Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
The National Western Center plans to use excess energy from Denver s existing wastewater system to heat and cool buildings, now under construction at the 250-acre site, including Colorado State University s new Spur campus.
A secret cache of renewable energy is lurking in the sewers. The key question is how to coax it to the surface and put it to work in the battle against climate change.
There’s no mystery over how excess energy ends up below cities. Showers, hot waters and sinks all add hot water to sewers. In fact, the U.S. Department of Energy estimates American’s wash 350 billion kilowatt-hours of energy down the drain every year. For some perspective, that’s enough power for about 30 million U.S. homes.