Refrigeration as a digital visitor magnet

‘There’s a tremendous level of interest in modern refrigeration,’ says Volker Stamer. The Director of the SCHAUFLER Academy and Head of Training at BITZER welcomed more than 300 participants to the first online refrigeration seminar with the title “Reliably cool – how refrigeration works and can help us” on 21 January. During the event, he explained the fundamentals and importance of refrigeration and air conditioning – in simple, clear and vivid terms. Participants had the opportunity to learn quite a bit about the fascinating world of refrigeration, including its history, the principles behind refrigerant circuits and systems on the basis of well-known examples such as household refrigerators and bicycle pumps, and the definition and importance of cold chains.

Because it was such a success, another event is likely – and a seminar may even be offered in English then. ‘I’m absolutely delighted that so many people were interested in taking part in the BITZER online refrigeration seminar. It clearly shows that public awareness of the importance of refrigeration does exist, and hopefully it will grow in the future,’ says Volker Stamer. Refrigeration forms the foundation for many important processes in modern societies, and just about everyone comes into contact with it on a daily basis, whether it’s their own refrigerator and freezer, airconditioning systems or refrigerated counters at the supermarket. ‘But very few actually know how refrigeration works,’ says Stamer. And that’s precisely why BITZER wanted to offer the general public well-founded information – provided by the industry’s driver of innovation.

Not only system-relevant, but also essential

‘System relevance as a term has been overused since the outbreak of Covid-19. But it’s a perfect fit for refrigeration. You could even say it’s essential in our modern society,’ emphasises Volker Stamer. ‘To name just two examples: If there were enough high-quality cold chains for food around the world, we’d be able to feed an additional 950 million people or so – and hunger would be a thing of the past. And many important medications just wouldn’t exist without reliable cooling, as around half of all pharmaceuticals require controlled temperatures.’

Fighting climate change with refrigeration

But refrigeration also plays a key role in many other applications: data centres, modern industrial processes and operations at supermarkets and hospitals – none of that would be possible without refrigeration. And the demand for sustainably generated refrigeration is only growing. Experts predict that demand for cooling will increase by around 300 per cent by 2050.

Efficient and eco-friendly refrigeration will play an essential role in achieving the United Nations’ climate goals. ‘If we really want to do something about climate change, we’re also going to need modern refrigeration, as this will allow us to use energy more efficiently. For example, with heat pumps instead of heating systems that run on fossil fuels, and through the use of waste heat to generate electrical energy by means of a reverse refrigerant circuit,’ explains Volker Stamer. ‘Because this topic is so important, I’m certain we’re going to offer our online refrigeration seminar again.’