Tuesday, February 24, 2015 khaleej times
khaleej times | aDVeRtisiNG sUPPlemeNt
Way forward District Cooling conserves precious energy and water resources besides decreasing our carbon footprint
By sadiq shaBan
T
o increase energy efficiency and save the environment, the concept of district cooling is being widely appreciated. Involving the distribution of cool air generated in a centralised location for residential and commercial cooling requirements, the system can deliver more efficient heating and cooling for users, providing there is density of development. A district cooling system can reach five times higher efficiencies than traditional electricity-driven chillers. Ever since district cooling became widespread, it has resulted in less environmental emissions, air pollution, the greenhouse gas (GHG) carbon dioxide (CO2) and ozone-destroying refrigerants.
In a typical residential unit, district-cooling systems can cut energy usage by 40 to 50 per cent, compared to traditional climate control systems. Besides cutting the annual CO2 emissions by about one tonne for every tonne of district cooling refrigeration demand served, the system is likely to replace the traditional systems with new environmentally friendly technologies. While reducing the total power consumption compared to traditional systems, district cooling also supports the rising power demand in Dubai. Recently the 6th IDEA International District Cooling Conference organised by the International District Energy Association (IDEA) and hosted by Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower) was held
under the patronage of Shaikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Emirates airlines. Highlighting the importance of district cooling and the role of Dubai (which is host to the largest district cooling company in the world, Empower), the delegates noted that this industry is becoming a real alternative to conventional cooling in many parts of the world. The participants exchanged expertise and knowledge throughout the conference besides visiting major district cooling plants in the emirate. Topics on sustainability in district cooling services were also discussed to encourage industry leaders to share successful case studies and key global and regional achievements. Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower), the leading district cooling service provider in the region (a joint venture between Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) and Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone (TECOM) Investments has recently connected its services to the prestigious development of Emirates Towers which consist of the Emirates Office Tower and Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel that are connected with a twostorey retail complex (The Boulevard). The two towers rise to 355 metres (1,165 feet) and 309 metres (1,014 feet), respectively. Notably Empower converted the existing air-cooled system to district cooling system for the total capacity of 6,000 Refrigeration Tonne (RT), which will result in energy savings of approximately 80 per cent for the property. Located in Abu Dhabi, PAL Technologies’ District Cooling division provides customers with efficient district cooling solutions. The company has cooling solutions and services for commercial and residential projects in the UAE and around the world. PAL Technology District Cooling operations in the Reem Island area, 600 metres off the Coast of Abu Dhabi Island, consists of 45,000 TR, which has minimised idle capacity for its owners. The company is known for adopting a ‘build-operate-own’ (and/or transfer) business model for the construction and operation of district cooling plants. Providing a very effective and efficient means of air conditioning, district cooling usually involves a technology that cools water in central plants and then distributes it through a network of piping systems to individual customer buildings. Experts opine that this system is very efficient to help achieve economies of scale since it uses centralised plants instead of individual cooling units in each building. As a result, the centralised system cuts down on operating costs, thereby slashing the setting up of air-conditioning units
Embracing the nation’s energy-efficient principles PAL Technology is one of the top players in the UAE industry with over 400,000 TR of confirmed capacity
PAL Technology district cooling is one of the top players in the UAE industry. All these plant capacities are at different stages of design and construction. About Dh210 million chilled water network projects are executed on different developments under PAL Technology District Cooling.
PAL Technology District Cooling Department was established in year 2006. Since then, it has become one of the leading district cooling providers in the UAE as a result of strong leadership, teamwork, quality, time management and integrity. The District Cooling division has a team of skilled and specialised professional engineers with unmatched expertise of project engineering and management from concept to implementation to start up, operation and maintenance. With this pool of rich expertise, PAL Technology has phenomenally flourished in district cooling industry and has kept the pace of growth over past years. By embracing energy-efficient principles, PAL Technology creates district-cooling facilities from design and organisation to actual construction and operations. Thermodynamic staging over eight compression stages coupled with ultra-low flow condenser and chilled water flow makes for a more reliable and cost-effective operation. Like most of the utility provider companies, PAL Technology District Cooling also adopts a ‘build-operate-own’ (and/or transfer) business model for the construction and operation of district cooling plants. In a typical project of comfort cooling, PAL Technology invests on the construction of the reticulation network with pre-insulated pipes of up to 1.5 metres in diameter to distribute chilled water to the building energy transfer station, and constructs, operates and maintains central district cooling plants up to a capacity of 100,000 refrigerant tonnes (TR). With over 400,000 TR of confirmed capacity,
Following are the few projects for District Cooling: — — — — —
Pearl of the Emirates Development Najmat Development Mina Corniche Saraya Development Shams Abu Dhabi Development
What is District Cooling? District cooling system distributes thermal energy in the form of chilled water from a central source to multiple buildings/villas through a network of pre-insulated underground pipes/ above ground pipes, based on the development requirement. A central cooling plant is constructed and operated to cater the needs of the development. Each building allocate a specially designed room from where the energy is transferred by the PHEX’s and is pumped into the building to provide the cooling as per the building requirements. District cooling offers a number of benefits to building owners and the UAE environment. It not only eliminates the need to replace chillers, which can be an expensive pursuits, it also eliminates the dependence on CFC-based refrigerants that are high-risk chemical for the environment. Building a district cooling facility makes cooling operations more reliable and accessible and, most importantly, it outsources the complex undertaking of building cooling.
and energy costs per building. Suitable for large-scale, highdensity properties such as business districts, airports, military bases, university campuses, residential towers and commercial establishments, district cooling is practical. Besides freeing up space in buildings that can be used to generate additional profit, this system requires lower capital costs, as they eliminate the need for chillers, cooling towers, pumps and other individual systems. In an era of energy saving and cost cutting, District cooling is the way forward. —sadiq@khaleejtimes.com
Benefits of district cooling h h h h h h h h h
Up to 50 per cent less energy consumption Cuts down on the initial capital investment Spreads costs over a longer period of time Annual maintenance costs are substantially lower Can easily store up to 30 per cent of potential output by keeping chilled water in reserve Meeting demands in seasonal variations The system needs to be replaced only every 30 years, compared to 15 years for traditional air conditioning District cooling is more reliable due to the high standards of industrial equipment utilised and back-up chillers on stand-by Protects the environment by reducing CO2 emissions due to lower energy consumption [1092975]
khaleej times Tuesday, February 24, 2015
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