Saudi Arabia has a high cooling demand due to their peak temperatures which can be extremely high. Identifying a cost-effective comfort cooling solution is therefore an important part of city planning in Saudi Arabia. The district cooling market in Saudi Arabia is considered to be the strongest in the region & the requirement for the availability of air-conditioning systems is rising and the power supply required accounts for almost 70% of the total growth in power demand.

The Gulf region is faced with a lot of challenges in the energy sector, mainly in terms of low efficiency, a high growth rate and heavy dependence on government subsidy. These issues need to be tackled simultaneously and by various means. One of these is utilize efficient technologies more than the normal types of technologies, and the other is to impose certain regulations on the users, especially in the pricing mechanism, to encourage efficiency. The third way is to add up the renewable systems and the area here, which is getting lot of potential in the last few years. We hope to see these contributing more and more to the production of electricity in the area.

The Kingdom has planned over 3 Trillion worth of Construction projects which are scheduled to start off with construction in 2016. This will include the construction of Airports & Ports, Hospitals, Universities, Smart Cities, Districts and much more.

New projects are witnessing a shift from traditional air-conditioning to district cooling that helps save energy and cut down on maintenance and environmental damage. District cooling uses 40 percent to 50 percent less energy than traditional air-conditioning systems, which can account for 70 per cent of a building's electricity bill. Producing one tonne of refrigeration using conventional air conditioning takes 1.8kw of electrical power, while district cooling can consume 0.85?kw per ton. District cooling companies in the Middle East and Africa are expected to dominate over 40 per cent of overall global demand by 2019, which is expected to reach $29 billion in value terms in the next four years.

The UAE district cooling sector, which pioneered the concept of hassle-free, eco-friendly, maintenance-free and energy-efficient solutions with its electric-powered and solar interface cooling services, is set to take its pride of place on a regional and global scale amidst rapid construction and surging demand for power and cooling.

The UAE district cooling companies, which include top names such as Emirates District Cooling LLC (Emicool), Empower and Tabreed among others, are expected to play pivotal roles in the growth of the industry across Middle East and Africa, and projected to grow by over 18 percent in the next five years, if industry estimates are any indication.

Moreover, the Middle East and Africa district cooling companies are expected to dominate over 40 percent of the overall demand globally by 2019, which is expected to reach $29 billion in value terms in the next four years

New projects are witnessing a steady shift from traditional air-conditioning to comprehensive district cooling that help save energy, and cut down on maintenance and environmental damages.

 District cooling comes with manifold advantages and is highly sustainable as it uses 40 percent to 50 percent less energy than traditional air-conditioning systems, which can account for 70 percent of a building’s electricity bill. Producing one ton of refrigeration using conventional air conditioning takes 1.8 kw of electrical power, while district cooling can consume as little as 0.85 kw per ton.

With the ongoing construction boom in the UAE and across the region, it is not only good news for companies in the sector, but also for the district cooling industry with each vying for more market share, if the performance and expansion plans – both capacity and geographical footprint - of the leading players in the segment are any indication.

The KSA has become one of the most attractive district cooling business hubs with 26 per cent market share compared to 74 per cent of the all the other GCC countries put together. The district cooling market in the KSA is expected to overtake the UAE district cooling market by 2014 due to an impressive project pipeline and increasing awareness about DC solutions The drive to optimize energy efficient air conditioning has resulted in the need to implement district cooling systems over traditional methods. High subsidy burden on government due to lower tariff, environmental concerns due to excessive consumption of fuel for producing power and lack of A/C regulations are some of the challenges in traditional method and the reason why DC is preferred. In the wake of increasing focus on sustainability and the ‘go green’ movement across the globe, the Middle East is also adapting its energy consumption trends to suit the high levels of power demand resulting from extremely high temperatures. District cooling technology is of key importance, as it offers central cooling for multiple buildings effectively while saving about 25 percent on electrical costs.

Summit Dates -  4^th & 5^th of May, 2016
Place -  Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Venue - TBD