B Surendar

Based on the response we have received so far to the call for nominations for the inaugural Climate Control Awards, I can say with conviction that we are privy to hard evidence that HVACR firms in the Middle East have stuck it out to combat the obdurate financial downturn. The fact that they are constantly fine-tuning their approaches and strategies in response to the cascading nuances of the downturn tells quite a lot about their resilience.

The awards are intended to identify those companies that have distinguished themselves in the areas of business survival and carbon abatement. In other words, the test is to unearth those that have sustained their business and, while doing so, have not compromised on aspects related to safeguarding the environment.

At the time of going to press, the awards are about a month away, and the nominations are still coming in, which is quite an exciting situation to be in.

We have had quite a rollicking time conducting The Climate Control Conference (C³) in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia; it concluded on October 17 and, hence, was too close to the deadline for us to include a report on, in this issue; you will get to read about it in the November issue.

That said, the Conference was quite an eye-opener, because it included for discussion such esoteric questions as ‘If absorption system is the way forward, should we opt for double-effect or single-effect?’ and ‘What is the relationship between the gas turbine capacity and cooling capacity?’ It was an eye-opener in another sense – and I have used the word ‘esoteric’ – because delegates openly admitted that they would benefit from understanding the intricate differences between combined heat and power (CHP) and cogeneration, in the first place.

As for the mood at Al Khobar, the discussions were interesting, considering that for long, absorption chillers have had their advocates and detractors. As I said, more in November.

Keep the energy flowing!

– B Surendar