Future-proofing District Cooling

What does the future hold?

Global Warming More erratic, more severe weather Increasing population Increased food demand Increased fresh water demand Increased power demand

Shrinking fresh water supplies Need for recycling Need for desalination

Shrinking fossil fuel supplies Need for alternates: Solar, wind, bio-hydrogen

It's not pleasant, is it?

Where the Water goes

How can District Cooling help to make it better?

Saving Energy with DC - 1

DC plants use BIG chillers Which save Operational Energy because They are more efficient than building chillers BIG chillers last MUCH longer, so... They also save Embodied Energy because There's an overall saving in resource extraction and manufacturing energy There are also savings in transportation and installation

Longevity

The age of the disposable building is over! We simply can't afford it anymore We are building taller to accommodate more people on limited land area, so: Towers must be designed to last a hundred years and undergo multiple refurbishments The building cooling system must be designed to last equally as long without refurbishment And the DC system should be designed to last even longer!

Tighter Integration into

Urban Planning DC part of Integrated Energy Supply Plant Waste heat demands near waste heat sources Upgrading DC waste heat for industrial use Industrial development integrated with

residential development

Integrated Development

Back to the Future?

In The Middle Ages...

The internal combustion engine hadn't been invented, so... Transport was horses (camels) and carts Most businesses were small and local People walked to work or the shops

In the New Middle Ages...

Fossil fuel will be in short supply, so... Suburbs will not be viable unless there is public

transport Urban development must be centered on energy

sources Industry will have to be integrated with residential

development The maximum work must be obtained from every

unit of energy

Saving Energy with DC - 2

DC already uses less energy than individual building cooling But if the waste heat could be used, that would be a bonus in two ways: It would not be directly contributing to global warming Fuel would not have to be burned to produce heat separately

Using waste heat will be easier if: The user is close to the DC plant The waste heat can be upgraded for industrial use

Planning for Waste Heat Recovery

In cold and temperate climates, it's easy to dispose of the waste heat from cooling You simply use it for heating In warm and hot climates you have to get rid of it By dumping it to the air or bodies of water Both of which affect the climate Unless you can find a use for it By locating heat demands near the disposal point

Examples of Heat Demands

Hotels Hospitals Restaurants Bakeries Spas Industrial processes

How is City Planning Affected?

All these heat demands except industrial use are public services

So, it makes sense for them for them to be located in a central area Around a combined Energy Center/Transport Hub Because the heating and cooling pipes and the power lines

can be big and short And that reduces energy transmission losses

What about Industry?

Industry is last on the list of heat demands because: Industrial processes most often need high-grade heat

(100s of degrees C) DC waste heat is low-grade (35C from cooling towers,

80C from dry coolers) Making up the difference is difficult So it needs research (which no-one has bothered with to date because

burning fossil fuel is easier and cheaper!)

Industry in the City?

Why not? Modern Health & Safety Regulations have made most

workplaces clean and quiet Modern Environmental Legislation has required

potential atmospheric and other pollution to be dealt with at source

Modern Vehicle Construction Regulations have reduced noise and pollution levels

Enlightened City Planning can segregate industrial and regular traffic flows

If we put Industry in the City...

We save: Power transmission losses Reduces CO2 emissions Worker transportation energy Reduces CO2 emissions Worker traveling time Increases leisure time Improves mood and (hopefully) productivity

For our kids' sake

Let's do it!