Tabreed Weather-Watching AI Could Cool Homes from Dubai to Makkah

The UAE company that provides cooling to thousands of homes across the Persian Gulf plans to use weather-watching technology to anticipate when demand will rise and fall. It is one of four new pilot projects announced by Tabreed that will support its aim to boost plant efficiency and reduce operating costs, the company said in a bourse filing. Demand for district cooling varies widely from day to day depending on outside temperature, humidity, wind speed and other atmospheric factors. T

he “Wet Bulb Forecasting” project aims to better forecast customer demand over the next 24 hours by analyzing some of these factors using artificial intelligence. “Based on the simulation of this pilot project, we forecast a 25% to 30% increase in performance, compared to our industry benchmarks,” said François-Xavier Boul, Tabreed’s chief development officer.” GCC states including the UAE and Saudi Arabia are seeking to reduce their carbon footprint through the use of green technology and alternative energy sources. Tabreed operates 86 district cooling plants around the region, including three in Saudi Arabia. Among the developments it services are the world’s tallest building in Dubai and the Jabal Omar Development in Makkah.