World News

SWEDEN: Nordic Climate Group has continued its grow in Denmark with the acquisition of air conditioning, refrigeration and heat pump contractor PVN Køleteknik.

USA: The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a settlement with a California-based ice processing company following safety issues with its ammonia refrigeration system.

DENMARK: Danfoss has reported robust growth in half-year sales, up 13% to €5,528m.

FRANCE: Dr Yosr Allouche has become the first woman, and the first person born outside of France, to hold the role of director general of the International Institute of Refrigeration.

USA: Chinese manufacturer Gree has recalled 1.56 million portable dehumidifiers in the USA after reports of at least 23 fires, 688 incidents of overheating, and $168,000 in property damage.

USA: Enforcement of the US AIM Act regulations controlling the use, importation and production of HFCs has been identified as a priority by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 

USA: The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reached settlements totalling $373,490 with two Maine-based companies for ammonia refrigeration system safety violations.

UK: US investment company TPG Rise Climate has acquired a majority stake in refrigerant management company A-Gas from current majority shareholders KKR and its other owners.

GERMANY: Industry groups in Germany have called for exemptions for F-gases and spare parts for refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pumps in any future European PFAS bans.

BELGIUM: Eurovent has released its first ever recommendation on the STER seasonal efficiency index for polyvalent units.

GERMANY: Industry groups in Germany are calling for clear heat pump policies at both national and European level in order to shift to clean energy.

FRANCE: French retail stores Boulanger and Auchan have issued recalls for two portable air conditioners due to safety concerns. 

GERMANY: Scientists in Germany are said to have achieved an important milestone in the development of solid-state electrocaloric heat pumps.

USA: Atlanta-based cold storage operator and developer Envision Cold has launched  official launch of its cold chain platform with a $500m investment from an undisclosed capital partner. 

JAPAN: Researchers at the University of Tokyo claim to have generated electricity from latent heat, an achievement which, it is said, advances the possibilities of thermoelectric conversion and thermocells.

JAPAN: Daikin has reported sales of JPY1,094,715m (US$7,552m) in the first quarter (April 1 to June 30), an increase of 13.1% on last year.

USA: Projects involving the development of heat pumps and related technologies are included in $46m of funding just announced by the US Department of Energy (DOE).

USA: SkyCool Systems, the California-based manufacturer of radiative cooling panels, has secured $5m of funding to scale deployments of its patented technology.

USA: Copeland has received a $2.5m grant from the US Department of Energy (DOE) to support the company’s research and development of heat pump technology.

GERMANY: The administrator of Efficient Energy GmbH, the German manufacturer of chillers using water as the refrigerant, has indicated that he has a number of potential investors for the firm.

UK: Johnson Controls has named Marc Vandiepenbeeck as vice president and president, Building Solutions Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Latin America (EMEALA).

AUSTRALIA: Supermarket group Coles has signed an agreement with Australian energy company Origin which will see the companies co-invest in renewable energy and battery assets at Coles stores.

USA/CANADA: Daikin has recalled over 60,000 Amana packaged terminal air conditioners/heat pumps (PTACs) in the USA and Canada due to fire concerns.

GERMANY: The AIT-Group is expanding heat pump production with the acquisition of an adjacent factory at its headquarters in Kasendorf, Bavaria.

ITALY: Refrigeration controls and humidifier company Carel recorded consolidated revenues of €330.3m in the first six months of the year, an increase of 26.4% compared to 2022. 

CANADA: A British-Columbia-based seafood processing and cold storage company has been fined CA$755,000 (US$566,000) after pleading guilty to transporting and discharging ammonia into fish-bearing water.

JAPAN: Daikin is to build a new JPY20 billion (US$140m) residential air conditioning factory near Tokyo to satisfy home demand.