World Ozone Day

Training is at the core of turning science into global action. In this article, Dr Tim Fox highlights what is needed from training to support the successful worldwide adoption of clean cooling and how the Clean Cooling Network (CCN) is leading its delivery on-the-ground in the Global South.

The availability of appropriately trained engineers and technicians with the skillsets required to design, install, commission, operate, maintain and, ultimately, safely decommission clean cooling equipment, holds paramount importance in facilitating its widespread adoption. If not underpinned by appropriate knowledge and skills, deployment opportunities will be missed and the success of clean cooling as a component of addressing Ozone depletion, as well as a climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies, will be at risk, resulting in significant environmental, economic and social impacts. For example, adopting best available clean cooling technologies in the Global South will, to keep up with unprecedented growing demand for cooling, need substantial skills capacity building to coordinate, implement, and finance deployments, as well as enforce and evaluate policy interventions and programmes designed to drive their uptake.

Technical knowledge needs

From a technical perspective, working with clean cooling technologies will require a specialist skillset that encompasses an understanding of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer principles, as well as knowledge of the chemical properties of replacement refrigerants and their behaviour within equipment. Proficiency in system design, simulation, and optimisation techniques will be essential for developing new systems tailored to various domestic, industrial, and commercial needs. Equally, with correct maintenance and operation, improvements in energy efficiency and environmental impact can be achieved from existing low efficiency/ high-GWP (Global Warming Potential) refrigerant cooling systems that are yet to be replaced. Technical training for effective operation and best-in-class maintenance across the full life cycle of equipment should result in an optimum system performance of these already installed cooling assets, as well as those which will supersede them.

Critically, engineers and technicians must be well trained in safety protocols and risk assessments specific to new refrigerants, ensuring the safe operation and maintenance of the systems utilising them. Continuous learning and upskilling in hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) substitutes, natural and emerging low-GWP refrigerants, along with use guidance and legislation, will be crucial to keeping pace with evolving advancements in the field. As the demand for sustainable refrigeration solutions grows, fostering a pool of potential employees with the necessary skillsets will be instrumental in driving the successful integration of clean cooling technologies into the marketplace.

However, it is important to note here that meeting anticipated global cooling demand whilst simultaneously delivering on ozone, climate and developmental goals requires knowledge and skills not only to be successfully developed at multiple levels of technical education and training. In addition, a broader range of training is also essential to create a better prepared market for absorbing these new technologies and ensuring the associated economic, social and environmental benefits are realised. In this regard, continuous education and training provision is needed for all stakeholders, including project developers, contractors and end users, to raise awareness of the benefits of clean cooling provision, facilitate behavioural change, and increase the uptake of systems thinking, best-in-class technologies and best professional practice.

Businesses in the Global North and South alike continue to report difficulties in recruiting suitably qualified engineers and technicians and a limited influx of entry-level personnel into the cooling sector is of significant concern. This indicates that the potential workforce is not receiving the right education and that educational resources are not targeting either today’s economy or that of the future. Given the increasing competition for highly skilled personnel to design, install, operate, service and manage a growing range of complex low carbon technologies, more needs to be done to attract individuals with appropriate knowledge, skills and aptitude into the commercial, academic, research and policy components of the clean cooling community.

CCN leads the way

CCN is leading the Global South in addressing this vital training need, both through the Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold-Chain (ACES), sited in the home city of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol (Kigali, Rwanda), and the Haryana-UK Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Crop Post-harvest Management and Cold-Chain (CoE-SPMCC) in India. Indeed, doing so is at the very core of the activities of these two centres, directly addressing this year’s theme of the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer (World Ozone Day) – “From science to global action”. Training provision under development and that already available ranges from foundation courses through to MSc level provision and includes highly practical ‘hands-on’ offerings as well as strategic courses designed to “Train the Trainer” for rapid dissemination of the knowledge and skills across each nation and beyond.

Underpinning the academic rigor and industrial relevance of each centres’ offerings, as well as the awarding of certificates and qualifications, is the CCN’s Clean Cooling Academy. This unique initiative is an international partnership of key academic institutions with global reputations in post-harvest management, cooling technologies, and food, medicines and vaccines science, working with major industrial partners who are helping to make the clean cooling transition a reality. To learn more about the Academy, as well as find out details of the training available through ACES and CoE-SPMCC, visit the CCN’s Festival of Cooling taking place at ACES in Kigali from October 6th – 10th.