Cooling has become an essential part of daily living, especially in hot climates – but for many people it remains a luxury due to its costs and many existing systems are not state-of-the-art. Greater support and accessibility are needed. Let’s take a look at Ghana, where the Green Cooling Programme (GGCP) implemented by GIZ has been kicked-off and now climate-friendly air conditioners (ACs) are available for Ghanaian end consumers. It is the first green cooling activity in the KliK Foundation’s portfolio to be supported.

Ghana is expected to face significant changes in its climate, with average temperatures projected to rise by 1.0°C to 3.0°C by the middle of the century, and 2.3°C to 5.3°C by the end of the century, according to the World Bank report on climate change. Ghana’s demand for cooling is rising rapidly. This is driven by rising temperatures as well as population growth, urbanization and expanding electrification. Ghana has a population of approximately 34 million people, 59 percent of whom reside in urban areas (2023), including major cities like Accra and Kumasi. With an annual population growth of 1.875%, Ghana is projected to have a population more than 1.7 times larger than its current population by 2050.

The split ACs sector already accounts for a large share of national energy use and F-gas-related GHG emissions, amounting to about 8% of national GHG emissions (estimated at around 4 Mt. CO₂eq). As such, the necessity of environmentally sustainable cooling cannot be overstated. Cooling enhances comfort and productivity, but it must be implemented in a way that minimizes greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to avoid harming the environment.

"Green cooling" aims to flip that script: deliver the same or better comfort with lower energy use and improved climate impact. Among today’s options, air conditioners using R290 natural refrigerant stand out as a strong fit for Ghana if deployed safely and at scale.

• R290 gas is a natural (green) refrigerant and has an ultra-low global warming potential, resulting in nearly zero climate impact, while offering a high performance comparable to climate-damaging HFCs like R410A or R32. Transitioning to R290 significantly reduces future F-gas emissions and support the implementation of the ratified HFC phase-down targets under the Kigali Amendment and the mitigation targets of the Ghanaian conditional NDC.

• R290 inverter AC units come with higher energy efficiency ratios (TCSPF) compared to standard climate-damaging HFC AC units, due to their superior thermodynamic properties and product design. This results in lower electricity consumption, costs and a reduced peak energy demand.

• R290 is PFAS ("forever chemicals") free and therefore environmentally friendly and has no negative human health risks. 

• R290 AC units are a mature technology. Several global brands already manufacture factory-charged  R290 split and portable AC units.

• R290 AC units are high quality products compared to standard HFC AC units. 

• R290 ACs are the quieter, cooler operation. R290 ACs combine inverter compressors with optimized heat exchangers, improving comfort and noise performance.

• GGCP aims to increase the market penetration of green inverter split ACs using R290 gas by supporting a subsidy programme for around 100,000 green ACs across Ghana.

• Fore and foremost, the programme will benefit Ghanaian end consumers which get access to a highly energy efficient product at a reduced price which will allow them to save around 40% electricity costs from day 1 compared to a standard HFC unit.

• GGCP supports the needed end-of-life management, which includes the disposal and recovery of replaced ACs using ozone layer and/or high-GWP climate harmful HCFC/HFC gases such as R22 or R410A.

• GGCP conducts trainings of technicians to enable them to install and maintain AC units safely, increasing energy efficiency and decreasing refrigerant leakage rates across the country.

The Ghana Green Cooling Programme also addresses major challenges of the current situation in the cooling sector:

• Highly inefficient equipment with high electricity consumption

• Use of high-GWP refrigerants which are highly harmful to the ozone layer and/or the climate (HCFC or HFC)

• Lack of proper training and certification of technicians leading to high leakage rates of AC units which results in high leakages rates of high-GWP refrigerants and lower performance in terms of energy efficiency

• Lack of proper end-of-life treatment of old ACs and destruction of remaining HCFC and HFC, which are often simply vented and released into the atmosphere.

• The technology exists but due to the higher costs there remains an affordability barrier and a lack of supply chains, lack of knowledge about the product, lack of trained technicians and therefore lack of acceptance which hinders uptake of the new technology.