Almost as much energy is used for refrigeration, air conditioning and insulation worldwide as for transport or heating. On behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the GIZ ‘Proklima’ project has now been working for some 15 years to help introduce environment- and climate-friendly alternatives to ozonedepleting industrial gases (such as chlorofluorocarbon, CFCs) in partner countries. Proklima thus supports developing and emerging countries in fulfilling their obligations arising from the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer.

This guideline aims to provide a general idea of the different steps when planning a conversion from an existing production system of domestic refrigerators to one that uses hydrocarbons, such as isobutane (R600a) or propane (R290), and the important aspects that small- to medium-size manufacturers need to consider.

PacGeo is an open access geospatial data repository for the Pacific Region providing premier geophysical, geodetic, and marine spatial data sets. Developed through collaboration between the GeoScience Division of Secretariat of the Pacific Community (GSD/SPC), University of Sydney, Geoscience Australia (GA), and GRID-Arendal. The development of PacGeo was combined with targeted training and capacity building activities conducted at the Pacific Maritime Boundary Working Group Meetings, held twice yearly at the University of Sydney and at other ad hoc events in the region.

RenoValue is a 2-year project funded by the Intelligent Energy Europe Programme of the European Union. The project will develop a training toolkit for property valuation professionals on how to factor energy efficiency and renewable energy issues into valuation practices, understand the impact of building performance and property values and advise their clients accordingly.