Energy from wastewater

Today’s Chronicle has an interesting article about a plan in Santa Rosa to use tertiary-treated wastewater to heat and cool buildings in the airport industrial park. As far as I understand the second law of thermodynamics, the wastewater would really be moving around energy generated elsewhere (although this is so often the case.) I think I’m clear on how the 60-degree water would get heated up to 140 degrees in the buildings (waste heat from computers is my first guess) but I’m less clear on what in the buildings would bring the same water down to 40 degrees, unless the water treatment plant itself was heating the water up in the winter.

Initially, the plan relies on the close physical proximity of the plant and the industrial park, although the designers would like to make it available to other communities. I like that the scientists at Los Alamos have written a “virtual Santa Rosa,” that they can keep track of from New Mexico.

So what does this mean for Santa Clara County? At least that people are thinking about innovative processes. I couldn’t find a more technical link to the research itself, but I’d certainly be interested in learning more.