Jiangbei New Area Civic Center has the largest “river water air conditioner” in China

The Jiangbei New District Civic Center in Nanjing, located next to the Yangtze River, has a state-of-the-art central air conditioning system that uses river water to control the temperature of the building, the largest such facility in China.

The facility does not have noisy air-conditioning condensers mounted on the walls or visually striking cooling towers mounted on top, but the room temperature is maintained at around 26°C thanks to this river-based system.

Ma Lin, manager of the new energy department of the Jiangbei District Public Utilities Bureau in Nanjing, said the river water feels warm in winter and cool in summer, with a difference of about 10 degrees Celsius from the air temperature, so its application can be more energy efficient compared to traditional air conditioning.

Workers check the heat pump at the Civic Center of Changjiang North New District (Photo by Zhang Yun)

A visit to the center’s energy station, about 12 meters underground, reveals two colors of piping, light blue for the river input and dark blue for the return water. The heat pump unit, the heart of the AC system, consists of an evaporator, a condenser and a compressor.

In the summer, river water flows into the unit and the heat pump unit produces cold water to cool the building. In winter, the system uses the warmer river water to heat the building. The energy station does not change the water quality, which is a good way to protect the ecological environment.

The project, with a total investment of 3.26 billion yuan, includes six energy stations and one pumping station. It also applies energy storage technology at night and then meets demand during peak hours during the day, effectively relieving pressure on the grid.

Fan Kefei, chairman of Nanjing Jiangbei New District Public Utility Holding Group, said that centralized heating and cooling solutions based on renewable energy will be promoted in Jiangbei, including applications in residential buildings.