While seawater air conditioning is relatively new, it is a proven technology and systems in operation in Sweden, Canada and the U.S. have achieved impressive economic and environmental results. The following articles provide interesting background information on this renewable energy resource.

National Geographic
To anyone who's taken a dip in Lake Ontario, it seems like a no-brainer: Use the lake's icy waters to keep nearby cities cool.  Last month Toronto did just that, announcing that its 170-million-dollar (U.S.) deep-lake water cooling system, the largest of its kind, was up and running. For more information, see http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/09/0910_040910_deeplake.html

Makai Ocean Engineering
SeaWater Air Conditioning (SWAC) takes advantage of available deep cold seawater instead of energy-intensive refrigeration systems to cool the chilled water in one or more buildings. For more information, see http://www.makai.com/p-swac.htm