COOL TECHNOLOGIES WORKING WITHOUT HFCs- 2010.doc

COOL TECHNOLOGIES: WORKING WITHOUT HFCs- 2010 Examples of HFC-Free Cooling Technologies in Various Industrial Sectors Prepared by: Janos Maté, Greenpeace International with Claudette Papathanasopoulos, Greenpeace USA Introduction Just as there was no single “magic bullet” to replace CFCs, there is no single solution to replace HCFCs. But there is a wide variety of environmentally superior and technologically proven HCFC and HFC-free technologies to meet our cooling needs. Alternatives include natural refrigerants (CO2, hydrocarbons, ammonia, water); secondary cooling systems; desiccant cooling; evaporative cooling, absorption cooling; and innovative building designs that eliminate the need for mechanical cooling. The following sampling of companies and enterprises using HFC-free technologies is provided to demonstrate that there is already a wide array of safe and commercially proven HFC-free technologies available to meet nearly all those human needs that were formerly met by fluorocarbons. (please see disclaimer below) HFC-free technologies exist in nearly the full spectrum of applications, such as: Domestic Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Commercial Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Industrial production Mobile Air-Conditioning Insulation Foam Blowing And new HFC-free products are entering the market almost on a weekly basis. These technologies for the present are primarily used in industrialized countries, but there is no reason why they can not be used worldwide. Developing countries would benefit greatly by leap-froging HFCs altogether and going straight from HCFCs to long term solutions that rely on natural refrigerants and foam blowing agents. They could thus avoid reliance on more expensive, less efficient, HFCs that will need to be phased-out due to their significant contributions to global warming. Furthermore, they could finally escape the clutches of the fluorocarbon chemical industry’s monopoly over their choice of technology. PLEASE SEE TABL