Page 12 - Climate Control News Aug-Sep 2020

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Global call to action for HVACR
DOUBLING THE ENERGY efficiency of air con- ditioning by 2050 would reduce the need for 1,300 gigawatts of additional electricity generation.
That figure is the equivalent of all the coal- fired power generation capacity in China and In- dia in 2018.
Worldwide, doubling the energy efficiency of air conditioners could save up to $US2.9 trillion by 2050 in reduced electricity generation, trans- mission and distribution costs alone.
These figures were included in the Cooling Emissions and Policy Synthesis Report, which was released by the UN Environment Program (UNEP) and the International Energy Agency (IEA) in July.
The report was a call to action for the HVACR industry and governments worldwide.
It found that energy efficient cooling with cli- mate-friendly refrigerants could prevent the equivalent of up to 460 billion tonnes of green- house gases being added to the atmosphere through 2060 – roughly equal to eight years of global emissions at 2018 levels.
It also found that the number of cooling appli- ances worldwide is set to quadruple by 2050 from 3.6 billion now to 14 billion, contributing greatly to rising world temperatures.
Reductions of between 210 and 460 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide-(CO2) equivalent emis- sions can be delivered through actions to im- prove the cooling industry’s energy efficiency together with the transition to climate-friendly refrigerants, according to the report.
RIGHT: As nations invest in COVID-19 recovery, they have an opportunity to use their resources wisely to reduce climate change and reduce the risk of further pandemics.
It called on countries across the globe to implement the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol as this step alone has the potential to avoid as much as 0.4°C of global warming by 2100.
Executive director of the UN’s
environment program, Inger
Andersen, said nations must de-
liver massive cuts in their green-
house gas emissions to get on
track to limit a global temperature rise this cen- tury to 1.5°C.
“As nations invest in COVID-19 recovery, they have an opportunity to use their resources wise- ly to reduce climate change, protect nature and reduce risks of further pandemics,” he said.
The 48-page report highlights the importance of cooling to maintaining healthy communities, fresh vaccines and food, a stable energy supply, and productive economies.
Plus, increasing demand for cooling is contrib- uting significantly to climate change.
This is the result of the emissions of HFCs, CO2, and black carbon from the mostly fossil fu- el-based energy that powers air conditioners and other cooling equipment.
IEA executive director, Dr Fatih Birol, said higher efficiency standards are one of the most effective tools governments have to meet energy and environmental objectives.
“By improving cooling efficiency, they can re- duce the need for new power plants, cut emis- sions and save consumers money,” Birol said.
Worldwide, an estimated 3.6 billion cooling ap- pliances are in use. The report says that if cooling is provided to everybody who needs it – and not just those who can afford it – this would require as many as 14 billion cooling appliances by 2050.
The report also recommends sustainable food chains, the use of building codes which integrates improved design, green roofs, tree shading, and minimum energy performance standards.
City of Sydney has inked the biggest green energy deal by a council in Australia.
Green deal for Sydney
CLIMATECONTROLNEWS.COM.AU
THE CITY OF Sydney is powered using 100 per cent renewable electricity, generated from wind and solar farms in regional NSW.
Valued at over $60 million, it is the big- gest green energy deal of its kind by a coun- cil in Australia.
All the City’s operations – including street lights, pools, sports fields, depots, buildings and the historic Sydney Town Hall – will now be run on 100 per cent renewable elec- tricity from locally-sourced clean energy.
The switch is projected to save the City up to half a million dollars a year over the next 10 years, and reduce C02 emissions by around 20,000 tonnes a year – which is equivalent to the power consumption of more than 6,000 households.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the new agreement will generate jobs, support communities impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and create new opportunities in drought-affected regional NSW.
“We are in the middle of a climate emer- gency. If we are to reduce emissions and grow the green power sector, all levels of government must urgently transition to re- newable energy,” Moore said.
“Cities are responsible for 70 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, so it is critical that we take effective and evi- dence-based climate actions.
“This new deal will see us reach our 2030 target of reducing emissions by 70 per cent by 2024, six years early.”
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