{"id":6862,"date":"2024-08-02T14:06:40","date_gmt":"2024-08-02T14:06:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.embraco.com\/blog\/en-us\/?p=6862"},"modified":"2024-08-02T14:07:31","modified_gmt":"2024-08-02T14:07:31","slug":"components-integration-as-the-path-toward-decarbonization-in-the-cooling-sector","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.embraco.com\/blog\/en-us\/components-integration-as-the-path-toward-decarbonization-in-the-cooling-sector\/","title":{"rendered":"Components integration as the path toward decarbonization in the cooling sector"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Andre Paz Rosa, Commercial Appliances R&D and Product Strategy Senior Director for Nidec Global Appliance, Embraco\u2019s brand owner<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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The world has been facing a monumental challenge: global warming and the resulting climate change. According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service, the European Union\u2019s Earth Observation Programme, January 2024 marked the eighth month in a row with global temperatures rising by 1.3-1.7 degrees Celsius above the average. In response to this urgency, decarbonization has become a global priority.<\/span><\/p>\n

The cooling industry is essential to the preservation of food, beverages, medicine, vaccines, lab samples and the list of its importance to mankind goes on and on. It means quality of life, comfort, and health. But, on the other hand, it is responsible for approximately 10% of global CO<\/span>2<\/span> emissions, according to some estimates researched by <\/span>Birmingham University<\/span><\/a>, in a study about clean cooling.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The study also says that \u201caround 20%-25% of CO<\/span>2<\/span> equivalent emissions from the cooling sector are produced by leaks of hydrofluorocarbon refrigerant gases (\u2018F-gases\u2019)\u201d. The other 75% of the cooling sector\u2019s emissions, still according to the same study, come from energy consumption.\u00a0Another research institute, the IIR (International Institute for Refrigeration), by its turn, says that the cooling sector (including refrigeration and air conditioning) consumes about 17% of the overall electricity used worldwide.<\/span><\/p>\n

This reality makes it crucial to reduce energy consumption on the refrigeration industry\u2019s path toward decarbonization, as energy generation is still predominantly based on highly polluting sources such as natural gas, coal, and other petroleum derivatives. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, in 2022, the electric power sector was responsible for 34% of the global greenhouse gas emissions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Energy efficiency is the fastest and most affordable way to decarbonize our economy and ensure reliable and sustainable energy for everyone on the planet. According to an IEA (International Energy Agency) report, it is the path that accounts for 44% of the emissions reductions in IEA\u2019s <\/span>Sustainable Development Scenario<\/span>, in relation to other actions, such as renewable energy, nuclear energy, etc.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the commercial refrigeration segment, to address this challenge, it is essential to adopt technologies that allow us to consume less energy without compromising cooling performance since the market demands sustainability with efficiency, flexibility, and reliability. In this scenario, integrating components of the refrigeration system, with precise and synchronized control, stands out as the most prominent path toward a more sustainable and efficient future.<\/span><\/p>\n

The fundamental question is: how can value be added to the refrigeration equipment and to the environment at the same time while ensuring better product preservation? The answer is: thinking differently about the components that are already part of the system. Currently, plug-in application manufacturers use several electronic components from different suppliers, each one with a different software, which complicates the optimization of the equipment operation. However, one can make components work in an integrated way with a common software tool for different devices, achieving performance more easily and in less adjustment time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Key synchronized components<\/b><\/p>\n

Component integration means that you take the key components of a refrigeration system and make them work together in a synchronized way. The key components of a usual refrigeration system are:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n