Danfoss applauds the negotiating parties of the Montreal Protocol and their accomplishment in reaching an agreement on the phase down of hydro fluorocarbons(HFCs). The historic agreement reached in Kigali, Rwanda, combined with the recently-adopted Paris Climate Change Agreement, is expected to help keep the rise of global temperatures to well below 2 degrees C by the end of this century.
For years, Danfoss has been proactively working towards a low-global warming potential (GWP) future. We have worked closely with regulators to define the EU F-gas rules and the US SNAP rules, both of which direct the early phase-down of HFCs in their respective regions. In scientific and policy forums, Danfoss has shared its research and testing results to demonstrate that the use of low-GWP refrigerants – both natural and man-made—is practical, safe, affordable and sustainable. For instance, there are currently over 7,000 ultra-low GWP CO2 refrigeration systems using Danfoss products in operation today.
With a broad portfolio of technologies that enable the manufacturers of HVAC-R equipment to use a wide variety of low-GWP refrigerants, Danfoss is well-positioned to help our customers transition to low GWP refrigerants before the Montreal Protocol phase-down deadlines. Further, we are partnering with equipment manufacturers at our global Application Development Centers, including our soon-to-be-open ADC in Tallahassee, Florida, to design and test more efficient equipment for a more sustainable footprint.
Danfoss looks forward to continuing our work with the heating, air-conditioning and refrigeration industries in making more environmentally-friendly solutions a reality.
President for Danfoss Cooling Jurgen Fischer said, "This is a great milestone which creates more certainty for industry. The future now certainly belongs to low GWP refrigerants but this will not be enough for us. The usage of low GWP refrigerants will also lead to even more energy-efficient solutions. The research momentum created around low GWP refrigerants has already shown that cooling and heating systems can be improved with big success. Now we will also explore the next step on how to make efficient flammable refrigerants become mainstream addressing pragmatic safety standards and codes as we develop even more products ."