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MIPIGGS Newsletter Contents * HFC-Free McDonalds Cuts Energy, CO2 and Avoids HFC Impact * Brussels Lags Behind American Multinationals * White House Warms To Warming * CO2 Mobile Air Conditioning 'Ready For Mass Market in 2009' * Out of the Frying Pan ... * ...Into The Fire ? * Rumours About Dupont ? * Unhealthy Health System * Good and Bad HFC-Free McDonalds Cuts Energy, CO2 and Avoids HFC Impact In 2003 Danish Minister of the Environment, Hans Christian Schmidt, opened the first "HFC-free restaurant" in Vejle, Denmark. Now a study (1) by the Danish Technological Institute has found the HFC-free system uses less energy and produces less CO2 in its operation. It reports a 15% annual energy savings on the refrigeration equipment in the HFC free restaurant compared with an HFC reference restaurant. It adds "Furthermore, a 33,4 kg charge of HFC has been avoided which with a leakage rate of 7% per year gives a 27% better performance regarding CO2 emissions (TEWI)". While installation costs for plug-in equipment was 5-10% more expensive, this would be "insignificant" at production volumes, said the study. "Walk-in was 60% more expensive" say the authors, "due to a more complicated refrigeration system, which on this small-scale unit causes a significant higher cost" but in future expect this to fall to 20-30%. The future the additional cost for HVAC should fall to 10-20% "when commercial components enters the market". (1) The world's first McDonald's restaurant using natural refrigerants, paper at 6th IIR Natural Working Fluids Conference, Glasgow, 2004: Kim G. Christensen* Danish Technological Institute, Kongsvang Allé 29, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark Phone: +45 7220 1265, Fax: +45 7220 1212, E-mail: kim.gardo.christensen@teknologisk.dk and Sang Chun McDonalds Corporation, Dept. 111 · Kroc Drive · Oak Brook, IL 60523 USA Phone: +1 (630) 623-5785, Fax: +1 (630) 623-3903, E-mail: sang.chun@mcd.com Brussels Lags Behind American Multinationals The Regulation/Directive on f gases, currently being finalised by the European Institutions (Council of EU environment Ministers, Commission and European Parliament), largely fails to deliver a meaningful legislation that would tackle the growing emissions of these extremely potent greenhouse gases within the European Union. Thus, says Mahi Siderhou of Greenpeace International "it does not further EU policy on climate change mitigation. It does not take into account the existence and the availability of climate-friendly alternatives to most uses of these substances. Only the mobile air conditioning section shows promise, but needs to be improved". The draft Regulation proposes to phase out gases with a global warming potential greater than 150 from car air conditioning between 2008 and 2012. The measure is aimed primarily at the most common gas, HFC-134a, which is 1,300 times more potent than CO2 but would allow HFC 152 which has a GWP of 140. Texts tabled by the EU's Dutch presidency suggest completing the phase out in 2017. This is three years later than voted for by the EU assembly and four years later than originally proposed by the European Commission. Greenpeace points out that together with Anglo-Dutch giant Unilever, McDonalds and Coca Cola both announced progress on using non-HFC refrigeration technologies this summer [ http://www.refrigerantsnaturally.com/]. Between them Unilever, Coca Cola and McDonalds operate 12 million coolers and freezers worldwide. In contrast the draft EU law fails to require use of any of the wide range of non-HFC technologies on the market. Instead it relies mostly on a paper exercise of 'containment', although emission data and leak studies show that containment of HFCs is failing as badly as did CFCs, even in test conditions. It also fails to require recovery of foams from discarded fridges and perhaps most crucially, threatens to hold back progressive countries such as Austria and Denmark to the pace of the slowest. According to ENDS Daily (9 August) the Dutch EU presidency is optimistic that member states will agree the new fluorinated greenhouse gas (f-gas) controls by October. Governments look certain to split the regulation into two parts, one covering HFCs in mobile air conditioning and the other HFCs and other f-gases in stationary applications. 'Whereas the bulk of the European Commission's proposal aims at limiting f-gas emissions, Germany has proposed a greater focus on f-gases themselves. Some countries want to expand a list of f-gas applications to be banned' says ENDS Daily. In August a report 'Our Changing Planet' endorsed by US White House officials acknowledged for the first time than human activity - ie greenhouse gas emissions - were responsible for observed climate change. (White House Report says people cause global warming, New Scientist 17 August 2004). Observers are now waiting to see if this will be followed by any policy change, for example away from the current US policy of promoting the use of HFCs, many times more potent warmers than CO2. A covering letter which accompanied the report to Congress was signed by the president's secretaries of commerce and energy, along with his science adviser. CO2 Mobile Air Conditioning 'Ready For Mass Market in 2009' French group Valeo (1) reports (July 29, 2004 - Valeo www.valeo.com) it has successfully developed an environmentally friendly air conditioning system 'which meets future EU regulations'. The system replaces HFC R134a refrigerant used in car air-conditioning systems with the R744 refrigerant 'and consequently eliminates the direct impact of air-conditioning systems on global warming due to refrigerant leakage'. The CO2 based Valeo R744 system was tested on a demonstration