Jinan CBD utilizes underground center for district cooling and heating

Jinan Central Business District (CBD) has successfully implemented a centralized district cooling system, utilizing an underground energy center located 21 meters below the surface. State media reports indicate that the system taps into existing infrastructure, originally designed for winter heating, to provide cooling by lowering water temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius.

The core of this project features seven refrigeration units within the underground energy center. When operating at full capacity, these units are capable of supplying cooling to approximately 1 million square meters of the Jinan CBD. A key advantage of this system is its dual functionality: the same network of pipes can circulate cold water in the summer and hot water in the winter, enabling both cooling and heating services from a single infrastructure.

The system also incorporates an ice storage facility, a 3750 cubic meter tank, which produces ice during off-peak electricity hours. This stored ice is then used during peak demand periods to release coldness, helping to balance the electricity grid's load by reducing peak consumption. This stored capacity can meet 10-20% of the daily cooling demand.

Since its completion in 2021, the southern energy center of Jinan CBD has provided nearly 100 million kilowatt-hours of cooling to commercial users. The Jinan CBD is a major urban development project aimed at establishing a regional financial hub and corporate headquarters zone.