Stars and Stripes
Summary
PARIS — The Mona Lisa may maintain her famously enigmatic smile because she benefits from one of Paris' best-kept secrets: An underground cooling system that's helped the Louvre cope with the sweltering heat that has broken temperature records across Europe.
The little-known "urban cold" network snakes unsuspecting beneath Parisians' feet at a depth of up to 98 feet, pumping out icy water through 55 miles of labyrinthine pipes, which is used to chill the air in over 700 sites. The system, which uses electricity generated by renewable sources, is the largest in Europe — and chugs on around the clock with a deafening noise totally inaudible above ground.
Paris City Hall has now signed an ambitious contract to triple the size of the network by 2042 to 157 miles. It would make it the largest urban cooling system in the world. The new contract intends to help the city to both adapt to and combat the threat of global warming. Many parts of Europe hit 104 Fahrenheit in July.
Continue Reading
#DistrictCooling#France#News