Urban NEXUS Case Story: Deep Lake Water Cooling System

Urban NEXUS Case Story: Deep Lake Water Cooling System

Using Lake Ontario’s Chilly Waters to Cool Down an Entire District

The city of Toronto’s Deep Lake Water Cooling system takes advantage of existing synergies between Toronto’s abundant natural water resources and the city’s energy needs. Freshwater intake pipes draw in cold water from deep Lake Ontario; the water is then used to cool buildings in the city’s financial district before entering the city’s potable water system.

The Urban NEXUS project 2013-2014 was funded by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). ICLEI, as implementing partner of the Urban NEXUS project, is responsible for the content of this case story.