Fixing the refrigerant problem

Catalyst with Shayle Kann

The bad news: The refrigerants we use in air conditioners, fridges, and vehicles absorb hundreds to thousands of times more heat than carbon dioxide does. The good news: We’re in the middle of a global effort to replace them with lower impact alternatives.

Will we replace them fast enough to hit climate targets? And in the meantime, can we prevent them from leaking into the atmosphere?

In this episode, Shayle talks to Ian McGavisk, senior advisor at RMI for carbon-free buildings. An industry veteran, he recently co-authored a report on recovering residential AC refrigerants in the U.S., which have the carbon equivalent of 1.7 million cars. (Ian also works in business development at Transaera. Energy Impact Partners, where Shayle works, invests in Transaera.). Shayle and Ian cover topics like:

• The sources of emissions in the refrigerant lifecycle
• The economics of recovering and reclaiming refrigerants
• Alternatives with low global warming potential and their tradeoffs, such as efficiency, flammability and concerns about forever chemicals

Recommended resources

RMI: Refrigerant Reclamation

Project Drawdown: Refrigerant Management

Project Drawdown: Alternative Refrigerants

EPA: Transitioning to Low-GWP Alternatives in Commercial Refrigeration

UN Environmental Programme: Montreal Protocol On Substances That Deplete The Ozone Layer, Report Of The Technology And Economic Assessment Panel, May 2024

Catalyst is brought to you by EnergyHub. EnergyHub is working with more than 70 utilities across North America to help scale VPP programs to manage load growth, maximize the value of renewables, and deliver flexibility at every level of the grid. To learn more about their Edge DERMS platform and services, go to energyhub.com.

On December 3 in Washington, DC, Latitude Media is bringing together a range of experts for Transition-AI 2024, a one-day, in-person event addressing both sides of the AI-energy nexus: the challenges AI poses to the grid, and the opportunities. Our podcast listeners get a 10% discount on this year’s conference using the code LMPODS10. Register today here!