Emission mitigation in the transport refrigeration sector
Context
South Africa’s economy depends largely on agriculture as well as trade and retail – two sectors in which transport plays a vital role. The transport and distribution of refrigerated goods is an important part of the greenhouse gas emission balance of cold chains. Refrigeration units and truck engines consume fuel and therefore create emissions in the form of CO2. Furthermore, the refrigerants contained in the about 9,000 trucks and trailers deployed in the refrigerated transport sector in South Africa contribute to global warming. Hydrofluorocarbons are currently the most commonly used refrigerants. Unlike chlorofluorocarbons, they do not deplete the ozone layer, but contribute substantially to greenhouse gas emissions.
It is estimated that under a business-as-usual scenario, emissions in the transport refrigeration sector in South Africa will increase from the current two million tons of CO2eq (CO2 equivalent) to over five million tons CO2eq by 2020.
Objective
By changing to natural refrigerants, reducing the energy consumption of refrigerated vehicles, and optimising operational procedures, climate-damaging emissions are mitigated in the transport refrigeration sector.
Approach
The project is supporting the South African Government in its efforts to integrate the transport refrigeration sector into its national mitigation strategy. In close cooperation with major stakeholders in South Africa and with support from the HEAT consulting company, recommendations are being formulated for measures that can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These recommendations are discussed with stakeholders and subsequently implemented in pilot measures.
Results
The project established a steering committee comprised of officials from the South African Government (representatives of the Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Environmental Affairs and Department of Transport) and industry representatives. The steering committee formed two working groups to investigate the following topics in more detail:
1. Establishing a test chamber and developing a testing standard in South Africa. Test chambers are used in many countries to verify the insulation capacity of refrigerated vehicles as well as the performance of refrigerating units based on standardised tests. By establishing such a test chamber, the thermal efficiency of refrigerated vehicles in South Africa can be tested for the first time and specifically targeted for optimisation.
2. Improving the insulation performance of refrigerated vehicles. The aim is to support South African vehicle manufacturers through transfer of knowledge in developing and producing new vehicles so that the requirements of future national standards can be met.
In cooperation with the only South African manufacturer of transport refrigeration systems, a prototype that runs on hydrocarbons as a natural refrigerant is also being developed. In addition, the pilot project of an international refrigeration system producer that uses CO2 as a refrigerant is to be expanded to South Africa. CO2 is an environmentally harmless refrigerant.
In cooperation with the only South African manufacturer of transport refrigeration systems, a prototype running on hydrocarbons as a natural refrigerant is also being developed. In addition, the pilot project of an international refrigeration system producer that uses CO2 as a refrigerant is to be expanded to South Africa. CO2 is an environmentally harmless refrigerant.