Suchergebnisse

Elektrische Schaltanlagen unterliegen den Regelungen der Verordnung (EU) 2024/573. In Abhängigkeit von der Füllmenge und Konstruktion bestehen Anforderungen zur Dichtheitskontrolle, Führung von Aufzeichnungen und Zertifizierung des Personals. Die am 11. März 2024 in Kraft getretene Verordnung (EU) 2024/573 über fluorierte Treibhausgase enthält verschiedene neue Regelungen und Verbote zu Schaltanlagen. Dieses Factsheet gibt einen Überblick über komplexen Regelungen.

Ozone-depleting substances (ODS) have been used worldwide in a wide range of industrial and consumer applications. Their control under the Montreal Protocol has led to an uptake of alternatives, especially in refrigeration and air conditioning, as well as firefighting applications. Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and other fluorinated gases – commonly referred to as F-gases – are among the most prominent ODS alternatives. These gases have no measurable effect on ozone depletion and now find widespread application. However, their high global warming potential (GWP) means that they are contributing to climate change and are therefore subject to the Kyoto Protocol under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This guidance document summarises the regulatory framework for both, ODS and F-gases, in the European Union (EU) and puts them into the Bulgarian context. New measures introduced by Regulation (EU) No. 517/2014, including the EU HFC phase-down and bans are highlighted. The document focuses on developing guidance and recommendations in regards to the implementation of both, the EU ODS and F-gas Regulations. Experience, also in other EU member states, is therefore referred to throughout the text. The goal of the document is to support Bulgaria in maximising its regulatory and enforcement capabilities with a focus on market surveillance and inspections of companies.

In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, cooling technologies based on natural refrigerants with negligible or insignificant effect on the environment and climate have experienced a renaissance in recent years. A variety of highly efficient applications has been developed and has now reached a technical level that makes their use economically viable. Because natural refrigerants require careful handling, particular attention has to be paid to adequate qualification of servicing personnel. This guidance document presents recommendations for the implementation of relevant EU legislation, which have been derived from experiences made in the training and certification system in Germany.

Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are the dominant fraction of fluorinated greenhouse gases, also known as F-gases. HFC emissions in the European Union (EU) amounted to 112 million tonnes ⁠CO2⁠ equivalent (Mt CO2eq.) in 2018. This amounts to 2,2% of the EU's total greenhouse gas emissions. Main sources of HFC emissions are refrigeration and air conditioning plants and appliances. Following a proposal by the EU Commission, EU member states and the EU parliament just recently agreed to increase the 2030 target from 40% to 55% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions compared to the 1990 level. This considerable step-up of climate ambition by more than a third needs to be reflected also in the revision process of the F-gas Regulation, regardless of the achievements already made to curb F-gas emissions. On the occasion of the F-gas Regulation revision, the German Environment Agency proposes the acceleration of the phase-down scenario, resulting in larger reduction steps from 2024 on and a final level of 10% of the baseline by 2030 compared to 21% according to the current schedule.

In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, cooling technologies based on natural refrigerants with negligible or insignificant effect on the environment and climate have experienced a renaissance in recent years. A variety of highly efficient applications has been developed and has now reached a technical level that makes their use economically viable. Nevertheless, natural refrigerants require careful handling. This guidance document provides a legislative overview for natural refrigerants, technical guidelines, as well as selected practical recommendations. It focusses on safety concerns originating from flammability, toxicity or high working pressures.

On 16 September 1987, 24 States and the European Community signed the Montreal Protocol. It initiated the mandatory phase-out of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and thus stopped the further destruction of the ozone layer by these substances. The switch to alternatives to CFCs with their high global warming potential also contributes to climate protection. Due to the worldwide implementation of the Montreal Protocol, ozone-depleting substances such as CFCs are hardly used today. Atmospheric concentrations of these substances are slowly declining due to natural decomposition processes and the size of the "ozone hole" over Antarctica is also becoming smaller. Because CFCs and other halogenated substances are also very effective greenhouse gases that heat up the climate up to 14,000 times more effective than carbon dioxide (CO2), the Montreal Protocol has contributed not only to protecting the ozone layer but also to climate protection. With the Kigali Amendment for the worldwide phase-down of climate-damaging hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which has been agreed on in October 2016, the Montreal Protocol was extended to a new group of substances. In a background paper on the 30th anniversary of the Montreal Protocol, the German Environment Agency describes the history of this important international agreement from the discovery of the "ozone hole" to its signing and implementation. In addition, the paper provides information on the HFC use today and on environmentally friendly substitutes and techniques, especially for refrigeration and air conditioning.

