Coimbatore, an ideal choice for district cooling systems

At one of the panel discussions on net zero cities, held as part of the ISHRAE Cool Conclave in Coimbatore recently, the panelists discussed how the country can secure its cooling future while journeying for a sustainable growth.

The roundtable, hosted and moderated by Grundfos, brought together stakeholders from across the cooling ecosystem.

Cooling is now an essential infrastructure in metros and smaller cities. India’s cooling demand is growing rapidly, driven by multiple factors. District cooling is one of the most effective tools available to ensure sustainable cooling solution for hotels, hospitals, houses, industries, and commercial buildings, they said.

“The previous State government had given a policy for district cooling. It should come up as a project in Tamil Nadu,” said J. Sathish, director of Kongu Global Forum.

By incorporating district cooling into master plans, cities can avoid future constraints while unlocking significant long-term economic and environmental benefits, said Ronak Monga, global sales development director, District Energy, Grundfos India.

District cooling is a centralised cooling system that is prevalent in West Asian countries. The network of pipes should be not more than three km radius. Buildings will receive cooling by pipelines and it will be metered, similar to electricity supply. If a community has a dense population within a small area, the district cooling system is ideal. Individual buildings need not earmark space or investment for air conditioners, he said.

“District cooling system helps balance the peak (electricity) load. It reduces the ‘grid power on intake’ during peak hours. The average cooling penetration in residential units in India is just 8% and in urban areas it is 10% to 15%. Coimbatore is one of the ideal cities for this project as greenfield community development projects can implement this,” he said.

It needs land and involves laying of underground pipes. Then there are investments in equipment and running costs. Even treated sewage can be used for water. As many as 70 such plants are operational in India now. While the water requirement is high for these systems, it reduces consumption of peak hour electricity for cooling requirements, he added.

With Coimbatore’s residential communities, weather, and water availability, it is a natural choice, said Mr. Monga.