May 26, 2010 | Amsterdam Nuon opens cooling station in Amsterdam
Today Nuon opened a new sustainable cooling station in the “Amsterdam Zuidoost” district, which makes use of the cold water in the nearby Ouderkerkerplas Lake. Thanks to the cooling station, connected offices and buildings can now replace their traditional cooling equipment with this natural energy source, leading to a CO2 reduction of up to 75%. After the ‘Amsterdam Zuidas’ business district, Amsterdam Zuidoost is now the second district in the Netherlands to embrace this environmentally-friendly form of cooling. Nuon is the first energy company in the Netherlands to use this technology to provide buildings with comfortable cooling energy.
Nuon’s customers in Amsterdam Zuidoost who opt for renewable cooling are environmentally-minded companies who are open to innovative and sustainable solutions for achieving their environmental objectives. Eight buildings are currently connected to the cooling network in Zuidoost, namely the offices of ING and Atlas ArenA Amsterdam as well as the new Endemol studios. These customers jointly purchase almost one sixth of the installed capacity.
Cooling
Cooling energy is produced with the help of cold water from the deep layers of a lake or other large water body. This water is pumped to heat exchangers in a cooling station. The water goes through the heat exchanger, with the cold water cooling the water in the pipes of the cooling system. The slightly warmed-up water is then immediately pumped back to the warmer upper layer of the lake. The water that has been cooled in the water system goes to the customer. This water then releases its cooling energy to the customer’s internal cooling system which is used to cool rooms, computers and servers. The station thus eliminates customers’ need for a cooling system of their own.
Facts
- Capacity at the Zuidoost Cooling Station: 60 MW;
- Annual CO2 saving: about 7.2 million kg, which is equal to 45 million undriven car kilometres;
- Average number of litres of water pumped up per year: 8 million m3 ;
- Depth at which the water is pumped up: 45 metres;
- The temperature of the pumped-up water: 5 to 6 degrees Celsius;
- Total number of kilometres of cooling pipes at this station: 10 km;
About Nuon
Nuon is an energy company whose 6,000 employees serve around 2.6 million consumers, businesses and organizations in the Netherlands and Belgium. Its key commitment is to supply energy that is reliable, affordable and as clean as possible. Nuon produces and supplies gas, electricity, heat and natural cooling and helps customers to reduce their energy use. The company is a subsidiary of Vattenfall AB.