Hawaii eyes seas for air conditioning, $100 million system could follow smaller projects

　　The deep seas off Hawaii, seen here from the summit of Honolulu’s Diamond Head Crater, are being studied for their cooling potential. [Photo]

　　The turquoise blue waters surrounding Hawaii’s emerald green isles have long been a source of food and recreation. Now the chilly waters deep below the ocean’s surface are being eyed as a source of cool relief from the tropical heat.

　　Isolated in the middle of the Pacific, Hawaii’s energy industry depends heavily on the world’s finite supply of imported oil and coal.

　　So the state began to examine whether cold seawater could be harnessed to meet the islands’ year-round air conditioning needs.

　　“The offshore cold water is certainly the largest source of alternate energy available to the state of Hawaii. And you’re not going to run out of it,” said Reb Bellinger, vice president of sales and marketing for Makai Ocean Engineering Inc.

　　The company has worked on a number of projects employing seawater cooling, including a system that opened in Toronto last year, and at this nation’s trailblazer — Cornell University. The technology has also been used in Stockholm, Sweden, since the 1990s.

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