Sustainable cooling: definition and key principles

Sustainable cooling involves using climate-friendly solutions that cut carbon emissions, reduce energy consumption and replace harmful refrigerants with safer alternatives. As cleaner energy grows and regulations tighten, businesses now have fresh opportunities to rethink how they cool their spaces and processes.

You might ask how cooling systems can meet today’s environmental goals without sacrificing efficiency. This article explores some practical methods that combine waste heat recovery with high-temperature heat pumps, renewable energy and digital monitoring to achieve optimal performance. It also explains adiabatic cooling, which uses natural evaporation to reduce both energy and water needs, and aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES), a technique that stores heat and cold underground to balance seasonal demands. 

Heat pumps: the sustainable cooling powerhouse

HEATEO offers a sustainable heat decarbonisation solution that combines advanced heat recovery, thermal storage and low-carbon heat production. Designed to meet local needs and customer challenges, HEATEO puts Equans at the forefront when it comes to optimising heat cycles and integrating decarbonising heating systems.

With over 20 years of expertise and a strong network of 21 off-site workshops across Europe and North America, Equans supports its customers at every step, from design to installation and maintenance. This comprehensive approach ensures high-quality, tailor-made solutions that fit each business’s unique process and space constraints.

HEATEO’s strength lies in its ability to combine various low-carbon technologies, such as heat pumps, power-to-heat, biomass and district heating. This flexibility allows Equans to offer bespoke systems that boost energy efficiency while replacing fossil fuels.

A few practical examples of HEATEO’s impact

In Rotterdam, Equans helped capture industrial heat that would otherwise go to waste and supply it over 10 km away in Den Haag, providing heating for 120,000 homes. Another project in Vienna designed a 100% CO₂-neutral heating and cooling system for a new development of six buildings. Using heat recovery, geothermal energy and heat pumps, the system will meet both heating and cooling demands efficiently over 23 years, supporting a turnover of €60 million.

Equans combines expertise and innovation to bring you climate-friendly cooling solutions tailored to your business needs, supporting your journey towards net-zero with practical, high-impact technologies. A great example of this is the Interxion Cooling System in Amsterdam, where Equans designed and installed an energy-efficient, all-electric cooling system for the AMS3 data centre.

This included building a central ring unit connecting 80 server room cooling units, installing new chillers, and providing a modern control system (all completed without disrupting ongoing operations). The retrofit improved energy efficiency significantly, especially during colder periods with low cooling demand, all while meeting Interxion’s strict sustainability standards

Customer benefits of sustainable cooling

How much could your business save by recovering heat from cooling towers, wastewater or process fluids?  Capturing waste heat that would otherwise be lost reduces the energy required to power operations. Lower energy consumption leads to savings and reduces environmental impact through more efficient resource use.

Are you aiming to meet ambitious ESG goals? Environmental targets often mean adhering to strict regulations designed to protect the planet. For example, the F-Gas rules have limited the use of fluorinated gases, powerful greenhouse gases commonly found in traditional cooling systems, and restricting these gases helps reduce risks associated with climate change. In addition, ISO 50001 serves as an international standard to guide organisations in establishing energy management systems that continuously improve energy performance. Sustainable cooling supports compliance with these rules, reflecting a strong commitment to responsible energy use.

Thinking about resilience? Natural refrigerants such as ammonia (NH₃) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) offer environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional refrigerants. Ammonia has excellent thermodynamic properties and zero global warming potential, making it highly efficient and safe when properly handled. Meanwhile, carbon dioxide is non-toxic and non-flammable, with a low environmental impact, and can be used effectively at high pressures. 

Adiabatic cooling and ATES systems: water and energy reduction in practice

Adiabatic cooling works using the natural process of water evaporation, where water absorbs heat from the air as it changes from liquid to vapour, causing the air to cool down. Traditional air conditioning systems rely heavily on compressors that consume large amounts of electricity. In contrast, adiabatic systems drastically reduce energy consumption by using evaporation, a process that requires much less power. Water consumption drops to minimal levels because the system needs only small amounts for the evaporation process

Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) systems store thermal energy underground in natural water reservoirs. Cold water collected during winter months is stored and later used to cool buildings during summer. Meanwhile, warm water collected in summer can be saved and used for heating during winter. The seasonal exchange eliminates peak energy demands and, as a result, buildings consume less fossil fuels throughout the year.

The Isala Hospital in the Netherlands showcases ATES in action as part of an ambitious project led by Equans. Completed in 2021, this hospital is the country’s first all-electric medical complex, designed with sustainability, energy efficiency, hygiene, flexible space use and patient comfort in mind. With no gas connection, the hospital uses geothermal energy stored in a heat and cold storage system for year-round heating and cooling. 

In addition, the roof is equipped with approximately 400 solar panels, further enhancing its green credentials. This project demonstrates how innovative thermal energy solutions like ATES can help the hospital meet strict climate goals while still delivering high standards of care.

Equans specialises in delivering advanced solutions like these, helping manufacturers reduce cooling costs while meeting environmental targets.