World News

Industry news and insights from Europe and around the World

UK News

Latest news and developments in the United Kingdom

Products

Keep up-to-date with the latest new products and technology

Features

General articles, applications and industry analysis

Guide charts boom in CO2 refrigeration

BELGIUM: The accelerating adoption of transcritical CO2 refrigeration systems, from just 140 in 2008 to over 35,000 today, is highlighted in a new report from Shecco. 

The free-to-download Global Guide to Transcritical CO2 Refrigeration, which includes chapters in Part 3 on industrial refrigeration and future market trends, shows positive trends for using CO2 in a wide range of applications around the world. 

Said to be backed by extensive global research, the report estimates the number of is more than 35,500 systems today. This is an exponential increase from the mere 140 installations counted in 2008, all of which were in Europe. This growth is most noticeable within regions such as Europe, the US, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

“It is exciting to note the rapid rate at which transcritical CO2 refrigeration installations are increasing globally – no longer just in Europe alone,” said Shecco’s market development manager, and lead author of the guide, Ilana Koegelenberg.

One of the most notable trends is the expansion of suitable applications beyond the traditional commercial food retail industry. “Today, especially in Europe, transcritical CO2 has become almost a ‘no-brainer’ for both new and retrofit installations,” said Koegelenberg. 

Part 1 of the guide, published in May, highlights the history of CO2, its key characteristics, basic system descriptions, and includes a chapter on practical, real-life transcritical CO2 applications around the world. 

Part 2, published in June, is based on a global industry survey and includes a policy update, articles on convenience store applications and more traditional commercial refrigeration uses, as well as case studies.

The complete guide now includes the previously unreleased Part 3, featuring chapters on industrial refrigeration trends and the future of the market, case studies, and a section on drivers and barriers to the uptake of CO2. 

To promote the complete guide, Shecco is holding a webinar on July 23 to share key findings. It will include presentations by Ilana Koegelenberg and colleague and market analyst Zita Laumen. 

The webinar will highlight the guide’s most important findings, including market data on the number of installations, survey information, partner case studies, and trends in convenience stores, commercial installations and industrial applications.

The complete guide can be viewed and downloaded here.

Latest News

4th May 2026

Energy crisis boosts European heat pump sales

BELGIUM: Sales of residential heat pumps are said to have increased by an average of 25% in France, Germany and Poland in the first quarter of 2026.
4th May 2026

US customs to auction 15 tonnes of seized refrigerant

USA: The US Customs and Border Protection is to auction approximately 15 tonnes of HFC refrigerants seized in actions by its officers. 
3rd May 2026

Skills gap: the answer’s already on the van

Will Overton, director of Vectis Refrigeration and founder of the Wisdom Group FM, argues that the skills gap in refrigeration and HVAC is not a training problem: it is a…
3rd May 2026

Qvantum’s R290 water-source heat pump

UK: Qvantum has launched a new R290 water-to-water heat pump for communal ground-source systems and individual ground source projects.
3rd May 2026

IOR briefs on heat recovery

UK: The Institute of Refrigeration has published the first in a new series of Technology Briefs on the topic of heat recovery. 
2nd May 2026

Kroger to spend $100m to fix refrigerant leaks

USA: Leading US retailer Kroger will pay a $2.5m civil penalty and spend an estimated $100m over the next three years to reduce refrigerant leaks from its refrigerators and other…