SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – The North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC) and Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) recently co-hosted an educational workshop to help the supermarket industry prepare for California’s new refrigerant regulations. California is one of a growing number of states that has committed to phasing down HFCs, setting goals to reduce state HFC emissions by 40 percent below 2013 levels by 2030.
In order to comply with these state regulations, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has proposed a GWP limit of 150 for new stationary refrigeration systems containing more than 50 pounds of refrigerant, as well as a ban on sales of virgin refrigerants with a GWP above 1,500, starting on January 1, 2022. The short timeline to implement these changes in California will be tough to achieve. Speakers at the workshop addressed these challenges, focusing on the latest technology and financing solutions that can be utilized in making the transition to low-GWP refrigerants, such as CO2, hydrocarbons, and ammonia.