Santa Barbara Independent
Summary
This summer has been blistering hot across Europe, accompanied by a spate of wildfires. Not surprisingly, these record heat waves are pushing people toward air-conditioning.
France, especially Paris, is embracing a different path, one seeking nature-based solutions. As far back as the 1990s, Paris started installing a district cooling system using a network of pipes to carry chilly Seine River water. The initial phase was 75 miles of pipe delivering chilled water to museums, hospitals, schools, and offices. Before this water flows back into the river, it is re-cooled via a heat exchanger where the chilled inlet water runs beside the outlet pipes. Cooling this warm water before it reenters the Seine protects the river’s aquatic ecosystems.
The system is now being tripled in scope to reach every arrondissement of the city. This expanded infrastructure will reach 3,000 buildings including luxury hotels, office buildings, daycare centers, and retirement homes. Data shows that district cooling has a much higher energy and environmental performance than individual cooling units. It is expected that many of the 2.1 million residents of central Paris will be dissuaded from buying AC units.
Continue Reading
#News#DistrictCooling