As Indian cities urbanize and cooling demand surges, District Cooling Systems (DCS) offer a transformative solution to deliver comfort efficiently and sustainably. By centralizing chilled water supply to multiple buildings, DCS can reduce energy use, refrigerant emissions, and peak electricity loads. The integration of natural refrigerants further strengthens their low-carbon profile.
Despite these advantages, DCS deployment in India remains limited due to regulatory gaps, unclear risk-sharing, fragmented institutional coordination, and a small pool of bankable projects. Establishing a dedicated DCS regulator and enabling institutional mechanisms can address these barriers, defining fair tariffs, technical standards, and consumer safeguards while aggregating demand and standardising project models.
This session will delve into actionable pathways for establishing robust regulatory and institutional frameworks, replicable PPP models, and scaling mechanisms that can build investor confidence, unlock concessional finance, and position district cooling as a key pillar of India’s sustainable urban and energy transition.
