The ATMOsphere Podcast Network

Switching from fossil fuel-powered boilers to heat pumps in U.S. industrial applications could help prevent more than 77,000 premature deaths while unlocking $350 billion (€300 billion) in climate benefits, according to a new study from the American Lung Association (ALA).  Read the full story on NaturalRefrigerants.com.

Swiss train manufacturer Stadler will equip 132 new trains and 34 intermediate modules for the Cologne Transport Agency (KVB) with natural refrigerant-based HVAC systems in a contract worth around €700 million ($816 million). Stadler has said the trains will include “state-of-the-art” technology, including high-efficiency air-conditioning with a natural refrigerant, but it has not confirmed any de...

 The first set of field data from a CO2 (R744) heat pump-chiller system installed at a new 87-room hotel in Goa, India, has confirmed the technology can efficiently deliver hot water and air-conditioning in tropical climates, according to the project’s development team. Initial observations have shown the system can successfully produce hot water at 80°C (176°F) while simultaneously providing glyc...

The articles in the podcast are as follows:  ⁠Europe will Lead Adoption of Natural Refrigerants Across HVAC&R Segments, According to Danfoss Analysis ⁠ ⁠Proposed EN 378 Standard Seen as Having ‘Significant Advances’ for Natural Refrigerants⁠ ⁠Advansor Said It Has Installed Latin America’s ‘Largest Single CO2 Rack’ in a Costa Rican Walmart Distribution Center⁠ ⁠Adaptation 2025: New Study Compar...

The Migros Group operates more than 600 supermarkets across 10 regional cooperatives in Switzerland, and 80% of its stores, food production and logistics facilities use natural refrigerants, according to the company’s Senior Project Manager for Industrial Refrigeration, Philipp Seibert. Seibert shared the update in an interview on the company’s blog, which included a note that Migros has a goal of...

The European market is set to lead the global adoption of natural refrigerants across various HVAC&R segments, including light commercial refrigeration and residential air-conditioning and heat pumps, according to analysis from Danish manufacturer Danfoss . By 2032, CO2 (R744), ammonia (R717) or hydrocarbons are projected to be dominant refrigerants in residential, commercial and industrial st...

Danish manufacturer Advansor has installed “Latin America’s largest single CO2 (R744) rack,” a 1.7MW (483TR) SteelXL unit in a new Walmart distribution center in San José, Costa Rica, according to LATAM Sales Manager Mauricio Baena. The system provides 950kW (270TR) of medium-temperature (MT) cooling capacity, 510kW (145TR) of low-temperature (LT) capacity and 246kW (70TR) for heating, Baena told...

This Expert Opinion column has been written by Morgan Vanzo, Senior Director of the North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC) , a nonprofit working to eliminate refrigeration’s environmental impacts by facilitating the transition to natural refrigerants. Here Vanzo writes about the importance of technician training to accelerate the transition to natural refrigerants in the U.S. It’...

The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) has released an updated draft version of the safety standard EN 378 for voting and comments by national standardization committees and other stakeholders. The draft version – officially prEN 378:2025 – was issued on July 3 and will be open for voting and comments until September 25. A final vote will occur in 2026. Read the full story on NaturalRefr...

A new study by refrigeration consulting firms Re-phridge and A/gent Consultancy compares annual indirect climate-related deaths from global warming attributable to HFC refrigerant emissions to direct deaths attributable to the ignition of hydrocarbon refrigerants in refrigeration, air-conditioning and heat pump (RACHP) equipment. The study measures mortality until 2050 and operates under two assum...

 The articles in the podcast are as follows: ⁠ATMO America: Copeland Prioritizing CO2 Refrigeration Adoption in North America, Says Director of Solutions Strategy⁠ ⁠Adaptation 2025: Integrated R600a Heat Pump Can Cut Supermarket HVAC&R OpEx by Up to 91% Compared to Gas Boiler, Study Finds⁠ ⁠Solid Energy Has Sold Over 150 Large-Scale Hydrocarbon Heat Pumps With −30 to 170°C Flow Temperature Ran...

SCM Ref NZ, a subsidiary of Beijer Ref, has designed, built and tested what it believes is one of the “first” CO2 (R744) ice builder packages , according to Chris Gibbons, Product Development Manager at the company. The unit generates and stores cooling capacity as an ice bank for dairy farmers at night when energy costs are low in New Zealand, Gibbons told NaturalRefrigerants.com in an exclusive...

