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Panasonic’s Roadmap to a Net Zero Carbon Future
13/03/2024
At a press conference held at Mostra Convengno Expocomfort
in Milan today, Panasonic Heating & Cooling Solutions unveiled the next
phase of its long-term vision, emphasising sustainability initiatives and
strategic collaborations. Titled "Paving the way to a Net Zero Carbon
Future," high-level executives from Panasonic outlining the company’s strategic
roadmap.
Yuki Kusumi, Panasonic Group CEO, explained the company’s
visionary 250+ year plan, launched in 1932, which envisions "prosperity
both in matter and mind" through ten 25-year phases. The current 4th phase
is dedicated to "focusing on solving global environmental issues and
offering customers health, safety, and comfort."
Kusumi outlined the urgent challenges hindering the
corporate purpose and highlighted Panasonic’s steadfast commitment to long-term
environmental initiatives through Panasonic GREEN IMPACT, which strives to
create a carbon-free society, saying: “We must pass along this beautiful planet
to our children & grandchildren, so they can continue to live in comfort. Therefore,
we must suppress global warming by any means…we must minimise the use of
limited natural resources, and establish a healthy circular economy, as soon as
possible. To this end, we must steadily achieve the 1.5°C limit of the Paris
Agreement, and, with all urgency, minimise the constant CO2
emissions. Therefore, Panasonic regards these goals as its top-priority
management issues.” He further added: “Especially
in Europe, we believe that the electrification of heating devices, through the
wider use of heat pumps, is all-important in transforming the energy supply and
demand structure. Therefore, we regard this as an enormous challenge that we
must meet going forward. We have been promoting the HVAC business in Europe as
one of the Group’s core businesses. Through this business, we believe we can
accelerate our initiatives toward the electrification of heating devices.”
Following this overview, Hiroshi Komatsubara, CEO of
Heating & Ventilation A/C Company Business Division Europe, unveiled the
European landscape for Panasonic's HVAC endeavours. He announced the latest innovations
to Panasonic’s air-to-water Aquarea heat pump range with the revolutionary new
Big Aquarea M Series units, ideal for multi-family residences and light
commercial spaces. Offering unparalleled scalability, the new units boast
capacities ranging 20, 25 and 30 kW, with the capability to scale up to a
remarkable 300 kW in cascade configuration. These units leverage the
sustainable R290 natural refrigerant, aligning seamlessly with Panasonic’s
GREEN IMPACT, while harnessing Panasonic’s unique T-CAP technology.
He shed light on Panasonic’s strategic alliance with
INNOVA, an Italian manufacturer renowned for its expertise in hydronics
systems, air quality solutions, and air conditioning equipment, saying: “We have known INNOVA for more than 10 years, and after a mutual procurement relationship for heat pumps and
fan coil units, we decided to expand our cooperation in Europe. We decided to work with INNOVA to create a solution that
would save energy, utilise the water circulation piping in the home, and integrate everything into a single control that could
be updated.” The two companies will
jointly develop next-generation integrated housing solutions with availability
planned from 2025.
In another impactful announcement, Mr. Komatsubara unveiled
Panasonic’s latest partnership with tado°, market-leading smart heating control
and energy management services, explaining: “As we move forward with decarbonisation,
we are promoting the replacement of boilers with heat pumps that are high
energy-saving. What customers are looking for is not only equipment, but also
convenient energy management. In
providing services that realise the highly efficient operation of air
conditioning equipment such as heating through smart thermostats connected to
the internet, tado° is a leading energy control solutions company in the
industry. From connecting tado° smart thermostats to the indoor units, such as
radiators, it is possible to remotely adjust the temperature and check the
usage status, as well as perform highly efficient operation based on the
weather and the user's usage pattern.” Together, these industry leaders aim to
integrate state-of-the-art Aquarea heat pump technology with leading multi-room
control and energy management services. This fusion not only advances the collective
mission to decarbonise homes but also empowers customers to optimise energy
usage and realise substantial cost savings.
Alfredo Meazza, Italy Country Manager, outlined
opportunities in the Italian HVAC market, which has seen growing attention to
energy efficiency and sustainability much like the rest of Europe. Alfredo
explained, “At Panasonic, we are ready to chart the course for a net-zero
emissions future thanks to our portfolio of products, suitable to meet the
needs of comfort in all applications. The common denominator in our race to
decarbonisation is improving energy efficiency and the use of ever lower GWP
refrigerants such as the natural refrigerant R290.”
He also delved into Panasonic's strategy for managing its
new solutions and collaborations. Specifically, he emphasised the company's
efforts to bolster its pre-sales department by introducing new engineering
roles and expanding its service structure. This expansion includes a broader
range of after-sales and maintenance services.
Regarding training, Panasonic places significant importance
on this aspect. He explained, “Our approach to training is to be present
directly in the area: we will continue throughout 2024 with local activities
aimed at professional distribution, the world of design and builders.” Additionally,
the company aims to establish institutional points to ensure more targeted and
qualified training for various stakeholders. Currently, Panasonic operates a
Training Centre at its headquarters, and its development plan includes opening
additional centres in Italy. The goal is to inaugurate the first of these centres
by the first half of 2024.
To find out more about Panasonic, visit www.aircon.panasonic.eu/