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Groundwater Cooling System

 

With a maximum extraction volume of around 700,000 m3 per year, the groundwater cooling system of the University of Freiburg saves a great amount of electricity and steam for cooling. Groundwater is used for cooling and then pumped back into the ground a couple of degrees warmer. In 2012, the university's largest groundwater plant failed and could only be put back into operation in 2014. During this period, the cooling energy was generated with electrical installations and district heating steam systems. When comparing the emissions of the years 2013 and 2015, it can be estimated that up to 4,000 CO2 emissions per year are saved in district heating and electricity if all groundwater plants are in operation. The pipes for the groundwater cooling system and for the technical wastewater for treatment in the neutralization plant are located in the infrastructure supply channel, which is about 250 meters long.

 

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Photos: UniCross, András Wekler