Advantages of district cooling networks (DCN)

District cooling networks (DCNs) offer a number of advantages, starting with the fact that centralizing refrigeration production equipment means greater efficiency than with smaller units. An UCCS saves energy and drinking water, and emits fewer greenhouse gases for every kWh of cooling produced, compared with individual installations.

A centralized installation is easier to control, and can manage variations and different consumer load profiles much more efficiently. Compared with dozens or hundreds of devices distributed throughout each building, the RFU enables simplified management, with reduced health risks in buildings, and better containment to prevent refrigerant dispersal into the environment.

At the building-user level, the only installation is a heat exchanger, a passive device consisting simply of two water circuits. These systems...