Using training modules developed by GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit), the government of India ‒ through its National Ozone Unit, Ministry of Environment and Forest and Climate Change ‒ has conducted two days of propane (R290) air-conditioning (AC) training.
The training took place in New Delhi. Attendees included trainers, service technicians and government officials from the South Asian countries of Timor Leste and Sri Lanka, along with local service technicians.
As a service provider of the German government, GIZ supports cooperation, sustainable development and education in more than 100 countries. GIZ Proklima, focusing on green technology training, has trained over 600,000 technicians in the past 25 years with funding from the German and French governments, the EU and other donors.
The New Delhi workshops used theory and practical modules developed by GIZ Proklima trainers and industry experts and emphasized installing and servicing propane-based room air conditioners.
“The training was productive, especially regarding the correct installation and usage of refrigerant R-290 in room ACs,” said Srilal Kumara, Senior Service Engineer at the Ceylon German Technical Training Institute in Sri Lanka. “We took away a lot of [lessons] to share in our home country.”
“Our aim of participating in the two-day workshop was to gain capacity building for best practices in effective installation and service of room ACs once our government approves the use of R-290 in Timor Leste,” said Luis Belo of Timor Leste’s National Ozone Unit. “We hope to return to India for further such useful training.”
According to the press release from the Green Cooling Initiative (GCI), operated by GIZ, the training was a “relevant step” in South-South cooperation. R290 is yet to be fully adapted in Timor Leste and Sri Lanka. “Participation of relevant personnel in the training is a starting point for introducing refrigerant R-290 in room air conditioners in the two governments.”
A refrigeration scale and the technician handbook “Good Service Practices and Installation of Room Air-Conditioners with HCFC-22 and Flammable Refrigerants” ‒ both developed by GIZ Proklima technical experts ‒ were used for the training and given to all participants for future reference and learning.
As part of projects to phase out ozone-depleting substances in India, GIZ Proklima has contacted numerous refrigeration and air-conditioning (RAC) technicians across the country, GCI reports.
Other projects
In 2021, a market study and prototype testing conducted by GIZ Proklima determined that an early global transition to R290 window ACs rather than ones with R32 could avoid up to 270 metric tons of CO2e emissions by 2050.
The coalition has sponsored and overseen numerous donations and training workshops for propane-based AC projects in the Global South. A few projects reported by Hydrocarbons21.com include:
- one-day refresher training for female Kenyan technicians in the safe use of hydrocarbons in RAC;
- technician training and installation of 30 R290 AC units in Grenada;
- the donation of four R290 training benches in Burkina Faso; and
- technician training in Uganda Technical Institutes.
As part of the global initiative to promote sustainable cooling globally, GCI invites manufacturers of sustainable RAC equipment to join its Green Cooling Network.
“Our aim of participating in the two-day workshop was to gain capacity building for best practices in effective installation and service of room ACs once our government approves the use of R-290 in Timor Leste.”
Luis Belo, Timor Leste National Ozone Unit
