Accelerating investment in district cooling in India – Results of the first rapid assessments

The District Energy in Cities Initiative is working with EESL (Energy Efficiency Services Limited) and over 40 public and private partners, to help local governments in 6 Indian cities strengthen their planning and policy framework, develop cooling strategies and targets, establish a methodology for integrated energy and land-use planning and mappings, and develop tailored zoning and connection policies to create an environment for innovative business models for sustainable cooling. At the national level, the Initiative aims to level the playing field – ensure that the benefits of district energy are accounted through incentives or revolving funds – ensure district energy is considered in green building standards, and establish a clear mandate for cities to act in this sector.

The Initiative has undertaken six rapid assessments of district cooling in the Indian cities of Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Coimbatore, Pune, Rajkot and Thane. These rapid assessments help to understand the potential of district cooling in India and the barriers to uptake, as well as to create a project pipeline for investment. As a next step, the Initiative will use the GEF funding to demonstrate a city-level approach to district cooling in India that delivers investments and to design strategies and policies that can be replicated to other cities in India and supported by national and state level stakeholders.

This two-day workshop will present results of these city assessments and launch the next phase of the Initiative’s activities in India.

Experts from national, state and local governments in India, as well as national and international private sectors, industry and finance, will provide their insights on district cooling’s potential in India and on the Initiative’s work plan. Representatives from the six cities will discuss project opportunities and potential policy interventions to accelerate district cooling in their cities.

A draft agenda will be published soon.

This workshop will be followed by a workshop in the city of Thane on November 3 to explore some potential district cooling projects in the city. More information on this workshop will be available soon.