2025 Import and Export Advisory

 

Free Training in Good Refrigeration Practices - Santa Cruz Nov 30

 

 Training in Session Facilitated by the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Industry Association on behalf of the National Ozone Unit at the Santa Cruz/Gasparillo Community Center

Train the Trainer Session on District Cooling

As a Small Island Developing State (SIDS), Trinidad and Tobago faces unique challenges in energy management and climate change mitigation. Rising temperatures and increased energy demands pose significant challenges to our sustainable development. Introducing district cooling systems with the concept of Cooling as a Service (CaaS) marks a transformative step toward improving energy efficiency and lowering the carbon footprint within the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (RAC) sector.

District cooling, an advanced energy solution, offers a viable alternative to traditional cooling methods by using a centralized system to cool multiple buildings. This approach addresses growing energy demands and significantly reduces energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and operating costs while decreasing reliance on ozone-depleting substances.

A training manual has been produced by the GEF-funded project, being implemented by the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago: “Energy Efficiency through the Development of Low-Carbon RAC Technologies in Trinidad and Tobago,'’ facilitated by Carbon Trust. This manual is a crucial resource for trainers and technicians. Its primary aim is to bolster local capacity in the design, installation, and maintenance of district cooling systems, equipping the readers with the requisite skills to implement and sustain these systems effectively.

The initiative aligns with our national goals to improve energy efficiency, reduce hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) emissions, and meet international climate commitments under the Kigali Amendment of the Montreal Protocol. The skills and knowledge gained through this manual will play a key role in Trinidad and Tobago's efforts to meet its international obligations to climate change mitigation and ozone layer protection.

The virtual train the trainers session brought together several RAC training schools to improve their capacity to roll out the district cooling skills and knowledge throughout the RAC sector.

RAC Forum for Stakeholders

The National Ozone Unit hosted a “Stakeholder Forum for the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Sector (RAC)”, where the sector was brought up to speed on refrigerant updates, review of import and export controls and updates of policy and legislative controls.

The forum also included an introduction to the digital cooling project and its key components, followed by a Q&A session where attendees were encouraged to share thoughts and ask questions.