District cooling is a great idea. If run effectively it should save on power and provide an efficient way to chill a building’s occupants. This seems ideal for the Middle East region, where a large percentage of power used is expended on air conditioning.
However, the region and especially Dubai, is experiencing growth at a rate that is stretching the capacity of utilities to respond. The result is shortfall. With shortages of chiller capacity and water, some cooling operators were struggling to provide consistent supply during peak summer months. When an office is designed to rely on district supply and that supply does not arrive, the only alternative is noisy fans and considerable discomfort.
For those lucky enough to get some warning, temporary solutions are at hand. As with generators, there is a profitable niche available to companies that can rent out portable cooling systems. These have been deployed at new developments nearing completion, such as Discovery Gardens, where a lack of cooling supply is among the reasons given to frustrated owners for continued delays in handover.
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The answer may be a mix of greater planning, combined with more warning from developers. Such matters should be on the agenda at the International District Cooling Conference, which takes place in Dubai on 19-21 October.
Stuart Matthews is the senior group editor of ITP Business’ construction and energy magazines.
Staff Writer
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and...
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Cool idea
Secure supply essential to district cooling.
District cooling is a great idea. If run effectively it should save on power and provide an efficient way to chill a building’s occupants. This seems ideal for the Middle East region, where a large percentage of power used is expended on air conditioning.
However, the region and especially Dubai, is experiencing growth at a rate that is stretching the capacity of utilities to respond. The result is shortfall. With shortages of chiller capacity and water, some cooling operators were struggling to provide consistent supply during peak summer months. When an office is designed to rely on district supply and that supply does not arrive, the only alternative is noisy fans and considerable discomfort.
For those lucky enough to get some warning, temporary solutions are at hand. As with generators, there is a profitable niche available to companies that can rent out portable cooling systems. These have been deployed at new developments nearing completion, such as Discovery Gardens, where a lack of cooling supply is among the reasons given to frustrated owners for continued delays in handover.
Â
The answer may be a mix of greater planning, combined with more warning from developers. Such matters should be on the agenda at the International District Cooling Conference, which takes place in Dubai on 19-21 October.
Stuart Matthews is the senior group editor of ITP Business’ construction and energy magazines.
Staff Writer
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and... More by Staff Writer
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