Decision XXIX/10 Task Force Report on Issues Related to Energy Efficiency While Phasing Down Hydrofluorocarbons

At their 29th Meeting, parties requested the Technology and Economic Assessment Panel (TEAP) to report to the 40th Open-ended Working Group (OEWG-40) on issues related to energy efficiency (EE) while phasing down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), as outlined in Decision XXIX/10. Decision XXIX/10 requests, in relation to maintaining and/or enhancing energy efficiency in the refrigeration and air-conditioning and heat-pump (RACHP) sectors, an assessment of:

• Technology options and requirements including
  • Challenges for their uptake;
  • Their long-term sustainable performance and viability; and
  • Their environmental benefits in terms of CO₂eq;
  • Capacity-building and servicing sector requirements in the refrigeration and air-conditioning and heat-pump sectors;
• Related costs including capital and operating costs.

The decision also requested TEAP to provide an overview of the activities and funding provided by other relevant institutions addressing EE in the RACHP sectors in relation to maintaining and/or enhancing energy efficiency while phasing down HFCs under the Kigali Amendment.

Finally, Decision XXIX/10 requested the Secretariat to organise a workshop on EE opportunities while phasing-down HFCs at hydrofluorocarbons at OEWG-40, and, thereafter, for TEAP to prepare an updated final report for the 30th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol, taking into consideration the outcome of the workshop.

In response to Decision XXIX/10, TEAP established the Decision XXIX/10 Task Force, which included TEAP and Technical Options Committees members as well as outside experts. EE is a broad topic of major importance for the environment, economics and health, and there is an enormous amount of published literature and reviews. In preparing its response to the decision, the Task Force referenced information provided in earlier TEAP reports (e.g., Decision XXVIII/3 Working Group Report – October 2017) and examined updated, available research and studies. Outside expert members of the Task Force provided relevant information from their own research and of work done by their colleagues and organisations for consideration in this report.

This report is organised, following the format requested in Decision XXIX/10, into an introduction and two main chapters. Chapter 2 deals with the technology opportunities related to maintaining or enhancing EE during the phasedown of HFCs. Various aspects of the EE opportunities in the RACHP sector were considered. Chapter 2 also considered the other topics requested from the decision including the long-term sustainability and viability of the technology opportunities, consideration of high ambient temperature conditions, climate benefits from adopting the RACHP EE measures, and consideration of related capital and operating costs. Chapter 3 examines other financial institutions where these may intersect with support for realizing EE goals in the RACHP sectors during the phasedown of HFCs. Contained in two annexes are information about the different challenges to the technology uptake in the RACHP sectors and examples of relevant projects funding or financing.