Cornell University Lake Source Cooling Plant - a Low Carbon Renewable Chilling Solution

In this video produced in 2001, technicians from Cornell University explain the technology and science behind the innovative Lake Source Cooling Plant on the Cornell University campus in Ithaca, NY.
Lake Source Cooling is one of the most significant environmental initiatives ever undertaken by an American university to promote a sustainable future. With its startup in July 2000, Lake Source Cooling (LSC) upgraded the central campus chilled water system to a more environmentally sound design that conserves energy and utilizes a renewable resource, the deep cold waters of nearby Cayuga Lake.
With a price tag of $58.5 million, a higher cost than simply replacing the existing chillers with new, LSC was a significant project. However, it provides 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 CFC's.
The renewable resource tapped by LSC has reduced Cornell's reliance on fossil fuels. LSC saves over 20 million kWh per year versus previous cooling methods, enough to continuously supply 2,500 homes in Tompkins County! This represents about an 85% reduction in energy use for campus cooling.
(c) 2001
Director: David Rose
Editing: Brian Steblen and Isaac Holden
Narration: W.S. (Lanny) Joyce, P.E. and Molly Cummings
Animator: Dan Lansing Brumely
Videographers: David Rose, Brian Steblen
Additional Footage provided by: Gigi Ho, Martiza Shafer (Cornell Media & Technology Services)
Produced by the Office of Communication Strategies, University Relations, Cornell University in association with Rose Films, Inc.