Latin America. The challenges of environmental sustainability in Latin America and the Caribbean have contributed to reversing some of the deterioration processes and promoting systems and technologies that mitigate environmental impact.
As evidenced by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) in the study "The challenge of environmental sustainability in Latin America and the Caribbean", "in the region, as in the rest of the world, the normative approach to address environmental sustainability issues and address the unsustainability of production and consumption patterns has been dominant. Responsibilities have been relegated to environmental institutions and law enforcement. However, little progress has been made in crystallizing in the region the comprehensive approach proposed in the declarations and programmes of successive conferences on sustainable development."
Likewise, the Regional Observatory of Renewable Energies - ECLAC said that refrigeration represents 7.8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, of which 63% is due to direct emissions (leaks) of fluorocarbons (CFCs, HCFCs and HFCs) used as refrigerants and 37% to the production of electrical energy necessary for the operation of the facilities. These emissions are increasing due to increasing cooling needs.
Faced with the need to provide greater environmental sustainability, Carlos Grinberg HVAC/R expert, consulted by TOP 100 CONTRACTORS • INSTALLERS IN HVACR • 2022 stated that the trend for the industry is new equipment and technologies that aim at sustainability and sustainability. "These are strong changes that require certifications but are important for energy efficiency." This then sets patterns in consumption, more central and that have a greater effect due to COVID-19 in the framework of quality, especially in indoor air.
The expert also argued that they are more latent needs in the market, in the public of the industry and that they are reflected in the increase in demand for these products and services, often "more present due to cultural changes, evolutionary issues for the sector and that are a trend".
The report raises existing challenges in addressing growing energy demand by cooling space and how to overcome environmental issues through public policy and collaboration with industry and academia. Therefore, it is important to know the benefits of energy efficiency technologies such as Inverter and refrigerants with lower global warming potential (GWP) through projects. Additionally, the prospect of building efficiency and certification programs have a greater impact on markets, which have morphed into "servitization" in the HVACR industry.
Likewise, the report of TOP 100 CONTRACTORS • INSTALLERS IN HVACR • 2022 shows "that the environmental sustainability landscape is fundamental for the refrigeration industry, which is today part of the main consumption chains and becomes an important line of the Latin American economy. In this way, the establishment of the CRRR-EC arises as an alternative to reduce the release of refrigerant gases into the atmosphere but also to cover the demand for refrigerants R134a and R22 when the supply in the market is low and also to reduce the consumption of virgin refrigerant, making regeneration an economical and effective tool".
The document also states that it is necessary to carry out an assessment of the positive and negative environmental impacts that may be generated from the establishment and operation of the CRRR-EC. This, then, consists of characterizing each of the activities and processes that are executed by carrying out the identification, analysis and qualification of the environmental aspects and impacts present, to subsequently propose environmental management measures that allow to prevent and mitigate the negative consequences as well as to follow up and monitor the positive actions in order to maximize their benefit.
* Find more information in the TOP 100 CONTRACTORS • INSTALLERS IN HVACR • 2022 made by ACR Latin America.
