District Energy News

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Learning from the past can help us develop cooling in the future

In this issue of Hot Cool, we explore how district cooling (DC) can meet the world’s growing cooling demands sustainably. We begin with insights from India, where an urgent rise in cooling demand—projected to grow eightfold by 2038 by the India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP)—underscores the need for sustainable cooling solutions. The ICAP prioritizes not-in-kind cooling solutions like the District Cooling System (DCS), a technology significantly shifting from the default individual air conditioners and large on-site chillers. In this opening article, Vibhu Saxena, Pramod Kumar Singh, and Piyush Sharma discuss how learning from the past can help us develop cooling for the future.

 The challenge of District Cooling: Turning vision into reality

From Europe, we explore the hurdles and opportunities of adopting DC on a wide scale. While the benefits are undeniable, bringing DC from concept to reality hinges on both technical feasibility and investment appeal. Jakob Bjerregaard and Lea Riber Junge remind us that positioning DC as a business investment is essential to ensure its long-term viability in European cities.

District Cooling implementation in Indonesia: A gateway to collaboration

Indonesia’s journey into DC highlights the potential for collaboration as the country begins to embrace this technology. Authors Rana Yusuf Nasir and Rahman Wirajaya underscore that, beyond environmental benefits, DC can foster partnerships across sectors, enabling stakeholders to address energy efficiency needs collectively as urban centers expand. Read the inspiring article about how the DC implementation in Indonesia is a gateway to collaboration.

Smart Energy Systems Conference Awards 

Beyond DC, this issue brings insight into recent district energy research in two Scientist Corner articles. We celebrate the achievements of innovators recognized at the 10th International Conference on Smart Energy Systems (SES). Firstly, Simran Chagger’s case study examines the adaptability of low-temperature heating networks, revealing their feasibility for both new and existing buildings.
Secondly, we look at Costanza Saletti’s tools to support the increasingly complex networks of prosumers and discuss how new algorithms and methodologies are poised to help us navigate the energy transition.
Finally, in a member profile, we present how HOFOR, Copenhagen’s utility company, can now deliver more than 100 MW of DC to major customers in the capital.