The District Cooling Plants are playing an important role nowadays. Through the years, humanity has been technologically improving its homes, entertainment and works spaces. Air-cooled solutions have been turned into a necessity for our society and as all the other technologies that are always looking for improving in efficiency, price and environmental aspects, the AC has to do it as well.
The humanity will face huge changes in this following decades, along with the transition from Fossil Fuels to the booming industry of the Renewable Energies, and needs to be prepared to follow the trend.
The forecast for renewables
The time is running as the governments are changing their politics to meet the climate targets, and this creates a friendly environment for clean Energy Producers, which seems like a soft transition for the Energy Sector.
At the end of the decade of the 2010’s a health crisis hit the Energy Sector because of the lack of demand for oil and now the governments are aware of damage that the economy can suffer if it’s being based in Fossil Fuels.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the forecast for the Wind and Photovoltaic electricity generation is expected to exceed the Natural Gas generation capacity by 2023 and coal by 2024, ending the 5-decade reign of the Coal as the top power provider. With offshore Wind being one of the fastest-growing markets as its costs plummet. By 2025, renewables will have usurped coal to become the biggest source of electricity generation globally.
Source: IEA, Total installed power capacity by fuel and technology 2019-2025, main case, IEA, Paris
By the other hand, in 2020 alone the Net Installed Renewable Capacity was expected to grow by nearly 4% globally, reaching almost 200 GW. Accomplished by huge increase in power generation by Wind and Hydropower accounting for the impressive 90% of the increase in Total Power Capacity worldwide.
This trend will continue in the near future and is clearly expected that Renewable Energies will overtake the Fossil Fuels. This means that this generated electrical energy will be cheaper, environmentally friendly and easier to get over the time.
Environmentally friendly technologies are the future
With every single gear in the world moving towards new technologies that can be sustainable and efficient for the well-being of the planet and the humanity, the District Cooling scheme is changing too, bringing back a loyal technology that has been part of the solutions for decades.
The Air-cooled technology for condensation has been implemented in numerous projects all around the world, little by little being alternated by a another more efficient technology, the Water-cooled condensation systems. This alternation became usual in big projects, and as always, a better efficiency takes a better roll on the energetic consumption of big scale projects.
However, with the fast-growing market of renewable energies and its power generated to be more abundant every year, the scale balances more and more giving to the Air-cooled technology a hand in its weak point which is the power consumption.
The Owners of developments, Users and Authorities are now looking towards green solutions and this technology offers the perfect match when supported by renewable energies. Environmentally speaking, it has inherent advantages over a Water-cooled solution as:
- ZERO water consumption
- No need for chemicals for water treatment
- Non risk of legionella or other microorganisms
- No discharge of high contaminated waste water
Green power generation along with a non-contaminant solution is the opportunity area to be implemented for the environment and Eco-Friendly Developments like Smart Cities.
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