India urged to make district cooling a national priority

Grundfos convened a roundtable on district cooling in India at the ISHRAE CoOL Conclave in Coimbatore. Participants agreed that cooling security should be treated as a national priority.

The discussion brought together policymakers, urban planners, utilities, developers, academics, and sustainability specialists to examine how India should meet rising cooling demand as cities expand and temperatures rise. The central argument was that district cooling should be treated as urban infrastructure rather than a building-level choice.

Speakers said cooling demand is set to rise for decades as economic development, urbanisation, and higher living standards drive wider use across homes, businesses, hospitals, campuses, and industrial projects. They argued that this will place increasing pressure on electricity systems and peak power demand.

A key issue was the mismatch between renewable generation and cooling needs. Participants noted that while India has added substantial solar capacity, cooling demand often remains high in the evening and at night, when solar output is unavailable.

This has increased focus on district cooling as a way to ease pressure on the grid. Participants said centralised systems can improve efficiency through load diversity, shared equipment, and thermal energy storage, while reducing the need for installed electrical infrastructure.

Policy barriers

Despite this case, adoption in India remains limited. The roundtable concluded that the main barriers lie less in technology than in policy alignment, institutional coordination, awareness, and long-term planning.

Several participants said district cooling lacks clear utility status and often fits awkwardly within existing regulatory frameworks for urban infrastructure. They argued that this uncertainty can slow project development and make planning more difficult for cities and developers.

One of the strongest recommendations was that district cooling should be assessed at the earliest stage of development planning. Participants said feasibility studies should become standard for greenfield cities, large mixed-use schemes, industrial townships, campuses, and major infrastructure projects.

They also outlined policy measures to support wider use, including formal recognition of district cooling as a public utility, inclusion in urban planning frameworks, rights-of-way for distribution networks, support for feasibility studies, clearer tariff structures, and incentives for domestic manufacturing of district cooling equipment.

Water link

The roundtable also highlighted the connection between cooling and water management. Participants said wider use of treated wastewater and recycled water in district cooling systems could reduce dependence on freshwater supplies while improving overall resource use.

This issue is likely to become more significant as Indian cities face both rising temperatures and increasing water stress. Participants said planning for water, energy, and cooling together will be essential if urban growth is to remain sustainable.

Another theme was the need for stronger evidence from Indian projects. Participants called for more local case studies showing measurable outcomes such as energy savings, lower infrastructure requirements, water benefits, operating performance, and long-term economic value.

They said such data would help policymakers, developers, consultants, investors, and consumers make better-informed decisions. The discussion also underlined the need for cooperation across ministries, state governments, municipal bodies, utilities, developers, investors, technology suppliers, and academic institutions.

Ronak Monga, Global Sales Development Director, District Energy, Grundfos, commented on the outcome of the roundtable.

"India's cooling challenge is also one of its greatest opportunities. What stood out in this discussion was the strong alignment across stakeholders that cooling security must become a national priority. District cooling is not simply a cooling solution. It is a strategic infrastructure investment that can strengthen energy security, improve resource efficiency, support sustainable urban growth, and help India progress towards its Viksit Bharat 2047 vision. The solutions exist. What is needed now is greater collaboration, stronger planning, and collective action to move from isolated projects to large-scale implementation," said Ronak Monga, Global Sales Development Director, District Energy, Grundfos.

The session ended with agreement that India remains at an early stage in district cooling adoption, even as support for the model grows. Participants said progress will depend on coordinated planning, better data, clearer regulation, and a stronger pipeline of projects that can demonstrate results at scale.