GL2012 highlights: Experience from the Danish regulation on fluorinated gas

In 2001 and 2002, Denmark introduced a national regulation on fluorinated greenhouse gases: they were banned for certain purposes and a tax of DKK 100 (around 13 €) per tonne of CO2 equivalents was imposed on the importation of HFC/PFC/SF6. This figure was increased by 50% to DKK 150 (around 20 €) in January 2011.
Support of research and development of alternative technology was also implemented.

Imports of HFCs dropped from 1000 tonnes/year in 2000 to around 358 tonnes in 2010, of which about 331 tonnes are used by the refrigeration industry.
According to Danish researchers who presented a paper during the  , alternative technology using natural refrigerants is now standard for all applications, apart from small HFC chillers under 10 kg in which the use of HFCs is still allowed.
In 2010, 200 transcritical CO2 systems were installed in Denmark, i.e. almost half the total number for the whole of Europe. At the time of the study, 800 transcritical systems were installed in Europe in 2011, but it was expected that the annual figure would total 2000 units, including 500 units in Denmark, and new ammonia chillers have been installed recently to cool office buildings, hospitals, airports and other big buildings.

* P. H. Pedersen, M.A. Sørensen, Experience from the Danish regulation of F-gases and implications for the refrigeration industry, 10th IIR Gustav Lorentzen Conference on Natural Fluids.

This paper can be downloaded via the IIR’s Fridoc database (free for IIR members within the framework of their quota of free downloads). You just have to login and search for the paper via the Fridoc database.