 With a collaborative CO2 (R744) lab and openly available studies and educational papers, Copeland is prioritizing the adoption of CO2 refrigeration in North America, according to Andre Patenaude, the company’s Director of Solutions Strategy. Patenaude outlined the American components manufacturer’s natural refrigerant stewardship efforts in a presentation at ATMO America 2025 . The event was orga...

Danish manufacturer Solid Energy has sold more than 150 large-scale hydrocarbon heat pumps with high-temperature flow capabilities between −30 and 170°C (−22 and 338°F) for district heating and industrial processing applications, according to the company. Solid Energy, founded in 2015, installed its first hydrocarbon heat pump in 2018. It offers seven heating-capacity sizes ranging from 200 to 1,2...

Finland’s government-owned railway company VR Group will operate 20 regional Fast Light Intercity and Regional Trains (FLIRT) equipped with propane (R290) HVAC systems, according to Liebherr-Transportation Systems. Railway manufacturer Stadler Polska contracted with Liebherr to provide the propane HVAC units for the 20 Finnish-bound trains, which include 80 saloon HVAC units, 80 heat recovery unit...

Integrating an isobutane (R600a) heat pump into a supermarket’s transcritical CO2 (R744) booster refrigeration system can cut space-heating operating costs by as much as 91% compared to a natural gas boiler, according to new research from the University of Southern Denmark. The study, which modeled the energy and cost impacts for a Stockholm supermarket, also found that replacing the gas boiler wi...

Embraco recently announced that it would enter the residential and commercial HVAC markets with a new line of scroll compressors offering 1.2 to 35HP that support propane (R290), R410A, R404A, “low-GWP options” and A2L refrigerants. While propane is the only natural refrigerant currently offered, it has shown great growth potential in both residential and commercial HVAC in Europe.  This past June...

This Week in Natural Refrigerants News covers the top stories in natural refrigerants from the past week. For the week of August 15th, we're taking a look at five stories, from technician training in North America to a new wastewater isobutane heat pump for district heating in Germany. Links to each story are below. Read more: ⁠NASRC Launches R-TRADE Supporters Program to Accelerate Natural R...

ATMOsphere, publisher of NaturalRefrigerants.com, has launched a weekly natural refrigerants news digest podcast, which is released every Friday on Spotify , Apple Podcasts and YouTube . “This Week in Natural Refrigerants News” covers the week’s top stories published on NaturalRefrigerants.com , which are selected by the site’s Managing Editor, Michael Hines. The podcast is generated and hosted by...

The North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC) has launched the R-TRADE Supporters program , which enables organizations to contribute funding directly to the training initiative without becoming a member of the NASRC. The NASRC launched the R-TRADE (refrigeration technician recruitment, advancement, development and education) training program last fall with seed funding from five ma...

One of Christian Ellwein’s major takeaways after attending Chillventa 2024 was that natural refrigerants are “no longer just a niche but will be the future.” Ellwein is the CEO of Kriwan , a German HVAC&R electronics and sensor manufacturer. Another of his takeaways was that this shift to naturals is driving developments in new technologies. “The market continues to grow,” Ellwein told Natural...

Chinese heat pump manufacturer SolarEast has opened a new R&D facility at its headquarters in Lianyungang, specializing in testing propane (R290)-based air-to-water heat pumps for the global market. The 32,000m2 (345,000ft2) complex, which cost around $17 million (€14.7 million) to build, has become China’s first net-zero carbon heat pump testing facility, according to the manufacturer. “The i...

German energy utility company N-ERGIE is expanding its district heating network with a 15 to 20MW (4,265 to 5,686TR) isobutane (R600a) heat pump that will supply heat to roughly 5,000 homes in Nuremberg using heat from treated wastewater. In 2024, the Nuremberg Department of Sewage and Environmental Analysis (SUN) treated 71 million cubic meters (18.7 billion gallons/70.7 billion liters) of wastew...

Nihon Netsugen Systems (NNS) , a Japanese manufacturer of industrial refrigeration systems, is seeing a 15‒20% annual sales increase for its CO2 (R744) equipment, according to company President Katsuhiko Harada. Along with its Super Green CO2 condensing units, NNS also manufactures CO2 brine chillers and installs large-scale ammonia (R717) refrigeration systems manufactured by GEA . The company ha...

Launching one new product a month in any industry is challenging, especially in HVAC&R. However, that’s the challenge Enex Technologies has set for itself, and Product Management Director Massimiliano Sfragara spoke with NaturalRefrigerants.com about how his team works to ensure the company can reach its ambitious goal. Enex designs and manufactures refrigeration systems, heat pumps and chille...