Water from a deep lake in south Amsterdam is being used to cool nearby office buildings. As the climate conference takes place in Copenhagen, RNW highlights a number of remarkable energy-saving initiatives. The deep-lake cooling system that supplies Amsterdam's 'Zuidas' business district - where a number of huge office blocks are being built - is one of these initiatives.
During both the summer and the winter, the computer rooms, in particular, at the offices in this district have to be cooled. And that cannot be done by opening a window. The drone of air conditioners goes on day and night, and the energy that uses results in tonnes of CO2 being emitted into the atmosphere.
A couple of kilometres from the office district is a cold, deep lake: Nieuwe Meer. The water there is just six degrees Celcius at a depth of 30 metres. For the last couple of years, energy company Nuon has been pumping this water by means of a deep-lake cooling system to a number of business, such as bankers ABN-AMRO. This has been saving the bank some 250 tonnes in CO2 emissions every year - reducing what would otherwise be a total 650 tonnes.
Drop of hot water
The used water - now heated to around 20 degrees - is then pumped back into the lake. This doesn't heat the lake, says one of Nuon's director Henk Dekker. In fact, he compares this to the effect of a drop of hot water in a bucket of cold water.
And what about the fish and people using the lake? They are in no danger of being pumped into the system, says Mr Dekker. "The current is so weak the fish swim through it. And people may continue to swim or sail on the lake quite safely."
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