Swimmers in the infinity pool of Art'otel London Battersea Power Station see smoke rising from one ... [+] of the former power station's chimneys.Carlton ReidWhy is smoke rising from two of the chimneys of Battersea Power Station, you might think as you gaze lazily from the stupendous, rooftop infinity pool of the Artotel London Battersea Power Station hotel? As a knowledgeable guest, you would know that Battersea Power Station last generated electricity for power-hungry London 42 years ago. The former turbine halls now house an upscale shopping mall, 3,000 staffers in what is Apples UK headquarters, and, on the roof, there are glass-clad apartments apportioned into some of the most expensive Thames-view real estate in London. The power station was decommissioned in 1983, so again you might continue to ponder from the pool, there must be some good reason you can still see vapor rising from the former sulfur-scrubbing chimneys, but which should now be smoke-free.Could it have anything to do with the warm water gently lapping over your arms as you crane your neck to take in the full splendor of the iconic chimneys?Why, yes, it could. Much of the heat and power for the $11.2 billion 42-acre Battersea Power Station estate is provided by a combined heat and power (CHP) plant known as the Energy Centre sited deep in the bowels of the former coal-fired power station.Steam venting from one of the four chimneys of today's Battersea Power Station building.Carlton ReidBattersea Power Stations northeast and southwest chimneys contain flues that evacuate steam from the Energy Centres two CHP engines and three boilers. So, that smoke you see from the infinity pool is, indeed, the result of electricity (and heat) generation, alhough the generation is now much greener than when Battersea Power Station churned through mountains of coal following its completion in 1935.Todays Energy Centre is situated 33 ft below Battersea Power Station and supplies heating, cooling, and electricity to the redeveloped estate. CHP engines produce electricity via the combustion of gas, which in turn generates heat as a by-product. This heat is harnessed and transferred into usable energy for hot water. Similarly, the chillers use electricity to drive a compressor in a refrigerant cycle, which transfers cool energy to a water circuit to produce chilled water.MORE FOR YOUTugs and barges on the water by Battersea Power Station, 1950s. (Photo by ... [+] Hulton-Deutsch/Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis via Getty Images)Corbis via Getty ImagesHot water is distributed through insulated district heating pipework to provide heating and hot water for the estates buildings. Afterward, it returns to the Energy Centre to be reheated by the CHP. Generating electricity and heat through one fuel simultaneously is much more efficient than traditional power generation as there is less wasted energy, improving energy efficiency by 40-45%. Carbon emissions are also reduced by 5,000 tonnes per year compared to conventional forms of energy generation. Placing the Energy Centre underground and just in front of the former turbine halls provides natural soundproofing to neutralize the sound of the engines.The Energy Centre provides heat and energy to the Battersea Power Station estate and residents nearby. This has historical resonance because the original Battersea Power Station provided hot water directly to the post-war Churchill Gardens housing estate in Pimlico on the opposite side of the Thames. This innovative-for-the-time waste-not-want-not project was known as the Pimlico District Heating Undertaking and provided central heating for about 10,000 people, using heat from Battersea Power Station that would have otherwise been vented to the air.Pimlico District Heating Undertaking still exists, although it no longer gets its hot water from across the river.A light installation called "Run Beyond" by Angelo Bonello is seen on the launch day of the Light ... [+] Festival at Battersea Power station on January 13, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)Getty ImagesBattersea Power Station is now a thriving estate of upmarket shops, a cinema, a hotel, cafes and restaurants, its own and new Underground station and a stopping point for the Uber-branded taxi boats that ply the River Thames.The former power station is a Grade II listed historic property and could not, therefore, be demolished after the end of its (first) useful life. There were plans for it to become a theme park, but the heritage works expense saw this scheme flounder.The brownfield former industrial estate, with its much-loved building designed by celebrated architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, designer of Britains red telephone boxes, was bought in 2012 by Malaysian investors SP Setia and Sime Darby Property and the Employees Provident Fund. They were joined in 2018 by the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund Permodalan Nasional Berhad.Managed by Park Plaza Hotels, Artotel London Battersea Power Station is located within Battersea Roof Gardens in a wavy building designed by Foster + Partners. Spanish artist Jaime Hayon oversaw the bright, classy interiors.The hotel, which opened in 2023, has 164 rooms, including a signature suite one floor beneath the rooftop infinity pool. The building also features an efficient faade design, which was also a key consideration at Artotels other property in London, the newly opened Artotel Hoxton, located in the South Shoreditch Conservation Area.Fins and Banksy artwork on the Art'otel Hoxton hotel in London.Carlton ReidOccupying a prominent corner site where Old Street meets Great Eastern Street, the street-art-inspired hotel sports two external Banksy artworks and features external twisting aluminum fins that provide solar shading, reducing cooling loads and carbon emissions.Both Artotel hotels have achieved BREEAM Excellent status, a sustainability assessment.Back to that eco heated infinity pool. Its open until 11 pm every night so plenty of time to stare at those plumes of steam.