WHAT ARE F-GASES?
F-gases are fluorocarbon based gases commonly used as refrigerants and foam blowing agents. The first two generations of F-gases were chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFCs). They are also powerful ozone depleting substances (ODS) that were mandated to be phased out under the Montreal Protocol. Along with the third generation of fluorocarbon refrigerants, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) they are also super greenhouse gases, with global warming potentials hundreds to thousands of times greater than carbon dioxide (CO2).
Driven by the ensuing climate crisis, the global cooling sector is changing. In 2016, the Montreal Protocol agreed to phase-down the use of HFCs, starting in 2019 for developed countries and 2024 for most developing countries. European Union (EU) countries have been phasing down HFCs since 2015 under the EU F-Gas Regulation and have already almost halved their HFC use. Several other jurisdictions are also taking steps towards ambitious HFC phase down schedules.
Currently, developing countries are in the process of phasing out ozone depleting HCFCs. This offers them an ideal opportunity to leapfrog HFCs and switch directly to climate-friendly technologies using natural refrigerants. At the same time, there are increased global efforts to address efficiency in the cooling sector, through National Cooling Plans and efficiency standards.
HOW TO USE THE DATABASE
This website allows you to search for examples of companies using natural refrigerants and ‘not in kind’ alternatives in a variety of cooling applications. In the database you will find an array of Cool Technologies available to meet nearly all needs formerly met by fluorinated refrigerants.
When viewing a list of products, you can use filters located at the top of the page to narrow your results to the products of most interest to you.
The Cool Technologies Database is not meant to be all-inclusive, nor is the inclusion of any enterprise an endorsement of any company and its products. The website does not have a commercial purpose and we do not accept payments for any information featured.
It intentionally excludes cooling technologies using unsaturated HFCs (HFOs), as their large-scale use is not proven to be environmentally sustainable. For more information on HFOs, see the Greenpeace position paper on HFOs “HFOs: The New Generation of F-Gases”.
The Cool Technologies Database benefits greatly from cooperation with shecco, a market development company that supports the introduction of climate friendly cooling technologies worldwide.
