Canal Water Air Conditioning

[adam1uk]

From PA:

 

FIRM TO USE CANAL WATER TO POWER AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM

By Alan Jones, Press Association Industrial Correspondent

British Waterways today unveiled an energy-saving saving scheme under which a

leading company will use canal water to power air-conditioning in its head

office.

The scheme by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is part of a plan to reduce carbon dioxide

emissions and cut energy bills at its London offices.

British Waterways said an estimated 1,000 waterside businesses across the UK

could use canal water for heating or cooling, which could produce annual energy

savings of #100 million.

Chairman Tony Hales said: "A legacy of their industrial past, our waterways

pass alongside thousands of waterside organisations seeking greener ways of

doing business.

"GSK is leading the way as the first FTSE 100 company to embrace and realise

the benefits of utilising their canal-side location to lower energy bills and

reduce impact on the environment."

The initiative in West London replaces a traditional air conditioning system

and uses recyclable water from the Grand Union Canal to cool GSK's computer data

centre.

The scheme works in a similar way to a car radiator where cool air passes

through the hot engine to lower its temperature.

Duncan Learmouth, of GSK said: "GSK is committed to seeking innovative

solutions to improve the environmental performance of the company. This approach

will enable us to use a readily available source of water to cool our building,

reducing the carbon dioxide emissions at our London headquarters by 920 tonnes

each year.

"As well as making good business sense with a five year pay back of more than

#100,000 of annual energy savings, the Grand Union Canal project is also one of

our global sustainability initiatives that demonstrate our commitment to

reducing GSK's impact upon the environment."

end

[twocvbloke]

So they're planning to take water from the canal, heat it up in stuffy buildings, then pump it back into the canal at a higher temperature than it was before? I see a slight ecological problem there, unless BW plan to replace the wildlife in the waters with tropical fish...

[1066]

At least it won't be so bloody cold when you fall in.

[stickleback]

And if they're planning to do the opposite and use it for heating in winter it will cool the canals - leading, presumably, to more frozen up canals in frosty weather and colder boats! Seriously though, it surely would need only a degree or so cooler water temperature for weather like this to have a fairly severe effect?

 

Where was the consultation with their licence payers?

 

Stickleback

Edited December 12, 2008 by stickleback

[Big Steve]

Interesting idea that, but I think you're right to be concerned. As the canals don't flow much, I would imagine the local efects could be quite severe.

[grahoom]

I see satan themselves are involved - GlaxoSmithKline

 

there is so much emphasis on reducing Carbon dioxide emissions that it seems that any other ecological factors are ignored.

 

Interestingly enough - the amount of energy used by Server centres in the world is pretty horrific

 

article in new scientist regarding computer servers and energy usage - http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn12992

[carlt]

If GSK expect to save £20k a year BW can't be charging enough for abstraction.

[Chertsey]

Lots of industries used to discharge heat and worse into the canals didn't they? Not saying this is a good thing, but it shows how far we've moved in our understanding of what canals are for, with this concern about the ecological balance of what was at least originally a completely artificial environment.

[fender]

The electricity board still uses the Regents canal for this purpose. They take canal water at Marylebone to cool their power plant and afterwards pump the hot water along the towpath to Camden where the still warm water is then discharged.

 

Nothing new here, except that GSK is involved this time, tch tch! Nows the opportunity to create several art media works detailing the crimes of GSK and submit it to the one and only GSK exhibition in Piccadilly!

[mayalld]

Lots of industries used to discharge heat and worse into the canals didn't they? Not saying this is a good thing, but it shows how far we've moved in our understanding of what canals are for, with this concern about the ecological balance of what was at least originally a completely artificial environment.

 

Last time I checked, each and every one of us still use the canal to discharge engine heat...

[grahoom]

Lots of industries used to discharge heat and worse into the canals didn't they? Not saying this is a good thing, but it shows how far we've moved in our understanding of what canals are for, with this concern about the ecological balance of what was at least originally a completely artificial environment.

 

the hedge rows and scrub land along railway tracks - which essentially is an artificial environment - is hugely beneficial to wildlife.

 

after the canals stopped being used for commercial purposes and were effectively taken over by wild-life (fauna and flora) they have been havens for many species.

 

I guess we have to decide if we want to encourage these habitats or not.

 

Where I grew up there was a lot of gravel pits, huge area of farm land used to extract gravel, now they are all filled with water and are great areas for wild life etc. Again completely artificial environments - essentially the entire countryside in most of the UK is artificial environments - man made. (but then I am sure I am stating things that most people are aware of) ..

[denboy]

We have in nottingham a small power station(on the left at hooters corner) that draws water from the cut and then returns it the fishings good at the outlet in the winter admittedly we are on a river cut which is why when you come through beeston lock you leave the red paddles open so they get enough water BW i believe get a fair amount of cash for allowing them to do it

 

google picture if i do it right

 

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&...mp;t=h&z=19

Edited December 12, 2008 by denboy

[Chertsey]

Last time I checked, each and every one of us still use the canal to discharge engine heat...

Not me, but some have air cooled engines....

[carlt]

Not me, but some have air cooled engines....

Yep, my engine merely contributed to warming the atmosphere.

[WJM]

It is already up and running - the water returns via a very picturesque waterfall. The Grand Union beside the GSK offices is not a canal, it is the River Brent, on it's last pound/reach before it becomes tidal.

 

 

Rumour mill trivia - when GSK were building this eco-friendly edifice the planners demanded they only had one car parking space for every two desk spaces. So they built twice as many desk spaces as they need!

[grahoom]

It is already up and running - the water returns via a very picturesque waterfall. The Grand Union beside the GSK offices is not a canal, it is the River Brent, on it's last pound/reach before it becomes tidal.

 

do they have a small waterwheel on there also? if they've got the the effort of having a waterfall ...

[Machpoint005]

Last time I checked, each and every one of us still use the canal to discharge engine heat...

Nice one, Dave.

 

It would be interesting to know just what the temperature increases from the proposed schemes would be, though: I can't be arsed to work it out, but I'd bet it was only a degree or so. Bear in mind that because it's shallow, the canal water temperature varies quite a bit anyway, day to day and seasonally. I think BW-bashing has got in the way of scientific thought here: can somebody prove me wrong?

[Nickhlx]

I think its the Royal Festival Hall that has been heated by cooling the Thames for decades

 

Nick

[Yoda]

Would be good if the exhaust water which is hot , is used to heat a greenhouse for cultivation. That would then be a green move.

[Robbo]

From PA:

 

FIRM TO USE CANAL WATER TO POWER AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM

By Alan Jones, Press Association Industrial Correspondent

British Waterways today unveiled an energy-saving saving scheme under which a

leading company will use canal water to power air-conditioning in its head

office.

 

Huddersfield University already do this.

[Tim Lewis]

It is already up and running - the water returns via a very picturesque waterfall. The Grand Union beside the GSK offices is not a canal, it is the River Brent, on it's last pound/reach before it becomes tidal.

 

 

Rumour mill trivia - when GSK were building this eco-friendly edifice the planners demanded they only had one car parking space for every two desk spaces. So they built twice as many desk spaces as they need!

 

I know a number of people who work in this office and can assure you that there are many more people working there who would like to use cars but cannot because of a shortage of parking spaces.

 

Tim

[Big Steve]

If GSK expect to save £20k a year BW can't be charging enough for abstraction.

 

If they put the water back, is that still abstraction?