First female technician from the Western Cape to receive training in green cooling technology in Bavaria.
Bavarian and Western Cape Government partnership strengthens as more candidates receive training.
Young, ambitious and optimistic, Jessica de Villiers, a mechanical engineer from the Department of Transport and Public Works, is the first female candidate accepted into the COOL Training course offered to technicians of the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (RAC) sector.
Stemming from a successful bilateral relationship of over 20 years, the Free State of Bavaria and the Western Cape Government has embarked on a partnership project on the “transition to climate-friendly refrigeration and air conditioning”, in 2017. The RAC project saw the two Governments, viz. Ministry of Environment and Consumer Protection and Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning (DEA&DP), working closely to reduce emissions of harmful refrigeration chemicals to the atmosphere, in line with the 2016 Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol: Hydrofluorocarbons Phase-down.
“I’m really excited to have been selected for training in greener cooling solutions. Currently, I work in the health sector so we look at the heating and cooling systems within hospitals and clinics – this kind of training is vital to the kinds of projects I’m working on which requires the installation of more efficient HVAC equipment,” said de Villiers.
Dr Joy Leaner, Director for Air Quality Management at DEA&DP said: “With rising temperatures and extreme weather patterns, the demand for refrigeration and air conditioning in developing countries has escalated. The industrial RAC sector contributes to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions because they make use of fluorinated gases as refrigerants. Our agreement with Bavaria allows us to create a platform to share knowledge and skills in introducing more climate friendly refrigerants towards mitigating the sources that contribute to climate change.”
The ‘Cool Training’ module, developed by GIZ Proklima is used to impart theoretical and practical knowledge on handling natural cooling agents to technicians from the RAC sector. The two-week training programme also includes visits to Bavarian companies showcasing the use of modern and environmentally friendly climate and cooling technologies. The training programme takes place in Bavaria, Germany from 7-22 October 2019. A total of 8 candidates have received the training, which was partially sponsored by the Free State of Bavaria.
Photo caption: Jessica de Villiers from the Department of Transport and Public Works