- The MTA and city will study Thermal Energy Network (TEN) technology in the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall 4/5/6 station and attached areas over the next few months, announced by Chair and CEO Janno Lieber and Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
- The $800,000 study follows the MTA's announcement of a broader project to overhaul the Chambers St station, one of the most dilapidated in the system.
- The technology, never before tested in an American transit system, captures heat, stores it, and transfers it to buildings for winter use, aiming to cool stations and create sustainable energy.
- The study is conducted jointly by the MTA, the city Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS), and the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice to assess temperature reduction and heating cost savings.
- The station complex was chosen because of its piping connections to municipal buildings and because Brooklyn Bridge City Hall is one of the steamiest stations, averaging 96 degrees Fahrenheit last summer.
- Mayor Mamdani said the study will explore using summer heat from the station to heat the municipal campus in winter, including City Hall, the David Dickens Municipal Building, the Tweed Courthouse, and the Surrogate’s Courthouse.
- The TEN system involves boring 500 to 600-foot-deep holes beneath the abandoned center platform to capture and store heat, but the study itself will not involve digging.
- Officials believe the platform is the most advantageous location due to underground conditions and connectivity to the piping network, and the technology could be applied citywide.
The MTA and Mayor Mamdani's administration are set to conduct an $800,000 feasibility study on Thermal Energy Network (TEN) technology at the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall subway station, notorious for its sweltering temperatures, which reached an average of 96 degrees Fahrenheit last summer.12678
The study aims to explore how effectively the TEN system can capture and store heat from the subway station, transferring it to nearby municipal buildings during winter months. This innovative approach not only seeks to cool the subway station but also aims to provide a sustainable energy source, addressing the growing challenges posed by climate change.
“Anyone who has stood on a subway platform in August knows that our stations do not just get hot; they turn into underground saunas,” said Mamdani. The technology has never been tested in an American transit system and could serve as a model for other heat-producing facilities across the city.
The study is a collaborative effort involving the MTA, the city Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS), and the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice. It will assess both the potential temperature reduction in the station and the savings on heating costs for the city.5
The TEN system involves boring 500 to 600-foot-deep holes beneath the abandoned center platform in the Chambers St station, which will capture heat until winter. However, the study will not involve any actual digging, according to MTA spokesperson Kayla Shults.3910
“It can be applied in many, many, many other places,” said Levine, emphasizing the potential for citywide energy resiliency and clean energy solutions as the city confronts global warming.
“The study, conducted with DCAS and the Mayor's Office of Climate and Environmental Justice, will explore using summer heat to warm City Hall and other municipal buildings in winter. The TEN system would require boring 500-600-foot-deep holes, though the study itself involves no digging.”
amNewYork
