Smart Cities Dive
Summary
Thermal energy networks have the potential to significantly reduce buildings’ water consumption, saving millions of gallons every year, compared with conventional heating and evaporative cooling systems, according to a report from the Building Decarbonization Coalition. Thermal energy networks are poised to “expand significantly in the coming years,” driven by federal funding, state legislation and “highly anticipated utility pilot projects in Massachusetts and New York,” BDC says.
The systems BDC reviewed as part of its study included lake-source cooling systems; district energy systems that use geothermal sources; district energy systems using chilled and hot water tanks; and a geothermal network with an ambient temperature loop. Participating sites included Cornell University in Ithaca, New York; Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, Colorado; Miami University in Oxford, Ohio; Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana; Missouri S&T in Rolla, Missouri; Microsoft’s Redmond campus in Seattle; Nashville Airport in Nashville, Tennessee; Stanford University in Stanford, California; and Enwave Energy Corporation in Toronto.
The study found that Enwave’s thermal energy network, which has 180 connected buildings and 75,000 tons of system cooling capacity, was able to achieve 220 million gallons in annual water savings. The Nashville Airport’s system, consisting of 3,600 tons of heating and cooling capacity across two connected buildings, was able to save 30 million gallons of water in comparison.
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