The ice cooling system is intriguing and energy efficient, but it's not entirely original. The system also has less potential for breakdown compared to more traditional systems. By volume, it has up to triple the energy-holding capacity of water.
Ice makes a convenient and efficient medium for the job. The ice system essentially acts like an ultra-efficient battery, storing energy that's gathered cheaply at night and releasing it during the day. The ice-block system can also be combined with traditional air conditioning, which is the case in Credit Suisse's New York office. At the end of the day, the 51,200 gallons of water - spread across three rooms in 64 tanks - is ready to be frozen again. In Credit Suisse's system, the ice forms overnight, and as it melts during the day, fans blow cold air into the cooling system and throughout the building. The larger the difference between nighttime and daytime temperatures is, the greater the energy savings.
The system works by making ice at night, when lower power usage means energy is cheaper and lower temperatures mean less power is required to freeze water. The system is not only more environmentally friendly but also saves big companies like Goldman Sachs, which put an ice cooling system in its new flagship office, millions of dollars in utility bills.
An estimated 3,000 facilities around the world use ice-based cooling systems. Credit Suisse is considering expanding the system beyond its 1.9-million-square-foot Manhattan office to its other locations around the world, but they won't be alone. Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse now use massive ice blocks instead of traditional air-conditioning systems in some of their offices. Air conditioning with ice blocks is taking root among some of the world's most powerful companies.Ī novel method of air conditioning is taking root among some of the world's most powerful corporations, and it uses the simple power of ice.