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Conference discusses 'future-proof options for commercial refrigeration
ATLANTA - The eighth annual ATMOsphere America conference convened in Atlanta this June, with a program designed to educate attendees about how natural refrigerants such as C02, ammonia, and propane can be viable alternatives for commercial refrigeration equipment. These refrigerants are considered to be 'future proof,' because they have extremely low GWPs, so end users would most likely not have to change their refrigeration equipment again in the future to comply with new regulations.
The conference offered many educational sessions and panel discussions that covered topics ranging from best practices to regulatory updates to the benefits and challenges of converting to natural refrigerants. The event provided the opportunity for contractors, manufacturers, and end users to come together to discuss how natural refrigerants can be used to help supermarkets and other food retailers comply with new state regulations while becoming more efficient and sustainable.
POLICIES AND STANDARDS
At the policy and standards session, Julie Cerqueira, executive director of the U.S.
Climate Alliance, provided an overview of the goals of the 25-governor association. The group formed in 2017 in response to the Trump administration's decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement on climate change and is committed to reducing HFC - as well as other greenhouse gas - emissions.
"Unfortunately, we are living in a country right now where the federal government has abdicated their leadership in addressing HFCs," she said. "When you look across the U.S. and globally, HFC emissions are growing faster than any other greenhouse gas emission. Across the U.S., we see that air conditioning is one of the biggest sources currently for HFC emissions, but over time, we're expecting that air conditioning and refrigeration are going to play a much greater role."
In response, states in the Climate Alliance are working to reduce short-lived climate pollutant (SLCP) emissions such as HFCs, methane, and black carbon by agreeing to introduce similar legislation in each state that...