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Offices Use Ice Instead of AC

[S]ome office towers and buildings have found a way to stay cool while keeping the AC to a minimum by using an energy-saving system that relies on blocks of ice to pump chilly air through buildings.

The systems save companies money and reduce strain on the electrical grid in New York, where the city consumes more power on hot summer days than the entire nation of Chile.

Whether or not the numbers quoted in the article regarding cutting down on pollution are true, the fact that they're using electricity late at night to make the ice, rather than during peak time during the day, means that there's less strain on electrical systems, less demand for more capacity, and less need to build yet more power plants.

And of course, yet again it goes to show that modernized versions of old solutions (think of it as a giant swamp cooler on steroids, perhaps?) are often just as effective as, if not better than, modern day alternatives.

Next up, the Pentium IV abacus!