Faced with rapidly rising energy costs and pressure to reduce its carbon footprint, the industry must find economically viable and environmentally responsible solutions.
Pursuing operational efficiency must go hand in hand with implementing ESG strategies, which are increasingly shaping the direction of the manufacturing sector. In this context, cooling industrial halls takes on new significance — it is no longer just a matter of working comfort or technological process stability; it becomes part of a company’s energy policy.
Cedo’s implementation of a free-cooling system proves that innovation does not always have to mean complicated technology; sometimes, simplicity supported by engineering precision brings very cool results.
In this case, passive cooling has reduced energy consumption by over 90%, resulting in significant savings and reducing emissions. This demonstrates that a smart approach to temperature management in production halls can form the basis of a modern, sustainable industrial strategy.
How passive cooling works?
Passive cooling of industrial halls is a highly effective alternative to conventional cooling systems based on chillers and compressors.
The key to this technology lies in using naturally cool outside air. Under the right temperature conditions, this can completely replace energy-intensive cooling sources.
The system intelligently controls the ratio of process air to outside air. When the outside temperature falls below a certain threshold (e.g. 15°C), the system automatically increases the proportion of outside air up to 100%. This solution drastically reduces electricity consumption and fits perfectly into sustainable development and cost optimisation strategies.
As Jarosław Pawłowski, Investment Project Manager at Cedo, emphasises, ‘Although the concept may seem simple — cooling with natural air when it is cold — its effectiveness depends on precise design and adaptation to a specific technological process.’
The system has been implemented on extruder lines at the plant – processes with high cooling requirements but without restrictive requirements for air parameters. Pawłowski adds, ‘We started with a thorough analysis of which processes have the greatest potential for energy savings while allowing the use of outside air. The introduced solutions must be technically and economically justified.’
Free cooling is a technology that achieves measurable results with minimal investment while remaining a low-emission, efficient solution tailored to the needs of modern industry.
Automated passive cooling systems use outside air
At the beginning of this year, a passive cooling system that uses only cold outside air was launched in Hall 4 of the plant.
The installation’s most important element is a mixing chamber with automatic dampers that dynamically regulate the proportions of fresh and recirculated air according to the ambient temperature. When the outside temperature drops below 15°C, the system switches almost entirely to passive cooling, eliminating the need for refrigeration units. Thanks to advanced sensors and control algorithms, the entire process is fully automatic and maintenance-free.
In practice, the system operates for six to eight months a year, i.e. for most of the heating season. During this time, the outside air is cold enough to cool the process air, meaning the refrigeration units can be switched off completely. This results in real energy savings and extends the service life of the equipment,’ says Jarosław Pawłowski.
The effectiveness of the solution implemented in hall no. 4 prompted the company to extend the system to a much larger facility: hall no. 2, which is served by 19 chillers and processes 28,500 m³ of air per hour. “This is enormous potential, and that is why we decided to continue,” says the Cedo representative.
Free cooling: real savings without compromise
The introduction of passive cooling in industrial halls in the form of a free-cooling system is an example of an investment whose effectiveness can be precisely measured in terms of both energy and operation. Analysis clearly showed that this solution significantly reduces cooling demand in the colder months without impacting product quality.
Implementing the free-cooling system decreases annual energy consumption from over 333,000 kWh to approximately 30,000 kWh. This equates to savings of PLN 190,000 per year, without compromising the quality of the process or production infrastructure, as Jarosław Pawłowski emphasises.
Using this technology also brings a number of indirect benefits, from reducing the load on cooling systems and limiting consumable usage to significantly improving working conditions thanks to fresher, less heated air flowing into production areas. As Pawłowski points out, this is a real positive change for maintenance departments and production workers alike. For the company, it is proof that efficiency and sustainable development can go hand in hand.
The results confirm that low-tech solutions integrated with precisely designed automation systems and the effective use of process data can significantly optimise the energy balance of an industrial installation.
We do not treat this as a one-off investment, but as part of a larger strategy. We look for solutions that are operationally effective, scalable, and consistent with our approach to sustainable development. Free cooling fits in perfectly with this,” concludes the expert.
