Ground breaking work by the not-for-profit company Green Cooling Council to promote ammonia as a viable alternative for climate damaging HFCs could be lost as the Australian Government has delayed the payment of approved funds. A cease of operations could lead to the loss of invaluable data on the performance of NH3/CO2 cascade supermarket systems.
Australia’s essential transition to natural refrigerants is in danger of losing momentum, as one of their major advocates has been pushed to the edge of bankruptcy. The Green Cooling Council, a not-for-profit organisation founded to promote a turn-away from high global warming refrigerants, has thus been refused much-needed funds to restore its activities and is, since early December, under forced administration. Unless the government resolves the delay in payment of the Greenhouse Gas Abatement Program (GGAP) funding within the next few weeks, the Green Cooling Council (GCC) will irreversibly cease operation.
A possible solution has been proposed by Senator Christine Milne, who is urging the government to take immediate action to avoid termination of the project. On 4 December, Milne moved a motion in the Australian Senate, passed with Opposition support, calling on the government to acknowledge the “highly significant and internationally-recognised work to facilitate a reduction in the use of high global warming potential HFC greenhouse gases in the refrigeration and air conditioning industry”. She also highlighted the Council’s valuable contribution to preparing Australia’s industry for the introduction of the upcoming Carbon Polution Reduction Scheme (CPRS).
According to industry observers, the change of Government since the approval of the initial 2 million $ to fund the Green Cooling Council could be at the origin of the controversy. In order to ensure the continuation of the project, full payment of the milestones is required. In the interim, urgent measures will need to be discussed with the administrator.
NH3/CO2 systems’ data could be lost
In the last 12 months, the GCC has been gathering substantial amount of data in detailed performance monitoring of ammonia-carbon dioxide refrigeration equipment installed in Australian stores. Originally, it was planned to publish the information at the end of the project, with an interim report after one year. This valuable data could now be lost if the organization is dissolved. More importantly, significant investments made to date may never benefit the industry, as data collection has now ceased and no capacity exists to analyse it and share it. This would greatly diminish the return on public funds already invested in developing new climate friendly refrigeration systems.
Background to The Green Cooling Council
Since its foundation in 2003, the GCC has been active in the promotion of natural refrigerants, including hydrocarbons, CO2, and ammonia. In Sydney, the GCC facilitated the construction of three cascade supermarkets, including the first CO2/ammonia cascade system at the Coles Ropes Crossing environmental concept store. Beyond the Australian borders, the GCC has actively advocated the use of natural refrigerants in developing countries at international meetings, last at the international Montreal Protocol meeting in July.
A possible solution has been proposed by Senator Christine Milne, who is urging the government to take immediate action to avoid termination of the project. On 4 December, Milne moved a motion in the Australian Senate, passed with Opposition support, calling on the government to acknowledge the “highly significant and internationally-recognised work to facilitate a reduction in the use of high global warming potential HFC greenhouse gases in the refrigeration and air conditioning industry”. She also highlighted the Council’s valuable contribution to preparing Australia’s industry for the introduction of the upcoming Carbon Polution Reduction Scheme (CPRS).
According to industry observers, the change of Government since the approval of the initial 2 million $ to fund the Green Cooling Council could be at the origin of the controversy. In order to ensure the continuation of the project, full payment of the milestones is required. In the interim, urgent measures will need to be discussed with the administrator.
NH3/CO2 systems’ data could be lost
In the last 12 months, the GCC has been gathering substantial amount of data in detailed performance monitoring of ammonia-carbon dioxide refrigeration equipment installed in Australian stores. Originally, it was planned to publish the information at the end of the project, with an interim report after one year. This valuable data could now be lost if the organization is dissolved. More importantly, significant investments made to date may never benefit the industry, as data collection has now ceased and no capacity exists to analyse it and share it. This would greatly diminish the return on public funds already invested in developing new climate friendly refrigeration systems.
Background to The Green Cooling Council
Since its foundation in 2003, the GCC has been active in the promotion of natural refrigerants, including hydrocarbons, CO2, and ammonia. In Sydney, the GCC facilitated the construction of three cascade supermarkets, including the first CO2/ammonia cascade system at the Coles Ropes Crossing environmental concept store. Beyond the Australian borders, the GCC has actively advocated the use of natural refrigerants in developing countries at international meetings, last at the international Montreal Protocol meeting in July.
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Dec 10, 2008, 19:50
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