USP To Pilot Seawater Air Conditioning

With the global rise in temperatures, there is a greater demand for air conditioning and space cooling for human comfort. This further emphasises the need to transition to renewable sources to meet our energy requirements.

To address this, The University of the South Pacific (USP) is embarking on the establishment of a pilot green campus in Fiji by utilising ocean thermal energy and renewable energy.

The multi-phase project is funded by the Korea Research Institute of Ships and Ocean Engineering (KRISO) and will involve various national and regional agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

Project coordinator and USP academic, Professor M Rafiuddin Ahmed said the project is vital as traditional air conditioners consume high amounts of electricity to cool spaces in the Pacific region’s tropical climate.

“The first phase includes the establishment of a Sustainable Seawater Utilisation Academy in Suva. Capacity building programmes will be conducted simultaneously to train young USP Engineering and Science graduates on sustainable seawater utilisation for energy, water and food security,” he said.

“We will also conduct a survey of the demand and supply for monthly energy, water and food (vegetables) for a locality, including the USP Laucala campus, and estimation of carbon balance.”

He said the project aims to cool an entire marine building at USP’s Lower Campus with the implementation of the seawater-based cooling system in the final phase.

“Some of the major benefits include reduced electricity consumption for air conditioning and reduced carbon emissions, as seawater air conditioning does not contribute to harmful emissions.”

“One of the major highlights of this project is to train our regional undergraduate and postgraduate students so they could also implement similar projects in their countries.”

It also showcases USP’s commitment to building regional capacity in addressing current and future challenges and opportunities.

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