Overview
Adani Cooling Solutions Limited (ACSL), a wholly owned subsidiary company of Adani Energy Solutions Limited (AESL), delivers a centralized, energy-efficient, sustainable, and low-carbon cooling solutions through the development of the District Cooling System (DCS). ACSL aims to become market leader in DCS market by capturing 40% of the addressable market in India.
Through its distinguished offering, ACSL aims to offer cooling solutions for real estate, industrial, and other allied sectors on a managed services basis, as well as other build-to-suit and fit-for-purpose solutions.
The District Cooling Solutions (DCS) has become a cornerstone of energy-efficient infrastructure in the Middle East, with a very high penetration rate in the cooling space. The India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) estimates that India’s cooling demand will surge eightfold in the next two decades.
The rising urban population, coupled with a growing per capita cooling need and the emergence of large data centers, has led to a significant shift in the energy landscape. This shift enabled AESL to pivot into the cooling solutions business. It is well positioned to capitalize on the growing DCS opportunity by leveraging existing development, O&M, and consumer expertise.
What is DCS?
- The rising temperature, coupled with the increasing demand for space in industrial & commercial budlings alongside the growing utilization of heat-emitting technical equipment has fueled interest in sustainable & energy efficient cooling solution.
- District cooling is the modern, centralized and energy-efficient way to air condition cluster of buildings. In a district cooling system, a central cooling plant supplies chilled water through a network of insulated underground pipelines to the buildings, through a heat exchanger absorbing heat from the buildings space and providing air conditioning.
- By aggregating the cooling needs of multiple buildings, District Cooling Systems (DCS) create economies of scale, this approach results in 25-30% reduction in primary energy consumption, leading to cost savings and reduced carbon emissions.
- Furthermore, unlike standalone AC systems that heavily rely on environmentally hazardous refrigerants, District Cooling Systems (DCS) utilize eco-friendly refrigerant by harnessing natural water sources such as lakes, rivers, and seawater for efficient heat rejection.
Advantages and Benefits of DCS
Commercial
- Reduction of 25-30% in primary energy consumption for cooling
- Lower capital expenditure
- Economies of scale
- Lifecycle savings up to 25-30%
- Free up of roof top space for other utilization
- Lower operational & maintenance costs
- Increased assets lifespan because of predictive maintenance
Environmental
- 25-30% lower carbon emission
- Easy transition to low-global warming potential refrigerants
- Optimize energy usage
- Reduction of up to 20-25% in water consumption
- Peak energy demand reduction
- Up to 35-40% lifecycle refrigerant saving
- Healthy microclimate and air quality
- Eliminates heat island effect
Social
- Enhanced building aesthetics
- High reliability
- Promotes low-carbon lifestyle
- Round the clock cooling availability improves quality of life
- Reduced cooling system noise
- Eliminates HVAC fire risk
Industry Landscape
- District cooling in India is increasingly being considered a necessity by the government for urban master plans and smart city projects
- The India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) estimates that India’s cooling demand will surge eightfold in the next two decades. This growth is fueled by the rising demand for space cooling, urban heat, government investments in smart and sustainable cities
- As per International Energy Agency (IEA), India will likely become the world’s largest consumer of space cooling by 2050, accounting for 28% of total electricity demand and 44% of peak load
- The surge in cooling demand mandates sustainable and energy efficient colling solutions for the commercial real estate, industrial, data centers, and airports
Cooling as a Service (CaaS) Model
AESL aims to provide sustainable cooling solutions to larger developments offers the District Cooling System (DCS) under Cooling as a Service (CaaS) model.
Cooling as a Service (CaaS) is a modern financial instrument for clean and efficient air conditioning. In the CaaS model, technology provider own the cooling system and bear all operational & maintenance costs, while the customer or end users pay based on the actual cooling units they consume during each billing cycle.
Source: QDCC