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The municipal heating network consists of both cooling and warming networks. Excess heat from, for example, data centers will be used to heat the water. Newer a
by yason 3y ago
The municipal heating network consists of both cooling and warming networks. Excess heat from, for example, data centers will be used to heat the water. Newer apartments are cooled using cold water from the network in the summer and heated using hot water in the winter. There are also joint power-and-heat plants connected to the heating network which are quite efficient: first the generated heat is used to drive a generator turbine and the remaining waste heat is piped into the municipal heating network. Combined efficiency is way higher than with generator-only plants or heating-only plants.
- cmrdporcupine 3y agoWe do have buildings here in Toronto that are cooled using pumped water from Lake Ontario, which is very close to the downtown. And I suspect a heat pump could be used to provide heat by the same process. But in general I don't think it's being done at scale.
- Scoundreller 3y agoThe Toronto system uses heat exchangers on the incoming tap water supply. So everyone (close to that leg of the water treatment system) gets slightly warmer tap water in summer time.