District Cooling Saves About 30% Of Electricity and Supports Sustainable Energy

District Cooling Saves About 30% Of Electricity and Supports Sustainable Energy 

A scientific study at the University of Bahrain (UoB) confirmed the economic and rationalization benefits of electric energy in the application of the district cooling system in the new urban plans in the Kingdom. 

This came in the findings of the study prepared by Abdullah Ashoor Hilal, a student in the Master’s in Engineering Management program in the University’s College of Engineering, as a requirement for obtaining his master’s degree. 

The jury discussed Hilal in his thesis entitled: An Economic Analysis of the District Cooling System to reduce Electricity Consumption. 

Researcher Abdullah Hilal stated that “District cooling is the production of air-conditioning cooled water from one or more sources through plants containing coolers of large industrial sizes with high efficiency, or by recycling waste energy from power plants and converting it into cooling energy.” 

He further explained that “In all cases, the cooled water is pumped and circulated through a network of underground thermally insulated pipes connected to various buildings within an urban area, from which the end-user benefits from air conditioning.” 

The research model developed by the researcher showed the possibility for all concerned parties to benefit from the district cooling system, as the state can save electrical energy consumption by at least 30%, which reduces the cost of implementing millions of dinars in infrastructure projects to keep pace with the increase in energy demand, and the subsequent annual savings for the government for the energy subsidy budget for the eligible categories, bearing in mind that cooling constitutes a regional burden, as it is the largest consumer of electricity with an average of 60% of demand annually, according to studies. 

The researcher programmed a simulation model, and scientific analysis of energy and cost to be able to conduct realistic comparison studies between the use of traditional cooling systems and the district cooling system. 

Hilal stated that “In addition to the benefits achieved by the state, the citizen can benefit a lot by saving the cost of cooling per ton-hour unit, whether it is for a commercial, residential or mixed purpose. In addition to the economic feasibility of this system as an investment, whether the sector is private, governmental or joint,” noting that “this system contributes to supporting the Kingdom’s plans to improve energy efficiency following the established national roadmap.” 

Moreover, he added, “There are other benefits, including: reducing harmful emissions and noise.” And on whether the district cooling system is used in the Kingdom or not, he explained that it is implemented in several areas, such as Awali, and the new closed cities, which are ideal for this type of cooling. 

The researcher went on to the importance of creating a governmental regulatory body to regulate the relationship between the different parties and the system, as is the case regionally and globally, as the system is in increasing demand due to its great benefits in the field of sustainable energy, and the possibility of linking it to various cooling sources up to linking it to renewable energy systems and reusing wasted energy from factories and power stations, making it ideal for future cities. 

The examination committee consisted of professor of mechanical engineering at the University’s College of Engineering Prof. Dr. Ahmed Yousef Ali as the thesis supervisor, faculty member in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the College Associate Professor Dr. Mohammed Jameel Ahmed as an internal examiner, and Associate Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research In the United Arab Emirates Dr. Valerie Evoli as an external examiner.