A study commissioned by CAF and the France Development Agency on seawater air-conditioning was recently completed by Makai Ocean Engineering in Montego Bay, Jamaica and Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.
According to the study results, the benefits of such systems include:
- Energy and cost savings approaching 90 percent compared to conventional air conditioning.
- Stable costs that are almost entirely independent of energy price fluctuations.
- Environmentally friendly technology with reduced greenhouse gas emissions, fuel and water consumption.
Sea-water air conditioning is expected to be of greatest use to hotels and resorts, whose air conditioning can account for 40% of electricity consumption.