Abstract

China is the largest producer and consumer of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), and the production of HCFC-22 accounts for more than 80% of all HCFCs. This paper concentrates on the residential air-conditioner industry and analyzes the environmental benefits of accelerating the phase-out of HCFC-22 in China. According to the comparison of the baseline and phase-out scenarios of HCFC-22, the findings show that using HC-290 (propane) as a refrigerant alternative will directly reduce the greenhouse effect, and indirectly reduce the emission of greenhouse gases due to a reduction in the electricity consumption. The comparison of two scenarios of HC-290 and HFC-410A refrigerant alternatives shows that the use of HC-290 refrigerant will produce significantly higher environmental benefits than the HFC-410A refrigerant. Wan, T., Y. Dou, L. Wang, et al., 2011: Environmental benefits for phase-out HCFC-22 in the residential air-conditioner sector in China. Adv. Clim. Change Res., 2 (2), doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1248.2011.00086.