The Future of Cooling with Natural Refrigerants--A Turning Point from CFCs 2001

The Future of Cooling with Natural Refrigerants--A Turning Point from CFCs 2001

Around 2001, the refrigeration and air conditioning industry was at a turning point in the CFC problem: CFCs and HCFCs were being phased out or reduced in accordance with the Montreal Protocol, and HFCs, which had become popular as alternatives, had a high greenhouse effect and contributed to global warming. It was recognized that the introduction of natural refrigerants such as CO2, ammonia, and hydrocarbons was necessary to reduce climate change while protecting the ozone layer. In Japan, the world's first household CO2 water heater, the Eco-Cute, was launched in 2001, and high-efficiency heat pump technology was commercialized with the cooperation of electric power companies and manufacturers. This promoted the electrification and low-carbonization of water heating and became a symbol for the diffusion of natural refrigerants. In Europe, hydrocarbons became mainstream in household refrigerators in the 1990s, and by 2001, almost 100% of refrigerators in Germany were using H
C refrigerants. This was known as the "green freeze" and accelerated the spread of home appliances with low environmental impact. Ammonia refrigeration was already the standard in the industrial and commercial sectors, but toxicity and safety design were issues. CO2, on the other hand, was in its infancy, with demonstrations of its use in supermarket refrigeration systems and its commercialization in Europe beginning in 2005. In Japan, the CFC Recovery and Destruction Law was promulgated in 2001, which institutionalized the recovery and proper disposal of CFCs from used equipment and encouraged the market diffusion of natural refrigerants and low-GWP refrigerants. The combination of these international treaties, technological innovations, and institutional arrangements have steered the refrigeration and air conditioning sector in the direction of both zero ozone depletion and low GWP.