Mit der Unterzeichnung des Montrealer Protokolls wurde vor 30 Jahren die Grundlage zum Schutz der Ozonschicht gelegt. Der Abbau der Ozonschicht durch Fluorchlorkohlenwasserstoffe (FCKW) war eines der drängendsten Umweltprobleme der 1980er Jahre. Der Ausstieg aus den FCKW ist weitestgehend abgeschlossen, trotzdem stellen die teilfluorierten Kohlenwasserstoffe (HFKW), die die FCKW vor allem als Kältemittel in der Klima- und Kältetechnik bis heute ersetzen, ein Problem für das Klima dar. Das Hintergrundpapier blickt zurück auf Entstehung und Weiterentwicklung des Montrealer Protokolls, illustriert die Emissionssituation von FCKW und HFKW und beschreibt Alternativen zur Verwendung von HFKW.

The Federal Environment Agency (UBA) has for several years been researching appropriate, effective ways of implementing the targets set by the international community on stemming climate change in a highly industrialised and developed nation like Germany. The findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) show beyond doubt that industrial nations in particular will need to work towards ambitious climate targets by the middle of this century if they are to fulfil their global responsibility. This provides an opportunity for Germany to take on a trailblazing role, setting the bar high and working towards the 'greenhouse gas-neutral country' climate target. The UBA has launched an interdisciplinary process in order to discover how a greenhouse gas-neutral Germany might look in 2050. The process began with an investigation of electricity generation, be-cause this involves high emissions; the UBA showed that it is in fact possible to generate 100% of our electricity from renewable sources. From the outset, it was clear that a sustainable supply of energy from renewables would not on its own be sufficient to avoid almost all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Other sectors of the economy would also need to make major changes and increase their use of low-GHG technologies.The present study, 'Greenhouse gas-neutral Germany 2050' therefore investigates all the relevant sources of emissions that are described in the German National Inventory Report (NIR) on greenhouse gases. Thus besides energy supply — including the heat and transport sectors — we also consider greenhouse gas emissions from industry, waste management, agriculture and forestry and changes in land use. We then present a target scenario. Our study does not cover the routes towards this trans-formation, any associated economic assessments, or the selection of suitable policy instruments. Instead, we aim to demonstrate that a greenhouse gas-neutral Germany can largely be achieved using technical measures. We hope to provoke discussion about our sustainable, greenhouse gas-neutral future. Further study will be required, for example into the extent to which lifestyle changes can help make our greenhouse gas-neutral target easier to achieve.

Das Umweltbundesamt (UBA) untersucht seit einigen Jahren, wie sich die Zielsetzung der inter-nationalen Staatengemeinschaft zur Eindämmung des Klimawandels für ein hochentwickeltes Industrieland wie Deutschland angemessen und wirkungsvoll umsetzen lässt. Den Ergebnissen des Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) folgend steht außer Frage, dass besonders Indust-rieländer bis zur Jahrhundertmitte ehrgeizige Klimaziele anstreben sollten, um ihrer globalen Verant-wortung gerecht zu werden. Deutschland kann hierbei eine weltweite Vorreiterrolle einnehmen, wenn es sich selbst frühzeitig eine hohe Zielmarke setzt und das Klimaziel "Treibhausgasneutrales Deutsch-land" anstrebt. Um die Frage zu beantworten wie ein treibhausgasneutrales Deutschland im Jahr 2050 aussehen könnte, hat das UBA einen interdisziplinären Prozess gestartet. Wegen ihrer hohen Emissionen hat das UBA dabei die Stromerzeugung als Erstes untersucht und gezeigt, dass eine Stromerzeugung aus 100 % erneuerbaren Energien möglich ist. Schon zu Beginn der Arbeiten war klar, dass eine nachhaltige Energieversorgung mit erneuerbaren Energien allein nicht ausreichen wird, um die Treibhausgasemissionen (THG) nahezu vollständig zu vermeiden. Auch andere Wirtschaftsbereiche müssten sich deutlich verändern und verstärkt THG-arme Techniken einsetzen.Die nun vorgelegte Studie "Treibhausgasneutrales Deutschland 2050" bezieht daher alle relevan-ten Emissionsquellen in die Untersuchung ein, die im jährlich erstellten Nationalen Inventarbericht (NIR) zum Treibhausgasinventar beschrieben werden. Betrachtet werden also neben der gesamten Energieversorgung einschließlich des Wärme- und Verkehrssektors auch die Treibhausgasemissionen von Industrie, Abfallwirtschaft, Land- und Forstwirtschaft sowie aus Landnutzungsänderungen. Wir entwickeln hierzu ein Zielszenario. Transformationspfade zu diesem Ziel und die damit verbundenen Wirtschaftlichkeitsbetrachtungen und die Auswahl geeigneter politischer Instrumente sind nicht Gegenstand der Untersuchung. Unser Anliegen ist, zu zeigen, dass ein treibhausgasneutrales Deutschland mit vorwiegend techni-schen Maßnahmen möglich ist. Mit dieser Studie möchten wir die Diskussion über eine nachhaltige und treibhausgasneutrale Zukunft anstoßen. Weitere Untersuchungen dazu müssen folgen, die zum Beispiel auch die Frage berücksichtigen inwieweit die Veränderung der Lebensstile helfen können das Ziel der Treibhausgasneutralität leichter zu erreichen.