Colombia. The thermal district project is planned to be carried out in the Bocagrande area, more precisely in the Intercontinental-NAO Hotel, which presented the results of its structuring, and is preparing for implementation.
This project achieves energy savings of at least 10% for connected users that include the Intercontinental and Almirante hotels, and the NAO Shopping Center.
The project has the support of "Thermal Districts in Colombia-Phase II" implemented by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Office of Cooperation and Development-SECO of the Embassy of Switzerland, and the District Committee on Renewable and Sustainable Energies of Cartagena, of the Planning Secretariat. This is a project of Convex Efficiency and designed by its technical partner EON – Strategic Energy Efficiency.
This project is structured based on the studies delivered to the city during Phase I of "Thermal Districts in Colombia". For this second phase, it was selected within the first call for proposals for thermal districts in 2020, receiving a support of USD 40,000, to develop energy audits to the air conditioning systems of the Intercontinental Hotel, the NAO Shopping Center, FEDCO, KOAJ, El Corral, Droguería Colsubsidio, Polo, the Almirante Hotel and the Zi One Luxury Hotel, develop the detailed engineering of the thermal energy generating plant, analyze the viability of potential users and carry out the conceptual study of the use of seawater for the condensation circuit of the thermal district.
Thermal districts are outsourced service networks that provide heat or cold to buildings and/or individual users within a locality or development district, through a network of underground pipes from a central generation plant.
The objective of the project is to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the use of ozone-depleting substances (ODS), contribute to energy efficiency in the cooling and heating services of public and private buildings in cities, and allow the use of renewable resources.
In this way, the design of the DT Hotel Intercontinental has considered an additional option for the use of renewable resources such as the seawater of the Bay of the city; In this sense, Convex, as developer of the project will seek support, resources, and will present to the District Committee of Renewable and Sustainable Energies of Cartagena this alternative, highlighting it as a contribution to the saving of drinking water, improvement of the energy performance of the DT and the future possibility of contributing to the oxygenation of the water of the laguito.
