A green idea cool enough for Canada

A Mountain Equipment Co-op in Ontario used a ground-breaking material to keep its store cool this summer – ice.

This cool idea comes from a company called Ice Energy, who has come up with a hybrid air conditioning system that really does use ice – massive blocks of it – to keep air temperatures low.

This hybrid, the Ice Bear, uses up to 95 per cent less energy than conventional air conditioners.  How?  By taking advantage of off-peak electricity at night and alternating with air cooled by the ice during the day. The ice cools a refrigerant, which cools the circulated air.

The 5-tonne blocks of ice are re-frozen every night inside the system, and are reused the next day. The Ice Bear is hooked up to the existing air conditioner and requires no modification. It sounds like a great plan, but there’s a small catch.

Even Ice Energy admits the Ice Bear’s price tag is pretty large if you’re not committed to fostering a green image. For that reason, most of the Ice Bear’s target market consists of utility providers, not commercial installations like the Burlington MEC.

With Ontario’s Green Energy Act, Ice Energy’s not surprised the province’s utility providers are taking a keen interest in the Ice Bear. London Hydro, Hydro Ottawa, and Hydro One are all “very seriously” considering using this new technology.

As Ice Energy’s website says, “clean energy doesn’t get any cooler than this.”