District cooling services: A bibliometric review and topic classification of existing research

In this study we provide a general review of research into district cooling. District cooling systems and services (DCS) are increasingly widely deployed and there is an associated increase in the rate of scientific production (research papers published) on the subject. In this paper, to facilitate discussion around the key parameters and issues which matter to the successful deployment of DCS, we objectively identify the central topics and themes of DCS research. To do see we employ a combination of bibliometric summary analysis, complemented by formal topic classification using a bespoke structural topic model, to inform a comprehensive literature review and summary. In doing so we verify the structure of existing research, and the spread of system design and engineering considerations that have been prominent in research to date. Moreover we are able to confirm some absences within the literature. With this, our study provides both a valuable overview of the early research into DCS, and also highlights potential research priorities for researchers planning to work on the topic.

Automated summary

This study provides a general review of research on district cooling, identifying key topics and themes and highlighting potential research priorities for future studies.