ShareA seawater district cooling system in the Caribbean.
A study by Makai Ocean Engineering analyzed the feasibility of using cold deep seawater for a district cooling system in the Caribbean.
A study by Makai Ocean Engineering analyzed the feasibility of using cold deep seawater for a district cooling system in the Caribbean. Commissioned by CAF-Development Bank of Latin America with The Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the results highlighted two sites considered to be most promising: Montego Bay in Jamaica and Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic.
The technology of seawater air conditioning (SWAC) uses pumped cold ocean water (until 5°C even in the tropics) through heat exchangers which is transferred into a district cooling distribution piping system. A computer model called METHOD compares the relative economic value of district cooling systems such as SWAC, versus a conventional A/C system on the basis of “levelized cost of cooling".
The benefits are undeniable: costs of cooling and electrical consumption are dramatically reduced, up to 90% compared to conventional air conditioning. Economically attractive for a region where hotels and resorts are large consumers of electrical energy, and conventional air conditioning (A/C) systems account for around 40% of the total energy consumption in such buildings.
The technology of seawater air conditioning (SWAC) uses pumped cold ocean water (until 5°C even in the tropics) through heat exchangers which is transferred into a district cooling distribution piping system. A computer model called METHOD compares the relative economic value of district cooling systems such as SWAC, versus a conventional A/C system on the basis of “levelized cost of cooling".
The benefits are undeniable: costs of cooling and electrical consumption are dramatically reduced, up to 90% compared to conventional air conditioning. Economically attractive for a region where hotels and resorts are large consumers of electrical energy, and conventional air conditioning (A/C) systems account for around 40% of the total energy consumption in such buildings.