There were more than 900 transcritical CO2 installations in the United States as of March 2021, reported Ilana Koegelenberg, Market Development Manager & Co-Founder, ATMOsphere (formerly shecco), publisher of this website.
Koegelenberg shared this statistic during the ATMOsphere America conference, held online on November 3. (ATMOsphere America was organized by ATMOsphere.)
“The U.S. has more than 900 transcritical CO2 systems,” said Koegelenberg. “We actually expect it to be close to 1,000 today. So there is definitely growth in terms of transcritical CO2 systems.”
Koegelenberg based her assertions on ATMOsphere’s recently published “Natural Refrigerants Market Forecast” report. The report highlighted the latest market, technology and policy trends impacting natural refrigerant technologies and provided estimates of current installations and projected growth to 2025 and 2030 in commercial and industrial refrigeration in Europe, the U.S. and Japan.
The report is available for purchase here.
Koegelenberg also presented the current market penetration rate for transcritical CO2 systems in the U.S. commercial refrigeration market (including both supermarket and convenience stores). The rate is currently 0.4%, while Japan’s is 7.4%, and Europe’s is 14.1%.
“The good news is that there is still market share to be taken in the U.S., but it is going to take some work,” said Koegelenberg.
Koegelenberg also disclosed that there are currently an estimated 875,000 plug-in hydrocarbon commercial refrigeration units and 600 low-charge ammonia systems installed in the U.S.
U.S. policy and market trends
The report identifies a number of the most impactful standard and policy trends in the U.S., Europe and Japan. In the U.S., the report discusses “the AIM Act, the pending ratification of [the Kigali Amendment], hydrocarbon charge limits and California’s HFC emissions reduction plan, Koegelenberg noted.
Koegelenberg also highlighted the report’s discussion of market trends, including the increasing competition between natural refrigerants and HFOs, and the impact of COVID-19, as well as the importance of looking at GWP values over 20 years rather than 100.
“Natural refrigerants are here to stay,” concluded Koegelenberg. “[They] can be viewed as a good investment for any company looking to future-proof its business.”
“The good news is that there is still market share to be taken in the U.S., but it is going to take some work.”
Ilana Koegelenberg, ATMOsphere
