The implementation of practically ‘green’ technologies doesn’t always have to involve state of the art of projects or imposing proposals. Sometimes, innovative thinking and enterprising solutions can even make use of existing scopes for energy efficiency in the long run. And, this is aptly proven by an ingenious collaborative endeavor undertaken by British Waterways and consultancy Linden Environmental. They plan on large scale cooling of waterside offices by the water utilized from the celebrated canal systems strewn across the length and breadth of Britain.
These historically significant canals were mainly used for transportation of materials and people during the post Industrial revolution period in Britain. And, now after serving the public for almost 300 years, these artificial waterways will make their mark in the realm of sustainability.
According to the researchers and engineers involved in this project, their main design consideration relates to the cool canal water being redirected to be fed into specially designed air conditioning units. This directly alludes to overall reduction in cost and power required, as compared to traditional air conditioning systems. Moreover, the utilized water will ultimately make its way into the canals, thus preserving the energy cycle.
The fascinating scope goes beyond just curtailing costs, as the efficacious ambit will have lesser environmental impact and will also pertain to better working conditions for such waterside office staff. In this regard, the final goal of this ambitious plan is to minimize annual carbon footprint equivalent to the emissions of a whopping 40,000 vehicles.
Now, that may seem to be a ludicrous figure, but the current trends certainly insinuate that it’s achievable. Some facilities like the University of Huddersfield and GlaxoSmithKline have already installed these canal cooling systems, with the medical drug company’s office accounting for saving of more than $190,000 a year and 276 tons of carbon reduction.
Via: BusinessGreen
