Swedish hospital uses stored winter snow to cool building in summer
A hospital in Sundsvall, Sweden, has successfully implemented a system that uses stored winter snow to provide cooling during the summer months. The facility uses thermal insulation to preserve the snow, significantly reducing energy consumption for climate control.
Why it matters
This innovative approach demonstrates a sustainable, low-energy solution for large-scale building cooling, aligning with environmental and regulatory targets.
A hospital in central Sweden found an unusual way to meet its summer cooling needs by storing snow from winter and using it months later. The Sundsvall Regional Hospital uses a large snow storage system designed to preserve winter cold until the warmer months.The Sundsvall hospital has a floor area of 190,000 square metres. According to Science Direct, the hospital's annual cooling demand is about 1,000 MWh, with a maximum cooling power requirement of 1,500 kW. The local authorities were looking for a cooling solution that fitted environmental targets and national regulations.The findings of the project were published in a 2001 research paper by Kjell Skogsberg and Bo Nordell in Cold Regions Science and Technology.A large snow storage areaThe snow storage facility was built in 1999.
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