By Eamonn Ryan
At the 2026 Green Cooling Summit hosted by GIZ, Yosr Allouche, director general of the International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR), was introduced as the keynote speaker on a topic of growing global significance: ‘R290 as the Kigali Key for Efficient Room A/Cs’. This is part one of a three-part series.
Yosr Allouche, director general of the International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR).
© RACA Journal
Having established the technical merits and expanding applications of R290, Allouche turns to the bigger picture: how refrigerant choices fit within a holistic climate and energy strategy for the cooling sector.
She begins by highlighting the sheer scale of the cooling challenge: The cooling sector is responsible for around 7.5% of global CO₂ emissions. Cooling demand is increasing due to urbanisation, rising ambient temperatures, growth in emerging economies, and the expansion of data centres and digital infrastructure.
From this perspective, “doing nothing” is not an option. While the refrigerant transition away from high-GWP gases is crucial, Allouche insists that focusing solely on refrigerants is insufficient. She frames the challenge in terms of three complementary pillars:
- Refrigerant transition
- Phasing down high-GWP HFCs in line with the Kigali Amendment.
- Expanding the use of low-GWP and natural refrigerants, including R290.
Energy efficiency
Ensuring that RAC systems are not only climate-friendly in terms of the refrigerant, but also highly efficient. Avoiding scenarios where low-GWP refrigerants are used in inefficient systems or, conversely, very efficient systems rely on high-GWP refrigerants – both of which are incomplete solutions.
Reducing cooling loads at the building and urban level through:
- Better building envelope design
- Passive cooling strategies
- Urban planning measures that mitigate heat
- Integrating cooling into broader energy system planning, including renewables and demand management
Allouche points to Europe as a region that illustrates this comprehensive approach, particularly through the revised EU F-gas Regulation. She explains that: The EU F-gas rules send a strong signal to global markets, even though they are regional in scope, because: Cooling and refrigeration supply chains are inherently global; Components and equipment frequently cross borders, meaning EU requirements shape international manufacturing strategies.
Under the revised F-gas regulation, certain refrigerants are being rapidly phased out: R410A is quickly disappearing from many small systems. In the near to medium term, the regulatory trajectory pushes systems below 12kW toward: Refrigerants with GWP < 150; and ultimately, to non-F-gas solutions in many segments.
This tightening regulatory environment is a major reason why R290 is receiving heightened attention from manufacturers:
- It is viewed as one of the few long-term viable options for many small residential and light commercial applications.
- It aligns with both climate goals (low GWP) and efficiency objectives, when implemented in well-designed systems.
Dr. Allouche then steps back to look at the national and international policy landscape:
- More countries are ratifying the Kigali Amendment.
- Many governments are committing to global cooling initiatives and national cooling action plans.
Politically, she argues, the direction of travel is clear; the core question now is how fast policy frameworks can be implemented and enforced on the ground. To accelerate the transition, she advocates for aligning policy frameworks across three dimensions:
- Refrigerant policies (for example, F-gas controls, HFC phase-down schedules)
- Energy efficiency regulations and standards
- Building and urban policies that reduce inherent cooling demand
Only by synchronising these domains can countries ensure that the cooling sector evolves in a way that is climate-compatible, affordable and resilient. With this policy and systems context in place, Allouche then narrows back down to how standards and charge limits specifically affect the deployment of R290, particularly in systems above 12kW capacity.
Next, we delve into how standards, charge limits, manufacturing patterns, and market barriers shape the real-world rollout of R290, and why perception, regulation and ecosystem inertia still slow down wider adoption.
