Could underground parking be a source of heat?

Walking through an underground parkade, you can feel the heat from all the cars, so perhaps it isn’t surprising that some asked what could be the effects of that heat. Noethen and colleagues (2023) looked at how the underground parking impacted nearby groundwater.

The short answer is, underground parkades increase the temperature of groundwater, especially when the groundwater is shallow and cool. There are some nuances though. How frequently the cars turnover has an impact. More cars over the course of the day means more heat coming in. The ventilation of the parkade also makes a difference. If the temperature in the parkade is maintained closer to the ambient air temperature then there is less impact on the surrounding groundwater.

This transfer of heat has potential negative consequences but there is also some potential. If the heat in the parkades could be harnessed then it could be a means of reducing heating costs for buildings while also reducing the impacts on the surrounding groundwater.