District heating and cooling networks (waste heat, geothermal, large-scale heat pumps)

Buildings consume about 40% of global energy and produce roughly the same share of carbon emissions. Most of this energy gets wasted through poor insulation, inefficient heating and cooling systems, and outdated design practices.

The building sector moves slowly — most structures last decades, and retrofitting existing buildings is complex and expensive. Meanwhile, billions of people worldwide still rely on polluting fuels for basic needs like cooking and heating water, creating both climate and health problems.

Solving building energy waste requires both cutting-edge technology and practical approaches that work at massive scale. The opportunity is enormous: dramatically reducing emissions while making buildings more comfortable and affordable to operate.

Most buildings worldwide still burn gas, oil, or coal for heat, or use electricity from fossil fuel power plants for cooling. This creates direct emissions and locks in decades of future pollution.

Electrifying building heating and cooling is essential for decarbonization, but requires new technologies that work efficiently in different climates and building types.

Centralized systems that distribute heating or cooling through underground pipes to multiple buildings. These networks can capture waste heat from industry, use geothermal energy, or operate massive heat pumps more efficiently than individual building systems. District systems work especially well in dense urban areas.