Empower seeks to take distric cooling expertise beyond UAE

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Empower seeks to take distric cooling expertise beyond UAE
Ahmad bin Shafar, Lily Riyahi, Yasser Salah Al Jaidah and Eric Ackerman attend a panel discussion during the 107th International District Energy Association tradeshow in Minnesota.

dubai - Global district cooling industry must invest more resources in R&D, says panel

By Staff Report

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Published: Wed 22 Jun 2016, 6:34 PM

Last updated: Wed 22 Jun 2016, 8:37 PM

Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower) urged the global district cooling industry to invest more resources in research and development to create future cities that preserve natural resources for generations to come.

Ahmad bin Shafar, CEO of Empower, stressed the vital role of district cooling systems in the global clean energy drive and said the UAE has been making remarkable progress in the sector.

"We are working with technology providers and manufacturers to advance the district cooling technology. Our goal is to take our expertise and experience in district cooling system beyond the borders of the UAE so that other countries benefit from our knowhow," said bin Shafar.

"District cooling is the way forward for providing integrated, sustainable and resilient energy infrastructure for cities and clusters," he said at a panel discussion titled 'Embracing Change' at the 107th International District Energy Association (Idea) Annual Conference and Trade Show in St Paul, Minesota (US).

The panel discussion, moderated by Rob Thornton, president and CEO of Idea, was attended by global leaders, industry experts and district energy leaders. They included Lily Riyahi, advisor, Unep District Energy in Cities Initiative; Yasser Salah Al Jaidah, CEO of Qatar Cool; and Eric Ackerman, director, Edison Electric Institute.

The discussion explored the future changes that could be necessitated in the energy and utility sector, and the integration of thermal and electricity for more resilient and sustainable cities, communities and campuses.

Bin Shafar also spoke about Empower's involvement as an active partner to the UNEP District Energy in Cities efforts, particularly in providing technical and business development guidance in India, where population density and infrastructure needs converge to make district cooling an important investment for clustered development.

He shared insights from his experiences as well as from the rapid assessment that Empower conducted in Indian cities, about the scenario and challenges in implementing district cooling in India's less sophisticated and dense cities.

- business@khaleejtimes.com


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