The Steam Plumes of NYC

 

The corner of Canal Street and Sixth Avenue has a couple of large smokestacks (aka steam stacks) installed by Co-Edison to direct steam. There are about 105 miles of steam pipes underneath New York City’s streets, which serve as a cleaner source of energy than oil or coal to over 1,500 buildings.

Steam rises naturally, so it enables buildings to get heated without using additional energy to get the heat to rise up. The steam is also for cleaning and disinfecting. It is the largest such system in the world and has been in operation since 1882.