<
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-11-22/new-york-underground-steam-could-help-green-buildings>
"A network of underground pipes has pumped steam into a spattering of Manhattan
buildings for more than 140 years, quietly powering their heating and cooling
systems with little fanfare, save for the occasional orange steam stack dotting
the island’s streets.
Now, as the biggest US city seeks to curb its carbon emissions, that 106-mile
subterranean network delivering 370-degree vapor to a small subsect of New
York’s skyline may have a bigger role to play.
The system, operated by New York-area energy provider and utility Consolidated
Edison Inc., delivers about 15 billion pounds of steam every year from the
southern tip of Manhattan all the way up to the 90s near the upper half of
Central Park. It’s one of hundreds of century-old steam systems still operating
across the US in dense downtowns as well as at mega-facilities like college
campuses and airports — and by far the country’s biggest.
In NYC, steam’s customers tend to punch above their weight when it comes to
landmarks, including the Empire State Building, the United Nations and Madison
Square Garden, home to the New York Rangers and Knicks. Still, steam is dwarfed
by other forms of energy. The system supplies just over 1,500 customers in NYC,
a fraction of the millions served by Con Ed’s electric and gas systems. And
while the pipe network has grown considerably since its 1882 launch, when it
included just three miles of main piping in the city’s Financial District, it
hasn’t had a major expansion to its customer base in years.
That may be about to change. “With a lot of the new legislation as well as the
New York state goals for the clean energy future, we do predict that we will
have a growth trajectory where we will be getting more customers,” said Amy
Haag, vice president of steam operations at Con Ed. Especially for buildings
operating their own boilers or cogeneration units and looking to decarbonize,
“we are a pretty desirable commodity.”"
Via
Reasons to be Cheerful:
<
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/what-were-reading-new-york-steam-heat-network/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
