6,000 European CO2 systems in 2016
BELGIUM: European supermarkets will install 6,000 transcritical CO2 refrigeration systems next year, according to natural refrigerants group Shecco.
Figures contained in the group’s latest Accelerate Europe magazine illustrate the speed and extent to which supermarkets have already adopted CO2 refrigeration systems around the world. And while Europe continues to lead in the number of transcritical CO2 installations, the USA is making key technological advancements in the deployment of CO2 systems in high ambient areas.
Europe remains the clear leader in the technology with over 5,500 supermarkets now using CO2 transcritical systems. Buoyed by pressures on R404A, Shecco is predicting an additional 6,000 CO2 systems per year from 2016 across Europe.
The adoption of CO2 is also beginning to accelerate elsewhere. With only 190 installations in March 2014, Japan’s adoption of CO2 has since exploded to over 1,000 stores using the low GWP refrigerant. This is mainly down to commitments from two leading retailers, AEON and Lawson. AEON, alone, has 3,500 stores which it is to retrofit with CO2.
The US has been slower to adopt CO2 but this is likely to accelerate now that it has its own restrictions on R404A. From just two installations in 2013, the total of transcritical installations in the US grew to 52 this year, but some of these have been highly innovative systems in high ambient areas.
The cool climate in Canada is particularly suited to CO2 transcritical systems where 139 systems are already installed and South Africa is another area making progress with CO2, boasting 52 installations.
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