A maximum capacity of over 4,000 refrigeration tonnes
Energy consumption for cooling cut by 50%
CLPe’s first Cooling as a Service Project in Mainland China
An Upgrade of the Central Cooling System
CLPe has provided cutting-edge cooling system at the 95,000 square metre Po Park Shopping Plaza in the central business district of Guangzhou, creating a more comfortable and energy-efficient environment for businesses and customers alike. CLPe replaced the air conditioning system used for 15 years at the mall with a Cooling as a Service solution under a Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) agreement in 2021, and created a customised cooling system after conducting analogy and simulation tests on the cooling load of the shopping mall over the space of a year, cutting energy consumption for cooling by 50%.
Challenges and Solutions
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Minimising the impact on the mall’s operations
Po Park is busy with shoppers every day of the year. To minimise the impact on its daily operations, the CLPe team carefully planned works and liaised closely with the mall’s management to make sure air conditioning was maintained throughout the five-month project period. A detailed workflow was also created for the delivery of building materials and the arrival and departure of engineering teams at mall to reduce the impact on businesses and customers.
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Tackling structural difficulties
The cooling facilities at the mall are located at a basement area three floors below ground level, making it difficult to lift heavy equipment into place. CLPe’s expert team drew up customised construction plans to solve the issues and used building information modelling (BIM) technology to remove old equipment and install the new cooling system.
CLPe replaced the cooling system at the Po Park Shopping Plaza in Guangzhou.
Value Created for the Customer
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Lower investment costs
The new cooling system includes four chiller plants with 10 condensing water pumps and six cooling towers, as well as an existing chiller plant for back-up. CLPe worked closely with the client under the BOOT agreement to not only fund, design and install the system, but also to support its daily operations and maintenance. This new business model allows the customer to save on investment costs and resources by paying a service fee to cover operating expenses throughout the contract period.
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Improved performance through cutting-edge technology
The new centralised cooling system is equipped with an intelligent AI management system, PlantPRO, to improve its performance and energy efficiency. The proprietary technology analyses real-time operational data of the chiller equipment, and automatically adjusts settings to allow the system to perform at optimal efficiency at all times.
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Improved energy efficiency
The previous cooling system had been in use for 15 years and suffered frequent malfunctions and underperformance, making it costly to maintain. The new cooling system is equipped with the most advanced chiller plants, which support real-time monitoring and adjustment to effectively reduce energy consumption. It has achieved energy savings of 50% compared with the old system and has been recognised with national awards.