District cooling means the
commercialised production of cooled water in a centralised production plant and
its distribution in pipelines to a number of buildings for the cooling of
ventilation. District cooling energy can also be delivered for the cooling of
industrial processes or manufacturing and storage facilities in the food
industry. The operating principle can be compared with district heating with
the exception that in district cooling the extra heat from the customer is
transmitted to the energy supplier’s district cooling water.
Compared with
building-specific cooling, district cooling is a more environmentally friendly
alternative, its price is competitive, and it is an easy and reliable source of
cooling energy. In district cooling, the cooling energy is produced in a
centralised way instead of producing the energy separately in each building.
This enables greater unit sizes, and as a result energy can be produced cost
effectively and pro-environmentally.
Buildings using district
cooling gain a number of benefits: the air and structure borne noises and
vibration caused by cooling equipment are eliminated, the space for cooling
equipment becomes free for other use, condensing units spoiling the façade of
the building are no longer required, and the repair and maintenance of cooling
equipment are no longer necessary.
The cooling need is caused
by the sun, as well as by the heat sources within the buildings, such as
machinery, computers and other electrical appliances. Buildings may also have a
cooling need simultaneously with heating needs in the cold seasons. Therefore,
district cooling can be a supplementary service for district heating suppliers.
The service may be operated by a district heating supplier with an existing
organisation for customer service, operating and maintenance technology and
other technical expertise.
Delivered district cooling and connected load
