Federal, state and local governments are forcing the refrigerant industry to adapt. It all started with the Montreal Protocol, enacted in 1987, to phase out substances that were depleting the Ozone Layer. R12 was the first to be phased out, and more recently the production of R22 has been halted. It is hard to say what will be next, and many wonder who the driving force is for choosing what is acceptable to use in refrigeration systems.
What is the Kigali Amendment?
In an effort to continue the progress of the Montreal Protocol, multiple countries across the globe have signed the Kigali Amendment. The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol is an agreement to gradually reduce consumption and production of HFCs. The Montreal Protocol parties agreed upon the amendment at their 28th meeting on October 15, 2016. The United States was an original supporter of the Kigali Amendment, but has since backed out.
GWP or Global Warming Potential is a relative number given to any type of gas that signifies the amount of heat trapped in the ozone layer. For example, CO2, the baseline, has a GWP of 0, while R404A has a GWP of approximately 3922. High GWP refrigerants are on the “hot seat”, and some states have taken the matter in their own hands to reduce climate-damaging refrigerants.
What is California doing to reduce carbon emissions?
California is at the forefront of reducing their carbon footprint by the way of CARB, or the California Air Resources Board. CARB takes portions of the Kigali Amendment and creates a preliminary plan to phase out the use of HFCs in refrigeration applications. The goal is to drastically reduce the GWP in refrigeration systems in both today’s world and the future, based on the size of the equipment.
The following webinar explains why California is moving forward with this legislation, and what alternatives, including HFO’s (Hydrofluoroolefins), are available now and in the future. It also discusses what this could potentially mean for other states in the US.
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