The Louvre Museum and all of Paris have experienced one of the hottest summers in memory. Yet, what’s keeping the Mona Lisa and the millions of visitors cool and comfortable is not immediately obvious. A joint venture company named Fraicheur de Paris [literally – “freshness of Paris”] and jointly owned by EDF (France’s largest energy supplier) and public transit operator RATP, has installed a district cooling system in Paris powered by mostly renewable energy.
The system currently has about 90 km (57 miles) of piping with plans to expand it to 250 km (157 miles) in the next several years. These pipes are buried 30 meters (about 100 feet) below ground to act as a heat sink. When the water in the Seine drops in temperature, it is also used to directly cool the piping network too.
The main goal of the project is to reduce fossil fuel energy consumption by relying on solar and wind energy, and the ability of the Earth to absorb heat. This is especially important as natural gas and electric prices skyrocket with the Ukrainian conflict. But another benefit is the reduction of the heat island effect. Summer sun is absorbed by all the buildings and pavement. Air conditioning dumps much of the absorbed heat from buildings back out into city, adding to it compressor work. Removing the energy by pushing it into the ground is expected to reduce city temperatures by about 1°C (1.8°F). This may not sound like much, but it makes Parisians a lot happier as they move about the City of Lights. – Steve Terry, DTC HVAC & Refrigeration Instructor
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