Evaluating tools for integrating district cooling models into wider energy systems

As global cooling demand continues to rise due to urbanization and climate change, the effective planning and optimization of district cooling systems becomes increasingly important for achieving energy transition goals. Despite this growing importance, there is a lack of comparative research evaluating the suitability of existing modeling tools for district cooling systems and their integration with broader energy systems. This paper proposes that a gap exists between tools excelling in detailed thermodynamic modeling and those capable of representing system-wide energy interactions, limiting holistic district cooling planning. To investigate this, a systematic review was conducted, surveying 106 district cooling and energy systems modeling tools and selecting 14 based on their public availability and capabilities for both district cooling and energy system modeling, which were then evaluated against a defined set of criteria. The evaluation confirms that most energy system models provide oversimplified representations of district cooling, while specialized district cooling systems tools lack capabilities for capturing cross-sectoral energy interactions and system-level optimization. To address this, future research and tool development should focus on creating modular multi-scale modeling frameworks that maintain thermodynamic accuracy and support system-level optimization through co-simulation methods or reduced-order models • Rising global cooling demand signifies district cooling and its modeling need. • 106 energy and cooling tools scoped; 14 evaluated further for integration potential. • Most district cooling tools do not extend to broader energy system. • Most energy system tools are unable to model detailed thermodynamic district cooling. • Varying integration levels show need for modular, multi-scale, technoeconomic tools.