Solar Cooling from S.O.L.I.D for the Sheikh Zayed Desert Learning Center in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates

The Sheikh Zayed Desert Learning Center (SZDLC) is the name for the new main visitor centre of the Al Ain Wildlife Park in the United Arab Emirates.
This visitor center includes an exhibition center, a theater, several coffee bars and offices. There will be expected approx. 2,750 visitors per hour and the usable floor space amounts to approx. 7,500 sqm.
For this visitor center it has been developed a highly innovative concept with sustainable energy supply and HVACR.

S.O.L.I.D is planning and delivering a large solar thermal plant for space cooling with a total cooling load of 350 kW for the SZDLC. For supplying this high amount of cooling load, S.O.L.I.D is installing high temperature collectors with a total surface of 1,100 sqm which will be ground-mounted next to the building.
The commission of the plant will be in spring 2011.

The part of of renewables compared to the total energy demand is approx. 20 %. In addition to the solar thermal plant there will be installed photovoltaic panels with a surface of 1,500 sqm which will be integrated into the roof of the building.
The SZDLC is one of of the first projects, which is integrating large scale solar cooling.
If you are interested in more details to the project, please visit the following homepage:

http://www.awpr.ae/en/Pages/SZDLC-Introduction.aspx