Keeping Qatar Cool

One of the innovations on The Pearl-Qatar is a cooling system that eliminates the need for bulky compressors and massive ducting. It also eliminates the monotonous hum of traditional air conditioning systems. In their place, it quietly circulates chilled water through a network of pipes.

With TPQ expected to be home to over 41,000 people, to an array of office buildings, residential towers, villas, restaurants, shops and various forms of entertainment, the demand for cooling in Qatar’s heat is great.

Meeting TPQ’s cooling challenge is the Qatar District Cooling Company, or Qatar Cool for short. A subsidiary of United Development Company, the owner and developer of TPQ, Qatar Cool is installing the largest district cooling plant in the world, with a capacity of 130,000 tons when completed.

The environment-friendly technology employed by Qatar Cool has already been used in West Bay, the commercial center of Qatar, and is attracting growing interest for residential and commercial uses. The company plans to expand outside Qatar in the near future.

In recognition of Qatar Cool’s achievements, at the end of June General Manager Fayad Al Khatib collected two prestigious international prizes at the annual meeting of the 100-year-old International District Energy Association (IDEA), in Washington, DC.

A district energy system produces steam, hot water or chilled water at a central plant and then pipes that energy out to buildings within its district for space heating, hot water heating and/or air conditioning.

One of the great advantages of district cooling is that it uses 40-60 percent less energy than traditional air conditioning systems, reducing consumer costs and demand on the national grid.

But Al Khatib noted other benefits of the Qatar Cool installations: “When you talk about the environment, it is important to consider other factors such as noise and green building techniques.”

District cooling has also caught the eye of the Obama Administration. In June, the U.S. Department of Energy announced plans to provide major funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to support new and expanded district energy systems.

“Supporting the development of the latest industrial technologies plays an important role in helping U.S. industry to lead the world in energy efficiency and productivity,” Secretary of Energy Steven Chu said in announcing the funding.

Qatar Cool’s Al Khatib said that while his company is not yet targeting the US market, it is keeping track of developments in the industry here, and would welcome an opportunity to work in the American market.