In 2004, Toronto began using cold water from 83 metres beneath Lake Ontario to cool downtown buildings; today the system serves 200 buildings across 40 million sq ft

Deep beneath the surface of Lake Ontario, a layer of naturally cold water has become an unlikely part of Toronto’s urban infrastructure. Instead of relying entirely on conventional air-conditioning systems to cool its downtown buildings, the Canadian city uses the lake’s cold temperature as a source of cooling energy. According to a report by the Daily Commercial News, water drawn from about 83 metres below the surface was being used as part of a district cooling network serving buildings in Toronto’s downtown core. What started more than two decades ago has since grown into one of North America’s largest district energy systems. Today, the network serves around 200 buildings and more than 40 million square feet of downtown real estate, including offices, hospitals, hotels, condominiums, educational institutions and data centres.

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