WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE

THAT'S WHY CITIES ARE USING IT TO COOL THEIR BUILDINGS

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If you’re fortunate enough to visit the islets that make up Tetiaroa in French Polynesia, you’ll learn that it’s more than cool ocean breezes that make the experience so pleasant.

The Brando — yes, named after Marlon Brando, who acquired a 99-year lease on the atoll – uses ocean water from deep beneath the waves to cool the resort’s air and fresh water. The system, powered mostly by water pressure, draws cold water from nearly 3,000 feet below the surface and uses a closed-loop heat exchanger to send hot air to the depths and cool the resort, using only about 10% of the energy that standard air conditioning does.

As impressive as the system is, you might be even more impressed to learn that you don’t have to jet off to a boutique hideaway in a remote part of the world to experience deep water source cooling. In the heart of some major world cities, similar techniques are driving the fight against rising temperatures while conserving energy.

FROM THE DEPTHS

On the shores of Lake Ontario, Toronto is Canada's largest city and financial center. As such, it's leading the way in the country's efforts to have net zero emissions by 2050. In the city's downtown, approximately 200 buildings are cooled by Enwave Energy Corp.'s deep lake water cooling system. About 25 miles of pipes run under the streets and 3 miles into the lake, where they draw water from 280 feet below the surface, where temperatures are around 40 degrees Fahrenheit.