New air con coolants save on power use

The successful switch by the Thai air conditioner manufacturing industry to the eco-friendly refrigerant R-32 could reduce the country’s power consumption by 10%, according to World Bank.

The reduction level is equivalent to the amount of electricity generated by a coalfired power plant per year.

Speaking at a recent seminar titled “Climate Change and Linkage to Cold Food Chain and Comfort Cooling in Urban Areas” held by the International Institute for Trade and Development (ITD), Viraj Vithoontien, a World Bank senior environmental specialist, said the adoption of R-32 technology for air conditioners in Thailand will not only reduce the country’s electricity consumption but also is likely to cut greenhouse gas in urban areas by one-third.

Refrigerators and air conditioners now account for 30-35% of electricity use in urban areas and air con purchases are growing at 10-15% a year in developing countries, he said.

“So if we can switch to a new refrigerant that is more friendly to the ozone layer and reduces greenhouse gas emissions and saves energy, we will gain the benefit,’’ Mr Viraj said.

According to Thai air conditioner manufacturer Saijo Denki International, air-conditioners with R-32 coolants are 5-10% more energy-efficient and have a cooling capacity that is 10% higher than older models.

This new refrigerant also does not deplete the ozone layer and has lower global warming impact.

The conventional refrigerant gas, hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), depletes the ozone layer and causes global warming as much as 1,800 times that of carbon dioxide. “Thailand is now the only the country where the air conditioner manufacturing industry has changed to an R-32 base, which will give the industry the opportunity to expand its export market to developed countries,” said Mr Viraj.

Thailand’s air-conditioning industry now ranks second among the world’s air conditioning manufacturers, behind only China, he said.

Developed countries have eliminated HCFCs to fulfill treaty obligations to the Montreal Protocol and now many developing countries are following suit to meet their international obligations as well. However, R-32 is not the most eco-friendly refrigerant for air conditioners at present as it still has a global warming impact of 675 times that of carbon dioxide.

The best technology is hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs), which have low global warming potential, he said.

“The HFOs patent is still too expensive for now. However, in the future all air conditioning companies will have to move forward to this technology. And when this technology is widely adopted, it will be a big step to help countries meet their pledge to limit global warming to two degrees Celsius,’’ he said.