Page 58 - Climate Control News Aug-Sep 2020
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   Temperature Gauge
         REFRIGERANT RECLAIM AUSTRALIA GENERAL MANAGER, KYLIE FARRELLEY, EXPLAINS WHY REFRIGERATION HAS NEVER BEEN AS IMPORTANT AS IT IS TODAY.
Creating a cool future
erated data centres. Deprived of refrigeration, these data centres – and the internet – would collapse within minutes, which would have dras- tic consequences world-wide.
Even outside of the effects of the pandemic, the refrigeration industry as a whole is big busi- ness and it’s projected to get even bigger. Over 298,000 Australians currently work in the heat- ing, ventilation, and air conditioning industry alone, and refrigeration is employed in numerous
“JUST UNDER ONE QUARTER OF AUSTRALIA’S ELECTRICITY IS USED FOR HVAC.”
industrial processes such as chemicals, plastics and natural gas liquefaction (LNG). Then there are all the other stakeholders employed in the re- frigeration sector, including producers, install- ers, engineers and technicians responsible for equipment servicing and maintenance. These people all play a major role in ensuring the ongo- ing operation of refrigeration equipment, which is particularly essential in areas like hospitals, nursing homes and food retailers.
There’s no doubt about it, refrigeration and air conditioning are an integral part of our global fu- ture. As temperatures continue to rise globally, human survival will become even more reliant on refrigeration. Three billion people already live in regions of the world where air conditioning is needed more than 300 days of the year, and re- frigeration plays a key role in economic and so- cial development – especially in the world’s emerging economies.
In Australia, heating, ventilation, and air con- ditioning use just under one quarter of all of the country’s generated electricity – imagine if this was all powered by renewable energy. By em- bracing these cutting-edge technologies, we can not only ensure humanity thrives, but also help shape a more sustainable future for the planet at the same time. ✺
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kylie Farrelley –GM, Refrigerant Reclaim Australia
Kylie has 20 years’ experience in
the Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Industry. For the past 12 years she
has been an active participant in several industry associations, including Refrigerants Australia & Refrigerant Reclaim Australia. Kylie was appointed general manager of Refrigerant Reclaim Australia in May 2019.
 REFRIGERATION IMPACTS ALMOST every sector of both private daily life and business, from manufacturing and offices to telecommunica- tions and healthcare, and it is because of the re- frigeration industry that the world has been able to survive the COVID-19 pandemic. And with other threats that the planet continues to face, it’s an industry which continues to grow and evolve, and will play an even bigger role in our future.
From the bushfires to COVID-19, the challeng- es that Australia has faced during 2020 have highlighted just how important getting food to stores and on to people truly is. We are only able to get through trying times as a society thanks to the cold food chain – a temperature-controlled supply chain responsible for getting fresh pro- duce from producers and then transported to the retail and hospitality sectors.
During the global pandemic, the healthcare in-
dustry is an area that has understandably been put under considerable strain. Refrigeration is used by medical professionals to preserve phar- maceutical products and medicines, especially vaccines which are made, stored and transported in temperature-controlled environments, and is playing an integral role in the search for a COV- ID-19 vaccine. To cope with the drastic death rate from the coronavirus around the world, refrigera- tion trucks and refrigerated shipping containers are also being used as temporary morgues to deal with the overflow from hospitals.
And then there’s the internet. With many forced to work and study from home during the COVID-19 lockdown, the internet became more important than ever to keep businesses and the economy operational. While it’s not something you might automatically link with refrigeration, the internet runs on servers which live in refrig-
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