Global trends for CO2 heat pumps - A study of market, technology and policy drivers in Japan, China, North America and Europe.

An increasing number of suppliers offer natural refrigerant-based heat pump technologies suitable for a variety of residential, commercial and industrial applications. This paper zooms in on heat pump technology that deploys CO2 as a refrigerant and explores the market trends, technology developments and policy drivers in four regions – Japan, China, North America and Europe. While the market for CO2-based heat pumps has been mostly concentrated in Japan, with around 4.7 million units sold to date, other regions are at early stages of commercialization, with more dynamic developments expected in the next few years, as more products become available and regulatory support becomes stronger. The paper integrates data from five studies conducted from 2013-2015 by shecco among Japanese, Chinese, North American and European HVAC&R industry experts as well as information collected at international conferences and from external sources to demonstrate market trends in different regions with a comparative analysis.