Inventory compilation F-gases: Refrigeration and air conditioning

Umweltbundesamt Bismarckplatz
Bismarckplatz 1
14193 Berlin
Germany
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On 24 October 2012 the contractor of the research project entitled Modelle zur Ermittlung der Inventardaten für die Emissionsberichterstattung fluorierter Treibhausgase (HFKW, FKW und SF6) in ausgewählten Quellgruppen [Models for inventory compilation of fluorinated greenhouse gases (HFC, PFC and SF6) in selected source categories] (FKZ 363 01 351) presented the project’s key conclusions and changes in the area of refrigeration and air conditioning. The presenters and some 30 participants discussed the new models and the assumptions made to calculate emissions in the applications ‘commercial refrigeration’, ‘industrial refrigeration’ and ‘car air conditioning’. It was agreed that the new models are state-of-the-art in technological terms and provide an accurate illustration of current data availability. It was also determined that improving the accuracy of reported emissions can only be achieved if reporting occurs at individual facility level.

Another topic of discussion was how the use of the new models will affect the amounts of reported F-gas emissions from refrigeration and air conditioning systems. Changes in the reported application emissions from car air conditioning systems are minimal, whereas they fall within the uncertainty interval of the recorded data for commercial and industrial refrigeration systems. The sum of disposal emissions has been adjusted downwards in all sectors and shifted for most applications to subsequent years. The main reason for this in stationary refrigeration and air conditioning systems is that the average product life time of most systems had to be considerably increased. Therefore, the disposal emissions will first occur in later years.