Fisheries Changing Ice Plants to Energy-Efficient and Eco-Friendly
Whether you are a farmer in a rural setting transporting milk to the local market, a patient undergoing chemotherapy, or a fishermen transporting fish to the market, we all rely on devices that keep us, and the things we consume, cool.
Without fridges our food would quickly go off, milk would rapidly sour and food poisonings would likely skyrocket.
Refrigeration also plays a vital role in the storage of many other life-saving medications – from insulin to antibiotics to prevent them from degrading and becoming useless.
In schools, offices, shops and homes in many parts of the world, refrigerants also play an important role in the air conditioning systems that keep these buildings cool and comfortable.
The cooling industry is important, but it is also incredibly polluting – accounting for around 10% of global carbon (CO2) emissions. That is three times the amount produced by aviation and shipping combined. And as temperatures around the world continue to rise due to climate change, the demand for cooling will increase too.
With countries and companies under pressure to slash their contribution to climate change, the cooling industry is facing a radical overhaul to the way it produces and disposes of refrigerants.
Over the past three decades, governments around the world have pledged to crack down on the potent climate-warming chemicals used as coolants, while companies have started seeking natural, less polluting alternatives. But environmental campaigners say changes must be made much faster if international climate goals are to be met.
How does the refrigerant we use affect the environment?
The halocarbons in refrigeration appliances contribute to the greenhouse effect. These gases prevent heat escaping from the earth and deplete the ozone layer that filters the sun’s rays. The greenhouse effect and ozone layer depletion contribute to global warming.
Simply put, refrigerators and air conditioning units consume excessive amounts of energy when operating continuously in hot climates. They also contain chemicals that readily absorb heat from the environment as they turn from being a cool liquid into a gas. As they transition back to liquid, they release the heat into the outside – either outside a building or outside a fridge – before being cycled back to begin the cooling process again.
By far, the largest source of emissions is from refrigeration and air conditioning systems and over time they can leak out into the atmosphere from damaged appliances.
Government commitment to Montreal Protocol
The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (the Montreal Protocol) is an international agreement made in 1987 and to which Fiji is party to. It was designed to stop the production and import of ozone depleting substances and reduce their concentration in the atmosphere to
help protect the earth’s ozone layer.
Fiji was the first developing country among the Pacific Island Countries to become a party to this multilateral environmental agreement. Fiji has achieved advanced chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) phase-out since 2000 through strong enforcement of its Ozone Depletion Substances (ODS) Act 1998 and technical assistance from the projects under
the Refrigerant Management Plan (RMP).
Government through the Ministry of Fisheries is now working towards replacing all the ice plant machines that are in operation across Fiji into more energy-efficient and eco-friendly plants.
The Ministry will be changing its current Taylor machines to eco-refrigerant machines from next year starting with Savusavu, Vunisea and Lautoka Service Centres.
Fiji remains committed to the Montreal Protocol and has designed phase out projects which is well supported by Government in partnership with the Overseas Fishery Cooperation Foundation of Japan.
When all systems will be replaced, the Ministry will be contributing to Fiji’s efforts in conforming to global efforts in reducing carbon emissions into the atmosphere.
Studies have shown that R22 refrigerant, commonly known as Freon, aids in the depletion of the ozone in our atmosphere. Although other refrigerants like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are also considered harmful to our planet, R22 is often the most detrimental to the environment.
Permanent Secretary for Fisheries, Pene Baleinabuli says that the Ministry is now 66 percent in progress with the phasing out of R22 dependent machines and by 2022, the Ministry should be at 83 percent of the phasing out of R22 refrigerant ice making machines.
“By 2024, the Ministry is expected to have phased out these R22 dependent systems by 100 percent to Eco-refrigerant systems in our 24 ice plant service centres across Fiji,” explained Mr. Baleinabuli.
“The Ministry’s Technical Services Division has been working with the OFCF technical experts in replacing our old machines to new ones. Our ultimate goal is to transition all ice plants into energy-efficient plants.”
“We are grateful to OFCF for stepping in to assist us with regards to the installation of these new energy efficient systems and I am sure that once these machines are up and running, we can proudly say that we are staying true to the course in helping save our environment,” Mr. Baleinabuli said.
What consumers can do to help the cause?
The number of global cooling devices is estimated to increase from 3.6 billion to 9.5 billion by 2050, according to a report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Energy Association (IEA).
To assist in global efforts, consumers too can play their part through the devices they buy, how they use them and what they do with refrigerant-filled equipment once finished with them.
This means that proper disposal is essential. If the refrigerant chemicals are carefully extracted and stored, they can be purified for reuse or turned into other substances that do not cause global warming.
Consumers looking to get rid of their old fridge, freezer or air conditioning unit in a responsible fashion have a number of options open to them and can contact the Department of Environment.
For consumers, however, working out which appliances contain natural refrigerants is not always easy.
Some countries including Fiji have already introduced labelling to help people easily identify which fridges contain these more climatefriendly alternatives.
Mr. Baleinabuli adds that learning more about our environment and doing the right thing can contribute in a huge way to a healthy planet for generations to come.
For the Ministry of Fisheries, transitioning the ice plants into more energy-efficient and ecofriendly machines will add to Fiji’s climate change champion role by further reducing our already minimal carbon footprint.