Seawater Air Conditioning (SWAC) is an alternate-energy system that uses the cold water from the deep ocean (and in some cases a deep lake) to cool buildings. In some areas it is possible to reduce dramatically the power consumed by air conditioning (AC) systems; SWAC can be a cost-effective and attractive investment. It is an alternate energy for air conditioning.

Along many ocean coastlines and lake shorelines, there is reasonable access to naturally cold water that is as cold or colder than the water used in conventional air conditioning systems. If this water can be tapped, then the significant power for operating mechanical chillers to keep the chilled water cold can be eliminated.

A seawater air conditioning system is illustrated below. The buildings to the far right aright are identical internally to buildings cooled with conventional A/C. Chilled fresh water moves through these buildings with the same temperatures and flows of water conventional systems. The seawater and chilled water pumps and heat exchangers would typically be located at the shoreline in a cooling station.

The main components of a seawater air conditioning system are the seawater supply system, the heat exchanger or cooling station and the fresh water distribution system. These basic components can be optimized for each specific location, climate and building.

Benefits of a SWAC System

The Seawater Air Condition Systems taps into a significant and highly valuable natural energy resource that is available at some coastal locations. The benefits of a seawater air conditioning system include:

• Large energy savings approaching 90%
• Proven technology
• Short economic payback period
• Environmentally friendly
• Costs are nearly independent of future energy price increases
• No evaporative water consumption
• Cold seawater availability for secondary applications.