The Green Cooling Programme, aimed at transforming the country's air conditioning sector to become climate and environmentally friendly, energy efficient, and sustainable, was yesterday launched in Accra.It is an initiative of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in collaboration with the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).The programme also seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the promotion of the adoption of green split air conditioners (ACs) that made use of the climate and environmentally-friendly natural refrigerant (R290) and consumed less energy than conventional units.It is being funded by Switzerland based Klik Foundation under Article 6.2 of the Paris agreement and implemented by the EPA and GIZ.Speaking at the event, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the EPA, Professor Nana Ama Browne Klutse, said that the Green Cooling Programme was important as the split AC sub-sector accounted for eight per cent of the country's greenhouse gas emission."The clearance on our air conditioning unit is set to rise share.
However, this growing demand comes with a significant environmental cost.
The air conditioning sector is a substantial contributor to Ghana's current and future greenhouse emissions, primarily through the leak of high global warming potentials, refrigerants, and the considerable electricity consumption of these units", Prof.
Klutse explained."This transition presents a monumental opportunity to significantly reduce our emissions and prevent the lock-in of harmful environmental impacts for decades to come", She added.According to her, the Green Cooling Programme was designed to offer financial incentives for up to 150,000 green ACs, capacity training, including comprehensive training and certification programmes for AC technicians and an end-life-management for old ACs.Prof.
