China: East China city taps river water to cool buildings.

Storyline East China city taps river water to cool buildings In east China's Nanjing City, an innovative air conditioning system powered by water from the Yangtze River is bringing cool comfort to office workers amid the summer heat. On this sweltering August day, heat is baking the city, but inside an office building in the Jiangbei New Area, the temperature remains a balmy 26 degrees Celsius. The secret lies in a river-water energy station, 12 meters underground. In summer, cool river water enters heat pump units, where it transfers heat away from buildings through energy exchange and then returns it to the Yangtze River, while the chilled water produced by the heat pumps is circulated indoors to cool the rooms. The system uses the river water only for heat exchange and doesn't consume it. Fan Kefei, Party Secretary and Chairman, Nanjing Jiangbei New Area Public Utilities Holding Group Co., Ltd.: "It's a relay of energy. It supplies cooling in summer and heating in winter. We're simply borrowing the river's energy without consuming a single drop of river water or discharging any wastewater." [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]