ShareEditorial by Didier Coulomb
Energy is one of the main strategic challenges of this century, both in terms of the impact of energy consumption on the environment (greenhouse effect) and above all in terms of the risk of shortages with respect to our society's needs (limited oil production) that have already led to major price hikes. However, refrigeration is not just a consumer of energy- it is also a key element in the development of new forms of energy. Liquefaction of natural gas is increasingly used to enable this source of energy, that is still in plentiful supply and in strong demand, to be transported. Liquefaction of hydrogen will make it possible to develop this inexhaustible source of energy in the future. The IIR is of course involved in these new refrigeration technologies. The IIR organizes the Cryogenics series of conferences, and the latest one was held within the framework of CryoPrague in July 2006. The IIR also co-organizes the LNG series of conferences entirely devoted to Liquefied Natural Gas- the next one, LNG 15, is to be held in Barcelona in April 2007. The IIR has just published an Informatory Note, Liquefied Natural Gas: Current Expansion and Challenges, which covers the development of this technology. Download it in order to find out more: http://www.iifiir.org Refrigeration is thus firmly anchored in its primary role, i.e. the meeting of society's developmental needs and ensuring environmental protection: liquefaction of gases is also being used in the storage of CO2 in order to prevent it from being released into the atmosphere! Didier Coulomb, Director of the IIR