Tech Roundup: Amid energy crisis, São Paulo experiments with geothermal power

This week’s topics: Brazil pursuing geothermal energy for air-conditioning projects. Facebook eyes racial representation in the country. Skateboarding Brazil’s biggest hit during the Olympics.

São Paulo to have Brazil’s first geothermal air-conditioned building

The city of São Paulo will be home to Brazil’s first building cooled with geothermal power, which uses the heat that comes from under the earth’s surface as an energy source. The power generation method will be tested and monitored at the University of São Paulo’s Sustainable Construction Innovation Center building, still under construction.

Why it matters. Brazil is currently experiencing its worst drought in 91 years. As the country is highly dependent on hydroelectric power, low rainfall is forcing the government to resort to more polluting energy sources, such as thermoelectric power plants, which also cost more to operate. 

Advantages. Used to heat and cool buildings in Europe since the 1980s, geothermal energy is not yet widely discussed in Brazil, even though it could be a highly advantageous solution with regard to reducing electricity consumption.

• “The system can reduce air-conditioning electricity consumption in any type of construction, such as residential and commercial buildings, hotels, hospitals, shopping malls, among others,” says Cristina Tsuha, a professor at the São Carlos School of Engineering, speaking to The Brazilian Report.
• She highlights, however, that more studies are necessary to prove the technology’s viability in Brazil.
• “In Brazil, the dominant demand is for cooling environments, which can be higher or lower depending on the region. Therefore, the continuous rejection...