sustainable construction.
“The project proofs that R290 chillers can be installed and operated safely and efficiently in tropical countries of Africa and can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption.” - Philipp Denzinger, Project Manager of GIZ Proklima
The chiller is mainly powered by aphotovoltaic system that is installed at the nZEB, minimizing the indirect emissions and thus setting a pioneering example for sustainable construction. The design and installation of the chiller has been supported by GIZ Proklima and HEAT (opens in a new window). The installation, as well as commissioning, has been supported by international experts jointly with a local company. To guarantee a sustainable and effective operation in the future, capacity building (training) of local technicians and operators has been carried out. According to the refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) inventory and roadmap, cumulated emissions from the RAC sector from now to 2050 will reach 338 Mt CO2eq. The mitigation potential based on introduced best available technology (BAT) amounts to 79 Mt CO2eq by 2050. This is equivalent to more than 18000 gasoline-powered passenger cars driven for one year. R290 chillers can contribute significantly to that emission reduction.
Under the Kigali amendment, HFC chillers will need to be phased out in future. In addition, Ghana has clear nationally determined contribution (NDC) targets under the Paris Agreement for the RAC sector. Chillers that combine energy efficiency and natural refrigerants can reduce the total emissions by 40% in industrialised countries and by up to 60% in the Global South.