Qingdao City in east China's Shandong Province plans to use sea water for heating in winter and cooling in summer next year, on a trial basis.

Tsinghua Tongfang Artificial Environment Co., owned by China's prestigious Tsinghua University has developed a pumping system using sea water for air-conditioning.

A spokesman for the company said an electricity-powered compressor is used in the system to "extract" or "release" energy from sea water to heat up or cool down a building or a residential area.

He said the operating cost is estimated at 10 yuan to 12 yuan (about one U.S. dollar) for each square meter of indoor space to be heated or cooled per year.

The indoor air temperature in a building with such a system will remain at about 20 degrees centigrade in winter and 24 to 27 degrees centigrade in summer.

Unlike existing heating systems, which use fresh water, the sea water system uses no fresh water, nor will it produce polluted water, said the spokesman.

It does not need a boiler for heating or water-cooling generators, he said.

The sea water air-conditioning system is already operational in Dongying City on the Yellow River delta area of Shandong Province.

(Peopledaily.com.cn, December 14, 2001)