Financial risk assessment of a district cooling system

Yessenia Martínez-Ruiz, Diego Fernando Manotas-Duque and Howard Ramírez-Malule

Energy, 2023, vol. 278, issue PA

Abstract: District cooling systems (DCS) and district heating systems (DHS) are presented as environmentally friendly options to replace traditional alternatives. The economic assessment of these technologies has been widely addressed by deterministic approaches using classical methods. However, risks arising from project uncertainties must be carefully addressed. In this study, a financial risk assessment is carried out to evaluate the economic viability of implementing a DCS in a residential complex. Based on a case study in Colombia, the methodology adopted is twofold. First, the cooling tariff that satisfies the profit rate required by investors is calculated. Second, a cost comparison between the traditional cooling system (TCS) and the DCS is carried out from the point of view of the end-users. Financial analysis shows a mean cooling tariff of 50,59 COP/kWh and 55,56 COP/kWh for apartments and common areas, respectively. In the riskiest conditions, savings from the implementation of a DCS can reach up to 61% and 57% of the costs borne by end-users, compared to the traditional alternatives of refrigeration. Results obtained from this study can open up new research and investments in these centralized technologies in Latin American countries, where cooling needs are fully satisfied using TCS.

Keywords: Financial risk assessment; District cooling system; Tariff setting; Economic analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:278:y:2023:i:pa:s0360544223012732

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2023.127879

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