webcam-b

Dubai hosts International District Cooling Conference 2016

The conference also featured discussions on district cooling projects from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Jordan. (Image source: Crazy Diamond/Flickr)

The International District Cooling Conference 2016 is taking place from 13-15 November 2016 at Jumeirah Beach Hotel in Dubai

Under the patronage of Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman of Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, and chairman of Emirates Airlines and Group, the two-day conference, titled ?A Climate Solution?, will see the attendance of government officials, executives and industrialists representing international corporations alongside designers, contractors, consultants and suppliers.

Ahmad bin Shafar, CEO of Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation, EMPOWER, and Rob Thornton, president and CEO of the International District Energy Association, IDEA, officially inaugurated the conference.

?This is a huge opportunity for stakeholders of the district cooling industry, globally and in the UAE, to showcase their products and services to an international audience from the Gulf region and beyond,? bin Shafar said.

bin Shafar, Yasser Al Jaidah of Qatar Cool, Afif Harhara of Tabreed, Anwar Hassan from Johnson Controls, and Juan Ontiveros from the University of Texas Austin, among others, discussed the strategic role of district cooling in support of the Paris Agreement ? COP 21.

The panel discussions gave insightful interventions and presentations on financing district cooling solutions, regulations in the GCC, environmental innovations, design considerations taking into account regional factors, district cooling applications around the world and district cooling system optimisation to create customer value.

?This edition of the conference will allow us to find about the next generation of district cooling systems and related technology. Our goal is to set up development and upscaling goals that contribute to a sustainable and efficient energy and water management,? said Rob Thornton.

The conference also featured discussions on district cooling projects from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Jordan, comparative study of various systems, thermal energy storage and best practices in plant room construction, and operation and maintenance in the GCC region.

The conference is organised by IDEA and hosted by Empower.