The Cooling Business of Thermax participated in the District Energy in Cities Initiative held in Rajkot, Gujarat on May 9, 2016. This one day workshop was held with the aim to promote sustainable development of cities through energy efficiency, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, South Asia.
Thermax participated in the discussion on rapid assessment for the potential of district cooling in five smart cities (Bhopal, Coimbatore, Pune, Rajkot and Thane) in India. The main focus was on the inclusion of renewable energy into District Cooling such as Waste to Energy and how these cities would serve as examples for other upcoming smart cities in India and beyond.
According to UNEPs Report modern district energy systems can reduce primary energy consumption for heating and cooling of urban buildings by up to 50%. Modern DES provide the only means to use of low-quality thermal energy (waste heat) to provide heat, cool and hot water services in buildings. They allow for high levels of affordable renewable energy supply through economies of scale, diversity of supply, balancing and storage making them a key measure for cities/countries that aim to achieve 100% renewable energy or carbon neutral targets.
The barriers to district energy development exist at the local, regional and national levels. UNEP’s partnership with ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, UN-Habitat and the Copenhagen Centre on Energy Efficiency (C2E2) enables this report to provide guidance at all levels of governance and provides cross-cutting contribution to how we can achieve sustainable energy for all.
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