9th JRAIA Symposium in Kobe, Japan
New impulses for the HVACR industries
In Japan, as in Europe, the future of HFCs is a big topic. While there are many parallels between these two regions, there are also new impulses for the HVACR sector coming from Japan.
On the 2nd and 3rd December 2010, the 9thInternational JRAIA Symposium onnew refrigerants and environmental technology took place in Kobe, Japan. Roughly500 participants attended the two day event. The conference was organized by the Japanese association JRAIA – the Japan Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Industry Association.
The European refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat pump industries were represented by the manufacturers’ association EPEE (The European Partnership for Energy and the Environment). In her introductory speech, EPEE’s Director General Andrea Voigt addressed, among other topics, the future of HFCs: “For the revision of the F-Gas Regulation, the European Commission keeps an eye on international developments such as the North American proposal to gradually reduce the consumption of HFCs based on their GWP. However, nothing has been decided yet. The Commission is currently analyzing the F-Gas Regulation in terms of its implementation throughout Europe and its capacity to effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
Emissions reduction via leakage control is a number one priority in Japan as well.The new Directive JRC GL-01 concerningleakage inspection and reparations presented at the symposium takes exactly the same approach as the European F-Gas Regulation and has been developed over the past two years by two associations, JRAIA and JARAC (Japan Association of Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Contractors).
New impulses for the sector were provided, among other sources, by a study fromTokyoUniversity comparing the environmental impact of recycling and destruction of refrigerants based on the example of R-22. The results are impressive: Refrigerant destruction including the production of new refrigerants has a 24 times greaterenvironmental impact than recycling. Hence, it is not in the interest of the environment to simply insist on replacing HFC refrigerants. The F-Gas Regulation is, however, on the right track as it aims toreduce emissions.
Notes to the Editor:
The European Partnership for Energy and the Environment (EPEE), represents the refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat pump industry in Europe. Founded in the year 2000, EPEE’s membership is composed of 40 member companies and national associations across Europe, realising a turnover of over 30 billion Euros and employing more than 200,000 people in Europe. As an expert association EPEE is supporting safe, environmentally and economically viable technologies with the objective ofpromoting a better understanding of the sector in the EU and to contribute to the development of effective European policies.
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