The Cool Future: Exploring Sustainable District Cooling Solutions from the MENA Region to Europe
As the planet heats up, finding sustainable ways to stay cool has become one of the most pressing challenges of our time. On 12 December 2024, Euroheat & Power, Empower, and the UNEP Cool Coalition came together to address this issue through the webinar “The Cool Future: Exploring Sustainable District Cooling Solutions from the MENA Region to Europe.” Against the backdrop of rising global temperatures and growing urbanization, this event underscored the urgent need for energy-efficient cooling systems to combat climate change and meet increasing cooling demands. The session brought together experts from across the globe to explore scalable, region-specific solutions, and to share best practices on how district cooling can enhance energy efficiency, reduce emissions, and build climate-resilient cities.
The event’s moderator, Victoria Liénard, Policy Advisor at Euroheat & Power, set the stage, explaining how district cooling works and why it’s a vital solution in the fight against climate change. Highlighting its efficiency, she described district cooling as a centralized system that distributes cooling through an integrated network, optimizing energy use and achieving significant environmental benefits. Liénard emphasized that district cooling can reduce energy consumption by up to 50% compared to traditional air-conditioning, while also ensuring grid stability and addressing the growing strain on electricity systems. This makes it an essential tool for tackling rising cooling demands globally, particularly in regions that face distinct challenges when it comes to extreme heat and humidity.
Luis Munuera, Senior Advisor on Urban Energy at UNEP, outlined the ways that UNEP is supporting national governments to incorporate district cooling into their energy transition plans by sharing best practices, providing technical assistance, and offering tools and methodologies. Work is already underway in countries like Chile, Ukraine, Egypt, Tunisia, India, Viet Nam, while in India, the UNEP Cool Coalition has supported the establishment of a District Cooling Hub, an innovative physical space for linking experts with municipalities, and strengthening policy advisory, technology transfer, and capacity building.
“International collaboration works best when you face a global problem with local implementation,” said Munuera. “We’ve seen evidence of it with the Kigali Amendment and the Global Cooling Pledge.” He went on to explain how district cooling can be positioned within major events. For instance, as Munuera pointed out in his presentation, at the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, the UNEP Cool Coalition leveraged its strong presence in the “Delivering on the Global Cooling Pledge” Ministerial Roundtable and at the Buildings and Cooling Pavilion to champion the integration of sustainable cooling into national climate policies, and to highlight the importance of district cooling.
The discussion then transitioned to the regional level, focusing specifically on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Samer Khoudeir, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer at Empower, emphasized that in the Middle East, where around 70% of energy consumption in buildings is attributed to air conditioning, district cooling has become an essential solution for reducing power demand and greenhouse gas emissions. The region’s arid climate, characterized by extreme heat and minimal natural ventilation, severely limits the effectiveness of passive cooling methods. This makes sustainable cooling systems, like district cooling, not just a practical option but an indispensable necessity for ensuring comfort and combating climate change.
Empower, the world’s largest district cooling services provider, recognizes it as a strategic climate solution for warmer regions, delivering energy-efficient and cost-effective cooling to over 140,000 customers in Dubai and beyond. Khoudeir highlighted Dubai’s leadership, where district cooling is a cornerstone of the city’s sustainability targets. Dubai aims to achieve 40% district cooling penetration by 2030 through the implementation of integrated strategies like the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy and Demand Side Management Strategy, supported by the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy. “District cooling in the MENA region isn’t just an environmental solution; it’s an economic necessity,” said Khoudeir. “By reducing electricity consumption by up to 50%, we’re proving that sustainable cooling can drive both climate and financial resilience.”
The conversation moved from the MENA region to Europe, a region traditionally unaccustomed to extreme heat but now facing increasingly severe heatwaves as a result of climate change. District cooling networks in Europe have grown significantly to meet this challenge, with sales reaching 3.3 TWh in 2022—an 8% increase from previous years. The region boasts over 200 district cooling networks spanning 1,375 kilometers of pipelines, with dominant markets in Sweden and France. While these networks primarily serve tertiary sectors, they are increasingly being integrated into residential and storage needs, highlighting the sector’s adaptability to evolving demands.
Diana Adam, Policy and Regulation Officer at BEW Berlin, shared insights from Germany, emphasizing the importance of integrating sustainable cooling solutions into urban planning. Adam explained that BEW operates one of Germany’s largest district cooling networks, with a focus on innovative practices like utilizing waste heat to enhance efficiency. Highlighting their work at Potsdamer Platz, she noted, “By integrating a high-temperature heat pump into the cooling plant, we’ve been able to repurpose waste heat and renewable electricity to provide heat for 30,000 households in summer and heating for 3,000 households in winter.”
Andrea Voight, Vice President of Global Public Affairs and Sustainability at Danfoss, provided a complementary perspective from Copenhagen. She highlighted Danfoss’s leadership in district cooling innovation, pointing to Copenhagen as a role model for sustainable urban cooling. The city utilizes seawater to power its district cooling system, with 50% of its capacity serving comfort cooling for offices and shops and the remaining 50% focused on process cooling for hospitals and data centers. District cooling contributes to the city’s goal of reducing CO2 emissions, as nearly 70% of Copenhagen’s urban energy consumption comes from heating and cooling systems in urban areas.
“Copenhagen exemplifies the symbiosis between district heating and cooling systems,” Voight explained. “By coupling district heating and cooling with sources like wastewater and renewable energy, Copenhagen maximizes efficiency and minimizes waste, paving the way for cities around the world to follow suit.”
The webinar concluded with reflections on the transformative potential of district cooling in combating climate challenges and paving the way for greener, more resilient cities. Moderator Victoria Liénard emphasized that scaling these solutions is a necessity for sustainable urban growth. As echoed throughout the discussions, district cooling stands as a beacon of innovation, offering a tangible pathway to a future where cities thrive while reducing their environmental footprint.