Ice vs. AC In New York
A report from AP (via CNN) details the biggest showdown New York City has seen in years - ice vs. AC in the battle for building-cooling supremacy.
As the summer swelters on, skyscrapers and apartments around the city will crank up air conditioners and push the city’s power grid to the limit — but some have found a cool alternative. Some office towers and buildings are keeping their AC use to a minimum by using an energy-saving system that relies on blocks of ice to pump chilly air.
It continues…
Because electricity is needed to make the ice, water is frozen in large silver tanks at night when power demands are low. The cool air emanating from the ice blocks is then piped through the building. At night the water is frozen again and the cycle repeated. Ice storage can be used as the sole cooling system, or it can be combined with traditional systems to help ease the power demands during peak hours.
Nathan was thinking green at 8:15 AM on July 25, 2007
Comments are sorta kinda broken right now. We're working on it but to save energy can only work in daytime when solar system is at peak performance.
