Alice Sommacal

Recent research designed to forecast the progression of the refrigerants market, has shown that that market is expected to reach a value of 8.4 billion dollars with a CAGR of 6.2% by the year 2027.

A recent UN report has highlighted progress made on the NDC (Nationally Determined Contributions) Plans set out by the countries who signed the Paris Agreements are not sufficient to meet targets agreed at European level.

Created as part of the 2007 budget legislation, the Kyoto Fund provides subsidies for those who need to carry out work on specific types of public buildings in order to make them more energy efficient.

The correct installation and maintenance of insulation panels in cold storage chambers ensures that the equipment is fully operational. In order to help professionals in that sector follow proper procedures, a technical guidance note was recently published, designed to prevent any problems or malfunctions.

The CoolLIFE Project was set up on November 8th last year and is a promising initiative included in the European LIFE CET (Clean Energy Transition) programme, the primary objective of which is to meet increased demand for modernisation work related to cooling buildings more effectively.

The results achieved at the COP27 conference which concluded a couple of months ago in Sharm-el-Sheikh, failed to match expectations.

The risks posed by AI have been the subject of much debate and even more so now that systems using that technology are becoming increasingly widespread. Considering that almost every industrial and non-industrial sector uses some form of artificial intelligence to manage its processes, improve productivity or calculate forecasts, the associated risks seem to be growing.

The trend of using so-called smart objects in the home continues to grow and the reasons behind this success can largely be attributed to the desire of families to combat high energy costs, especially increases in prices of gas and electricity, by exploiting the ‘intelligent potential’ they offer.

The smart home has grown from a simple trend among technology enthusiasts to an increasingly popular strategy. This phenomenon has been made possible mainly by the increasing market availability of IoT devices which, thanks to their ease of installation and ability to meet a wide range of requirements, are revolutionising our concept of the home.

For some time now, augmented reality has been used in retail to help clients select which products they should buy.  This technology is a result of ongoing research and development and is gradually changing the way people make purchases in shops, as it continues to bring the physical and digital experiences closer together.

For some time now, certain sectors have included virtual reality training to their in-house training packages in order to help trainees understand the workplace dynamics of their chosen profession.  Already widely used in aviation for pilot training, it is steadily gaining ground in many fields, including the refrigeration industry.

The use of ammonia based refrigeration equipment is gradually gaining ground with companies for whom storage at low temperatures is essential.  This success is in large part due to ammonia’s attractive thermodynamic properties, which mean the results it can achieve are not only excellent but also sustainable.