Climate-friendly cooling in South Africa
Project description
Title: Partnership between Bavaria and South Africa’s Western Cape region on climate-friendly cooling technologies – training, technical advice, and knowledge and technology transfer
Commissioned by: Bavarian State Ministry of the Environment and Consumer Protection,
Bavarian State Office of the Environment
Country: South Africa
Lead executing agency: Western Cape Regional Government: Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning
Overall term: 2017 to 2020
Context
Cooling systems are responsible for a large part South Africa’s greenhouse gas emissions. Using fluorine-based gases such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) or fluorinated hydrocarbons (HCFCs) as cooling agents damages the ozone layer and speeds up global warming. The international community has enhanced the Montreal Protocol for protecting the ozone layer with the Kigali Amendment, which came into force on 1 January 2019. It makes provision for a gradual long-term reduction in the use of HCFCs in industrialised and developing countries. A reduction of 85 per cent by 2036 has been agreed upon for industrialised countries, and an 80 and 85 per cent cut for developing and emerging countries, respectively, between 2024 and 2047.
Against this backdrop, Bavaria is working with South Africa’s Western Cape region with the aim of transforming the cooling industry in a climate-friendly and sustainable way, based on natural cooling agents and propellants. The experience gained is to be made accessible to other countries
Umweltschädliche Emissionen durch Kältemittel und ineffiziente Energienutzung im Kühlsektor werden durch den Einsatz nachhaltiger Kältelösungen und energieeffizienter Technologien in Südafrika minimiert.
Objective
Environmentally damaging emissions caused by cooling agents and inefficient energy use in the cooling industry are to be minimised by harnessing sustainable cooling solutions and energy-efficient technologies in South Africa.
Approach
On behalf of the German Government, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is implementing sustainable solutions for cooling, air conditioning and foam production across the globe with its overarching Proklima programme.
Bavaria’s cooperation with the Western Cape region is aiming to transform the cooling industry through the use of environmentally friendly cooling technologies, specifically natural cooling agents as well as optimised cooling appliances and processes.
The main focus of the partnership is capacity development, knowledge transfer and technology cooperation. That is why training programmes for South African cooling technicians are being offered in Germany and technical workshops are being put on in the Western Cape.
Results
The transfer of skills and knowledge has been initiated in the first training programme.
- Training for cooling technicians from South Africa:
The ‘Cool Training’ module, which Proklima helped develop, was used to impart theoretical and practical knowledge on handling natural cooling agents to the first group of technicians from South Africa. The two-week training programmes also included a visit to Bavarian companies to offer the participants an insight into the use of modern and environmentally friendly climate and cooling technologies. - Technical workshop on environmentally friendly climate and cooling technology: Proklima is supporting the technical and logistical preparation of an initial technical workshop in the Western Cape region in June 2019. Organised by the Bavarian State Office of the Environment (LfU) and the Western Cape Regional Government, the two-day workshop aims to present successful examples of environmentally friendly air conditioning. Experts from Germany and South Africa will be invited. The aims are to showcase the latest technologies and exchange technical information.