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Sunday, July 5, 2009

District cooling system can reduce CO2 emissions

BY PMA RASHEED
The Gulf Today, 9 Nov 2008
DISTRICT cooling system can reduce the annual carbon dioxide emissions by about one ton, for every ton of district cooling refrigeration demand served, claimed a district cooling service provider based in Dubai.
“The district cooling potential, which has been calculated with a total of 2.9 million tons of refrigeration demand by 2015, can reduce the emission of CO2 by about 2.8 million tons annually in the Middle East,” said Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO of Empower (Emirates Central Cooling Corporation).
He added, “A recent industrial study has revealed that the total installed district cooling capacity in the Gulf region is expected to reach 9.6 million refrigeration tons (RT) by 2010 against 745,000 RT in 2005. The UAE alone is expected to account for more than four million tons RT by the year 2012.”
“The district cooling systems work on thermal energy from chilled water in a centralised cooling plant and are energy efficient, up to 50 per cent, which is significantly higher than the traditional forms of air conditioning technologies,” he said.
Ahmad was speaking on the sidelines of the launch of Empower health, safety and environment awards for best practices at project sites. The awards initiative is aimed at recognising potential practices in health, safety and particularly in environmental sustainability throughout the region.
He added, “Contractors and consultants working on project sites will be honoured through the award scheme for best practices in establishing, developing and implementing occupational health, safety and environment programmes.”
“Environmental issues are global in nature and environmental responsibility is integral to our operations. So, we are planning to improve the aspects of our HSE performance through getting our business partners and employees to participate in such an award,” he pointed out.
According to Ahmad, activities to reduce the impact of carbon emissions on the planet through more sustainable products and solutions are the significant things to be focused.
Emirates Central Cooling Corporation (Empower) is one of the leading district cooling service providers in the region and a joint venture between TECOM Investments and Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA).
“Empower had received four prestigious awards at the International district energy association’s (IDEA) 99th annual conference recently held in Florida, US,” he said.

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