Supermarket Refrigeration: Natural Refrigerants Reduce Ecological Footprint
Of all refrigeration systems currently available, supermarket refrigeration plants using natural refrigerants have the least impact on our climate. This is the conclusion of a research project entitled “Comparative Evaluation of the Environmental Impact of Refrigeration Systems and Units Used in Supermarkets” (Vergleichende Bewertung der Klimarelevanz von Kälteanlagen und -geräten für den Supermarkt) conducted by Germany’s Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt, UBA). Though at present, the cost of using natural refrigerants still exceeds that of using chemical refrigerants, as mass production increases these costs will fall significantly. Besides, conventional refrigeration systems using synthetic, halogenated refrigerants will have to meet stricter gas-tightness rules in the future, which will increase their cost of operation. “To achieve effective climate protection, we will need universal use of natural refrigerants in supermarkets. Carbon dioxide as a natural refrigerant can play a major role in this respect, as it has 3,300 times less impact on our climate than the conventional refrigerant R 404A”, says Jutta Penning from the Federal Environment Agency. Commercial refrigeration systems are a major source of emissions of HFCs in Germany. In 2006 they accounted for nearly 35 percent of total HFC emissions. The final report of the research project includes a summary of the supermarket refrigeration systems using natural, halogen-free refrigerants which are available in Germany and Europe. It may be downloaded at http://www.umweltbundesamt.de/produkte-e/fckw/massnahmen.htm