About the LSC project...
The Lake Source Cooling (LSC) project is a replacement and upgrade of the central campus chilled water system with a more environmentally sound design that conserves energy and utilizes a renewable resource, the deep cold waters of nearby Cayuga Lake. Heres how it works. With a price tag of $55-60 million, a higher cost than simply replacing the existing chillers with new, LSC is a significant project. It is however providing the university with a method of cooling that eliminates refrigeration equipment and its associated energy use, impacts on the environment from energy use, and any future problems with the new generation of refrigerants that have been designed to replace CFCs. [more...]
Why Lake Source Cooling...
Four factors dictated a substantial change to the Cornell district cooling system: compliance with federal laws that phased-out chlorofluorocarbon containing refrigerants (CFCs), replacement of aging equipment, the addition of cooling capacity to meet growing loads, and rising energy costs. New cooling loads and renovation are expected to add 10,000 to 15,000 tons over the next 35 years. Six of the original hermetic chillers could not be economically converted to non-CFC refrigerants. This would have required that the University replace six of its eight major chillers within a ten year time frame, plus construct new chillers to meet increased demand. A significant capital outlay was required by year 2010. The magnitude of these changes offered the University a unique opportunity [more...]