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Organizers: The Energy & Resources Institute (TERI)
Description:As India phases out HCFCs, and embarks upon an HFC phase down, it seeks to avoid following the footsteps of industry in developed countries by leapfrogging to alternatives with lower global warming potential (GWP). This transition offers an opportunity to maximize climate benefits by minimizing both: direct emissions from refrigerant use, and indirect emissions through energy use, by selecting alternatives that result in higher efficiency systems. While several sectors – industrial foams, automobile air conditioning for example – have alternatives well on their way to commercialization, other industry sectors are not yet equally prepared to make a transition. Availability of affordable and feasible alternatives for such sectors is yet to be determined, and needs strong support from domestic and international governments, a focus on research, development and deployment (RD&D) and also support from the Montreal Protocol.
India has been an active and constructive participant in the search for solutions and continues to do so by expanding R&D activities and industry-led innovations in search for low-GWP HFC alternatives. Finding alternatives to HFCs also opens several challenges including dealing with flammability, development of new standards for appliances and buildings, toxicity of refrigerants, challenges related to equipment design, training of technicians, to name a few.
Another key action is to replace old equipment with newer, more energy efficient ones. Filling the next generation of refrigerant gases in yesterday’s and today’s ACs will cancel out much of these hard won gains unless the systems are optimized. Energy Efficiency is therefore a key element in the global collaboration to preserve the ozone layer, and mitigate climate change.
The discussions will focus around tackling uncertainties, being ambitious but equitable with the phase-down schedules keeping in mind different capacities and capabilities of nations. |
