What are the key considerations in designing a district cooling system?

District cooling centralizes chilled water production for multiple buildings. Key considerations include peak and diversified load estimation (diversity factor 0.6-0.8), chiller plant sizing and staging strategy, chilled water distribution network design (supply/return temperatures, pipe sizing, pumping energy), thermal energy storage integration for load shifting, building interface design (energy transfer stations), and metering systems. Economic analysis compares central plant efficiency gains and diversity benefits against distribution losses and infrastructure costs. Network design must address hydraulic balancing, pressure management, leak detection, and future expansion. Location near large anchor loads or waste heat sources improves viability.