(iverson's) currentbuzz: Why Are There Steam Tunnels and Pipes All Over Manhattan?

I've always wondered about the steam things. In NY winters, they send up plumes at lots of intersections. Until one blows, one just sort of forgets them. And it turns out they are a wonder of smart urban planning.

The whole thing is rather brilliant--a model of re-use and smart urban planning--that is until disaster strikes. Apparently there have been lethal steam pipe explosions before, the most recent in 1989 in Gramercy Park.
There's a movement to bring these kinds of combined heat and power systems to cities small and large throughout the U.S., since it's more efficient to combine the two functions and reuse the "waste" products of the power generation process.

Imagine, for a moment, what could be done with all the energy embodied in the blood-warm water that pours out of your average nuclear power plant (what, you thought it was a coincidence they're always sited near bodies of water?), and you can begin to see the possibilities. One can only hope that with with wider adoption will come better safety measures.

Source: blog.sciam.com