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AS power
costs rise in proportion to urban temperatures that
weather experts say may reach 40°C, a Canadian firm said
it tested how to cool a shopping mall using an
energy-saving device.
Vancouver, Canada-based Smartcool Systems Inc. said in a
statement that it has completed successful testing of
its technology in the WalterMart Mall in Makati City.
The
equipment was installed on a Carrier Centrifugal
Chiller, Smartcool said, using its trademark energy
savings module technology on a centrifugal compressor.
The
company claimed that the test results showed its ESM
technology reduced “significantly” the kilowatt-hour
(kWh) consumption of the mall.
Its
statement also said the test results bared the
technology’s financial and environmental benefit
potentials “without affecting the indoor air temperature
of the shopping center.”
Shopping
malls, where temperatures are cooler, have replaced
green parks and tree-lined open spaces for Filipinos to
spend time as they stave off the topical summer heat.
In the
past weeks, temperatures have hovered up to 38°C,
pushing the use of electric fans and air-conditioning
units and driving up electric bills.
Air-conditioners, however, have been linked to the
rising temperatures as they require huge amounts of
electricity generated by power plants that burn fossil
fuels.
A recent
World Bank report shows that buildings (15.3 percent)
follow industry and mining activities (34.3 percent) in
contributing to greenhouse-gas emissions because of
power requirements.
“The
power sector contributes almost a quarter of
global-greenhouse gases, and transport, industry,
buildings and other energy-related activities account
for another 41 percent,” the World Bank 2008 World
Development Indicators cited.
Based on
its oil consumption, Philippine energy use grew at an
average of 4 percent year-on-year from 26.2 million
metric tons (MTs) in 1990 to 44.7 million MTs 2005, WDI
data showed.
The
World Bank supports the view that conserving energy and
promoting new technologies and energy alternatives can
“economize” exhaustible resources.
“Coal
prices are soaring, oil and natural gas prices are on
the rise and there has been a steady growth in the
worldwide demand of power. These factors are forcing
utilities to pass the increased costs down to their
customers like WalterMart by increasing electrical
rates,” Smartcool president George Burnes said in the
statement.
Smartcool said its technology can help companies using
centrifugal chillers reduce their electric bills and
carbon footprint.
The test
was a joint effort among Smartcool Systems Inc.,
Smartcool Systems Australia Pte. Ltd.—distributor for
Australia and New Zealand—Philippine distributor
Smartcool Systems Asia Ltd. and the Philippines’
Concepcion-Carrier Air Conditioning Co.
“This is
extremely important for Smartcool as the success of this
test has opened up a significant new market to the
company,” stated Chris Lefaivre, vice president for
sales and marketing.
The
company added its technology can “interface with large
chiller air-conditioning systems like the one in
WalterMart as well as large, ammonia based refrigeration
systems.” |
