In December, Lucas Koolschijn travelled to Mumbai, India for a carbon emission reductions programme aimed at reducing emissions from electricity, cooling and heating demand from commercial buildings.
Together with India’s economy, its commercial building sector is growing rapidly, bringing with it a surge in demand for electricity, heating and cooling.
Mumbai at night
To meet this demand, commercial buildings generally rely on the Indian electricity grid.
However, electricity consumption from India’s electricity grid, which is dominated by coal-fired power plants, results in high emissions of greenhouse gasses (GHG), particularly CO2.
Electricity tower under construction
To tackle this issue and reduce GHG emissions from commercial buildings, Do-inc is working together with Standard Bank Plc and the Indian energy services company Clean Max Enviro Energy Solutions Pvt Ltd, in setting up a platform programme under the United Nations’ Clean Development Mechanism.
The programme involves installation of so-called cogeneration systems that run on natural gas.
By installing these cogeneration systems:
- Electricity is derived from natural gas combustion, instead of the more carbon intensive electricity grid;
- Cooling is derived from the waste heat left over from the natural gas combustion and no longer from the electricity grid;
- Heating is derived from the waste heat left over from the natural gas combustion and no longer from the electricity grid (or diesel generators in case of boilers).
Cooling via electrical chillers
Cooling via electrical chillers (shown in this picture) connected to the grid will be replaced by cooling from waste heat remaining from natural gas combustion
Banner for the Stakeholders' Consultation
As part of the programme’s development, a Local Stakeholder Consultation was held on 15 December, to present the programme and solicit feedback from and answers questions of stakeholders (such as building owners, tenants, cogeneration equipment suppliers, energy distribution companies)
Lucas Koolschijn presenting
Stakeholders
The programme will contribute to India’s economic sustainability through the more efficient use of electricity sources. India’s power demand is expected to increase strongly over the next years due to economic growth and rising electrification levels.
The Central Electricity Authority (CEA), attached to the national Ministry of Power of India, estimates that the national electricity demand will double during the next ten years reaching a total of 1,915 TWh in 2020/2021. Demand Side Management (DSM) – as foreseen by the programme – provides for a cost-effective way to cope with the increased electricity demand in India. It will effectively contribute to reducing the pressure on the Indian power system.
Central Electricity Authority, Report on the 17th Electric Power Survey of India (2007).
