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GLOBAL FUTURE ANALYSIS


PERSPECTIVES | SEA THERMAL


The temperature difference between seawater and building structures can be used as source for warming or heating in coastal areas. More and more seaside cities uses the cold of the sea in the summer and the warmth of the sea in the winter. Exploring the huge energy absorption characteristic of water. It takes an investment in infrastructure, but after that only pumping and maintenance would be the costs. When a closed systems is used with sweet instead of salt water, there are no salination dangers. The benefit of 'de-airconizing' a sea side city with such an investment is obvious. Aircos use a lot of energy in the summer in these cities. The downside is that there must be an invest in the realization of a new infrastructure and that it requires internal adjustments in buildings. The upside is that the power bill we be lowered severely. As energy prices rises and blackouts will become common, seaside cities will invest in such an infrastructure. If they combine it with other infrastructural works the price will be severe lower. There is a future need for the following new infrastructures in cities: new water infrastruc­ture, new waste water infrastructure, glass fiber infrastructure, cold water infrastructure, hot water infrastructure and a semi hot water infrastructure. Sometimes this also can be combined with underground parking and transportation infrastructures, but the demand for these both will be severe lower as energy costs rise. An other problem is the fact that more and more municipals default on their loans and thereby has very limited funding capacities. Local banks could fix this problem, as in economies of the nearby future the local economic performance will be of main weight.


Author: Gijs Graafland


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