Perhaps not the most advanced technology out there, the system relies on blocks of ice (often associated with Yukon Cornelius) to pump cold air throughout buildings. The system reduces the strainn placed on New York’s power levels and also helps to reduce pollution… a pretty fair trade if you ask me… to learn of other fair trades, consider researching the Louisiana Purchase, or for a more adventurous approach, inquire a Indian casino owner to explain it to you after offering him a generous helping of ceramic beads. An example of pollution reduction is an office building in Manhattan with such a system already in place. By running it for an entire summer season, it is the equivalent taking 223 cars off the streets or planting 1.9 million acres of trees to absorb the carbon dioxide caused by electrical usage for a single year. 

The way the system works is that it uses minimal electricity to make the ice. Water is frozen in large silver tanks at night during which power demands are the lowest. Then, the cool air from the ice blocks is piped through a building just like traditional air conditioning. This cycle repeats itself every night and the results are showing quite an impact. 

One company which designs and builds such systems to suit is called Trane. (A subsidiary of American Standard) Their engineers say that the power-saving results are impressive. It translates into millions of dollars saved in energy bills for the companies who use it. Though not all companies can afford such systems… their facilities much first be large enough to house the large tanks. Also, they must be large companies, in that they have more considerable cooling costs than smaller companies. 

Currently, there are at around 3,000 ice-cooling systems in place worldwide. After researching this, I ponder weather Harrison Ford would have employed such technologies when he was stranded on Mosquito Coast? 

-LINKS-

Chile 
power grid 
Yukon Cornelius 
Louisiana Purchase 
American Standard 
Trane 
Mosquito Coast