In 2008, the central part of the Carlsberg Brewery moved the majority of its beer production away from the brewery’s original site in the center of the Danish capital, Copenhagen. Only a microbrewery remained, continuing more than 150 years of brewery tradition at the site.

By Søren Berg Lorenzen, Head of Planning – Energy, Frederiksberg Forsyning

Today, the brewery site has changed into a new neighborhood – Carlsberg Byen – with a fascinating mix of old and new buildings and a strong focus on sustainable solutions. Therefore, Frederiksberg Utility commissioned a district cooling system in the area in 2015. Due to the climatic conditions in Copenhagen, not all buildings will need cooling. Still, hotels, offices, and educational institutions have a high additional heat load from people, electronics, etc., and are therefore connected to district cooling.

Approximately 4 km trench of PE pipes make up the district cooling network and distribute the cooled water to the current and future customers. The production unit is currently made up of a 2.7 MW electrically driven compression chiller of the screw type. Ammonia is used as the coolant, and the unit and auxiliary equipment are placed underground in an old cellar, constructed initially as cold storage for beer casks. As the area’s development continues for the next 5-10 years, the production capacity is expected to be extended.

The system also includes 4,000 m3 of cooling storage placed underneath a road. Even though the two storage tanks’ horizontal layout is not ideal, they work as expected and can deliver an additional 4 MW of cooling for approximately 8 hours.

By relying on district cooling, the developer has avoided the negative architectural and noise impact of individual cooling units. Furthermore, district cooling takes up less space, providing more room for living, working, and studying. District cooling also reduces the developer’s initial investments and is economically attractive over the lifetime of the buildings.

Last but not least, the DC system in Carlsberg Byen is sustainable and climate-friendly. It has higher efficiency than individual cooling units, and Frederiksberg Utility has invested in 6 wind turbines and PV systems, generating all the electricity used for producing the DC.

All in all, Carlsberg Byen is now probably the coolest place in town!

For further information, please contact: Søren Berg Lorenzen at solo@frb-forsyning.dk