District heating and cooling systems of the future: Strategies for global change
- Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States)
The future of district heating and cooling, also known as district energy, will be a function of economic and regulatory forces in the US. Typically a district energy system provides thermal energy in the form of steam, hot water, or chilled water from a central plant, and distributes the energy through pipes to two or more buildings. At the present time, district energy is under-utilized and serves only 1.3 percent of US energy needs, providing a total of 1.1 quadrillion Btu of energy annually. A brief review of the historical development of district energy, the status of the technology in the US, and a few basics on world energy consumption lead in to the economic and environmental advantages of district energy. District energy systems have been retrofitted to comply wit h the regulations of the Clean Air Act (CAA); presently emissions of greenhouse gases, such as CO{sub 2}, are not regulated by the CAA. If the results of ongoing investigation on global climate change determine that regulation is warranted, several strategies exist for district energy systems to offer significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Projections of district energy`s reaction to the ongoing forces are possible with the use of energy consumption forecasts through the year 2015, and a discussion of trend setting concepts being applied involving: gas turbines, cogeneration, fuel cells, chillers, advanced transmission fluids, renewable energies, and CO{sub 2} capture. District energy has potential to be an important part of the evolving strategies for global climate change. For this reason, combined with technology advancements and a supportive economic climate, a new era in district energy has begun. Growth and development of district energy into the foreseeable future is expected to be strong.
- OSTI ID:
- 452175
- Journal Information:
- Energy Engineering, Vol. 93, Issue 6; Other Information: PBD: 1996
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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