Qatar District Cooling Company, Qatar Cool, recently won a major industry award at the IDEA annual conference, representing the third consecutive year that the organisation has been honoured for their ‘Stewardship in District Energy.’The 102nd IDEA (International District Energy Association) awards were held in Toronto, Canada where CEO of Qatar Cool, Fayad al-Khatib and business development manager, Mohannad Khader were present to accept their award.Qatar Cool currently supplies West Bay through two district cooling plants producing 67,000 refrigerating tons of cooling, and also operates the largest district cooling plant in the world on the Pearl-Qatar island.The company won the award in recognition of its efforts to promote district energy throughout the world, and for being one of the leading providers to supply the highest number of buildings outside of North America in 2010.Qatar Cool added 42 new customer buildings in 2010, serving an area of 6,489,357 square feet, and last year the company also hosted the IDEA Middle East chapter for a meeting in Qatar.Al-Khatib said: “This award reflects Qatar Cool’s commitment to excellence and reinforces our position as an industry leader in the field of district cooling. Earning recognition from an organisation such as the International District Energy Association (IDEA) sends out the positive message of our continuous drive for meeting and exceeding our customers and stakeholders’ expectations.”The CEO also participated in a plenary session on “Local Drivers – District Energy: Essential Infrastructure for Energy Efficient Communities” discussing the development of district energy and the relationship between economic development and environmental awareness in major urban centres.Al-Khatib highlighted the importance of public-private partnerships and the strong need for planning and engaging with all stakeholders early on in such large scale projects, before discussing the progress that Qatar Cool has made in its six year history.He said the company’s efforts have been instrumental in supporting the National Vision for 2030, helping to find a sustainable balance between economic growth, social development, environmental awareness and protection.While Qatar currently has one of the largest carbon footprints in the world in terms of its population, district cooling could lead to a significant reduction in the footprint over coming years, by using energy saving schemes to reduce carbon dioxide and other harmful gas emissions as well as the usage of ozone friendly refrigerants, explained al-Khatib.The IDEA is a non-profit industry association founded in the United States in 1909 with over 1,300 members worldwide, which meets on a yearly basis with the aim of facilitating the exchange of knowledge and expertise among energy officials and experts from across the world.“Through education, technical conferences and robust peer exchange, IDEA actively lobbies to secure favourable policies, legislation and regulations for district energy worldwide,” explained a spokesperson.