Sustainable cooling and heating solutions
Discover Geocean’s sustainable seawater cooling and heating solutions, SWAC (Sea Water Air Conditioning) & thalassothermy. We offer turnkey solutions, from design to commissioning your cooling and heating system.
The principle behind these solutions is to pump in seawater and recover the frigories thanks to a heat exchanger close to your installations, providing efficient and sustainable air conditioning or heating. Whether for a single building, a district, or an entire town, our environmentally friendly systems provide heating and cooling all year round while respecting the marine environment and offering sustainable comfort.
SWAC uses deep ocean water to provide efficient and natural cooling. The system uses the consistently cold water found at great depths, up to 1000 metres, to cool buildings and complexes.
SWAC (Sea Water Air Conditioning) is a solution that provides efficient cooling and significantly reduces energy costs and environmental impact. This is especially beneficial for tropical islands/areas, where the surrounding ocean acts as a natural cold source, inspiring a more sustainable approach to air conditioning.
SWAC is an environmentally friendly air-conditioning system that draws cold water from the depths of the sea. This cold water is pumped through a special pipe (HDPE – high-density polyethene) to a heat exchanger located in a technical room. The cold from this primary network is then transferred to a secondary freshwater network circulating through the building to cool it. The seawater is returned to the ocean through another pipe, untreated, leaving the marine environment intact.
Environmental studies ensure that the diffuser, which discharges the heated water back into the sea, is placed at a depth that does not harm marine biodiversity. This system offers a sustainable, renewable, abundant, and always available cooling source.
To complete our offer and adapt to your needs for heating in winter and cooling in summer, we offer a thalassothermal solution. Using seawater from shallow areas, this system exploits temperatures naturally warmer in winter and cooler in summer than the ambient air. Through simple installation, heat pumps connected to a freshwater loop amplify these temperatures to effectively meet your heating needs. Strategically placed in dedicated rooms or at the base of the building, these units convert energy into heat or cold, integrating perfectly with your air conditioning and heating systems.
Thalassothermal energy operates by harnessing temperature variations in shallow water throughout the seasons. Seawater is collected and transported to heat exchangers, which heat or cool a freshwater network connected to heat pumps. Afterwards, the seawater is returned to the sea. The heated or cooled freshwater is then distributed throughout buildings via a network designed for heating, cooling, or central air conditioning systems. This versatile system can efficiently supply radiators, underfloor heating, or centralised air conditioning units.
Choosing a sustainable heating or cooling solution means opting for the following:
Our seawater heating and cooling systems are environmentally responsible, meeting energy needs while significantly reducing CO2 emissions. SWAC reduces emissions by up to 90% using cold water from ocean depths. Thalassothermy employs a heat pump that reduces CO2 emissions by 70% by using shallow seawater, which is warmer in winter and cooler in summer.
These systems offer a return on investment in less than ten years due to lower operating and maintenance costs than traditional systems.
These systems achieve substantial energy savings compared to conventional methods, reducing energy consumption by up to 70% for thalassothermy and up to 90% for SWAC, thereby decreasing dependence on carbon-based energy sources and increase your resilience to fossil fuel prices.
SWAC and thalassothermy systems can be connected to a cooling or heating network serving multiple infrastructure. This allows for shared investment costs, further shortening the return-on-investment period. Additionally, Geocean provides financing solutions for these sustainable cooling installations.
Designed to last over 20 years, SWAC and thalassothermy systems require minimal maintenance and ensure high performance throughout their operational life.
Our solutions are designed to meet the specific needs of industries:
Are you looking to outfit a building, infrastructure, neighborhood, or city? Let us know the location of your project, your specific requirements (such as air conditioning only or combined with heating), and your timeline. We’re here to assist you every step of the way.
Tetiaroa : Installation of a deep-water SWAC for “The Brando” hotel
The Brando Hotel is the world’s first eco-resort hotel exclusively utilising deep-sea pumped air conditioning – a visionary concept attributed to the legendary actor Marlon Brando. Situated in a protected Pacific atoll facing significant environmental challenges, Brando envisioned an ecological energy system capable of fulfilling the island’s energy needs.
Do you have a cooling and heating project? an offshore terminal decommissioning project? a gas terminal project?
Geocean, specialist in marine works, carries out your projects worldwide.