vehicle by automotive experts at the SAE Alternate Refrigerant Symposium in Phoenix, USA, with ambient temperatures up to 43°C in both city traffic and highway driving conditions. "Valeo is leading the development of future of air conditioning systems in order to enhance comfort for all car occupants while minimizing the environmental impact. We expect to see these systems in the market by 2009," said Thierry Morin, Valeo Chairman & CEO. Valeo says 'there are servicing cost benefits for the automotive industry as there will be no need to recover and recycle the refrigerant at the end of life'. Meanwhile ENDS magazine (ENDS REPORT August 2004) reports that 'US firms prefer HFC-152a which, while much less potent than HFC-134a, is still 140 times more powerful than CO2'. Last year the European Commission published a draft Regulation setting out plans to curb emissions of fluorinated gases. The proposals include provisions to phase out gases with a global warming potential greater than 150 from car air conditioning between 2008 and 2012. The measure is aimed primarily at the most common gas, HFC-134a, which is 1,300 times more potent than CO2. The UK opposes the ban. Environment Minister Elliot Morley told MPs that it would "greatly increase" costs to UK equipment suppliers. He also cast doubt on the safety of CO2 systems - seen as the most promising alternative - because they must be kept under high pressure and "may suddenly explode" (ENDS Report 348, pp 33-34). But Norsk Hydro, manufacturers of CO2 based cooling technologies point out that "pubs use CO2-containers at the same pressure as MAC every day". ENDS notes that 'Japanese air conditioning manufacturer Calsonic Kansei, whose main European production facilities are in the UK, says that because of the small amount of CO2 used in such systems, the power of any explosion would be comparable to releasing an ordinary CO2 fire extinguisher. Furthermore, prevention measures such as pressure relief devices have been developed to relieve the risks of an explosion. Instead, the main risk is considered to be the toxicity effects of CO2 leaking into the car. Such a leak would be difficult to detect because of the background levels of CO2 in the atmosphere and the CO2 produced by passenger exhalation'. ENDS says "US air conditioning manufacturers such as Visteon and Delphi, plus compressor manufacturer Sanden, are pushing for HFC-152a". In the past the HFC industry used the flammability of hydrocarbons as an argument against them. ENDS notes that both Calsonic and fellow Japanese manufacturer Denso have already launched CO2 systems in hybrid vehicles in Japan. Europe's biggest manufacturer of car air conditioning systems, Behr, said it is ready to produce a CO2 system for any type of car and have it on the market within two to three years. "We expect some car manufacturers to move to CO2 soon," a spokesman told ENDS. Audi and BMW are expected to be the first to introduce such systems on series production vehicles, possibly between 2006 and 2008. (1) Valeo ranks among the world's top automotive suppliers. The Group has 128 plants, 65 R&D centers, 9 distribution centers and employs 68,800 people in 25 countries worldwide. www.valeo.com "Beijing SOGO, a large department store, has removed non-sticking pans that use DuPont's Teflon coating from shelves after the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) accused DuPont of failing to report potential risks from the synthetic chemical perfluorooctanoic acid used to make Teflon, known as PFOA or C8." Because of integrated manufacturing, any significant change to the teflon market could affect production of HFCs. (http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200407/15/eng20040715_149707.html, July 15, 2004) The Environmental Protection Agency filed a complaint in July charging Dupont with withholding evidence of its own health and environmental concerns about an important chemical used to manufacture Teflon (New York Times Aug. 9, 2004(1)). 'That would be a violation of U.S. federal environmental law, compounded by the possibility that DuPont covered up the evidence for two decades' said the New York Times . The agency was also investigating whether the suspect chemical, a detergent-like substance called perfluorooctanoic acid, is harmful to human health, and how it has become so pervasive in the environment. (1) Teflon trouble sticking to DuPont Chemical used in coating may be making people sick It is said that Dupont claim they will never sell a flammable HFC even if it is 152a, the favourite of the US car industry (and some other chemical manufacturers). Is this true - can anyone tell us ? At present the proposed EU Directive will allow the use of 152a in the notoriously leaky car mobile air conditioning sector, as by strange coincidence it has a GWP just below 150, the proposed upper limit ... It seems Britain's National Health Service, the largest employer in Europe, is doing particular damage to the climate - by specification. Apparently NHS refrigerant specification still only allows HFC134a or HFC407c refrigerants. The NHS is probably the biggest user of refrigerants in the EU. Since the 'greenfreeze' system was demonstrated by Greenpeace in 1992 hydrocarbon alternatives have grown to dominate the domestic European fridge market but overall HFC use has blossomed dramatically - global HFC 134a production has risen over 22-fold since 1992. Atmospheric emissions are increasing almost exponentially and only around one third of CFC uses have yet to be substituted by HFCs. If substitution is completed, HFCs are expected to cause as much climate change as all the world's private cars by 2050. For any enquires contact: secretary@mipiggs.org |
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