An Approach to Managing Chillers for Air Conditioning Systems in Shopping Malls in Thailand

The effective management of air conditioning systems is imperative for achieving carbon neutrality in large-scale shopping malls, as these systems are responsible for approximately 60–80% of overall electricity consumption. This study investigates three shopping malls in Thailand as case studies, employing reference data obtained from the mandatory implementation of the Thai Building Energy Code (BEC). The external climatic conditions of the investigated area can be represented by a maximum average dry-bulb temperature of 33 °C and a maximum average wet-bulb temperature of 27 °C. The three shopping malls contain gross floor areas varying from 25,000 to 50,000 m². The results reveal that Shopping Mall B exhibits greater potential for gaining carbon neutrality in its air conditioning refrigeration systems with respect to Shopping Malls A and C, mainly caused by its lower energy consumption per unit floor area. The annual electricity consumption of Shopping Mall B is 10,946,225.52 kWh, resulting in carbon dioxide emissions of 5,472.02 tCO₂-eq/year. These findings indicate that using solar Photovoltaic (PV) systems for daytime electricity production is an effective mitigation strategy. The introduction of a minimum PV capacity of 4 MW significantly reduces carbon dioxide equivalent emissions by approximately 54.81%. Thus, the suggested integrated approach proposes an important significant possibility for lowering carbon dioxide equivalent emissions in large-scale shopping malls.