Berlin, Germany, 25 September 2017: The eighth annual ATMOsphere Europe conference kicks off in Berlin, Germany today, bringing together a record 420+ participants from 190+ organisations to discuss the latest technologies, market trends and policy developments. The winners of the first ever Accelerate Europe awards will also be announced during the event.
With Europe ranking among the world’s most developed markets for natural refrigerant-based HVAC&R solutions, the continent’s key movers and shakers are gathering this morning at the Hotel Mercure MOA in Berlin, Germany.
The German-speaking world’s major influence on all things natural refrigerant-related will be addressed in a special session tomorrow morning. Among leading industry and public-sector representatives, speakers will include Arno Kaschl, from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Climate Action in the unit Climate Finance, Mainstreaming & Montreal Protocol, and Hans-Peter Klein from the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety.
End users in the spotlight
End users will share their experiences and expertise in using natural refrigerants. During the thought leaders panel on Monday, Vincent Grass will present Nestlé’s vision towards full adoption of natural refrigerants across its value chain. On Wednesday, major European retailers Ahold-Delhaize, Metro AG, Sainsbury’s, ICA Sweden and Wallgreens Boots will take to the stage to share their experiences, the challenges they have encountered and overcome in implementing natural refrigerant solutions, and their current and future projects.
Boots, the leading UK pharmacy chain, will present its natural refrigerants journey, from feasibility work on hydrocarbon and CO2-based systems through to the development of pilot projects.
Overall, the event will feature a total of 90 presentations, covering policy trends, market and case studies detailing the latest innovative heating and cooling solutions with natural refrigerants (CO2, hydrocarbons, ammonia water and air).
First-ever Accelerate Europe awards
Tomorrow night, the first-ever Accelerate Europe awards ceremony will take place at the prestigious Wasserwerk Berlin, a century-old pumping station in the Wilmersdorf district.
The Accelerate Europe awards recognise the end users and manufacturers that are doing the most to accelerate uptake of natural refrigerant-based HVAC&R solutions in Europe. They comprise three categories: Best in Sector, Innovation of the Year, and Person of the Year.
A Best in Sector Award will go to one end-user company in each of three sectors: food retail, light commercial, and industrial refrigeration. The Innovation of the Year will recognise the product helping to increase uptake of natural refrigerants. The Person of the Year will honour the single individual who has done the most to advance the adoption of natural refrigerants in Europe recently.
“We are excited to announce the shortlist per category and winners of the first edition of the Accelerate Europe awards during ATMOsphere Europe in Berlin. Given the strong progress in developing natural refrigerant-based technology in Europe recently, the task of the jury was not an easy one,” said Alvaro de Oña, head of media at shecco, the publisher of Accelerate Europe. “We trust that the awards will help give further recognition to those who have done a remarkable job over the last year.”
The December 2017 issue of Accelerate Europe will profile the winning companies and individual.
Contact
Lydia Matthäus
Global Events Manager
