The current cooling market is dominated by conventional
air-conditioning systems powered by
electricity having a significant impact on the environment.
In the 21st Conference of Parties, held
in Paris, 175 countries agreed to take measurements
to tackle climate change and keep the average
global temperature below 1.5±C above the
pre-industrial levels. Sustainable sources of energy
can help meeting this target and significantly reduce
the greenhouse gas emissions. From a societal
perspective, switching to sustainable alternatives to
conventional cooling systems brings massive benefits
to the community. District cooling paves the
road to a low-carbon society contributing to a sustainable
way of living. To support decision making
in the process of developing the district cooling
market, automated workflows for estimating the
cooling demand can help the utility companies to
identify new areas of expansion. This master thesis
explores this potential and aims at developing a
fully automated process for assessing the cooling
potential using aerial imagery.