Heatwave in Paris: did you know that the Seine supplies the air conditioning of 800 Parisian buildings?
By Nathanaël B. Published on June 18, 2022 at 10:15 am
Do you know how most official buildings in the city of Paris are air-conditioned? An underground network distributes water from the Seine, previously cooled, to supply the air conditioning of more than 800 buildings in the city.
The technique is more ecological than classic air conditioningthe city of Paris refreshes 800 buildings thanks to the water of the Seine. Among them, some ministries, the Louvre Museum, offices, hotels and shopping centers. But then, how it works ? There is a network of tens of kilometers under Paris where pipes connect all these buildings. The water from the river is established in a factory, near the Invalides bridge. A subsidiary of Engie, Fraîcheur de Paris, takes care of cooling the water from the Seine, which will then be dispatched to the largest district cooling network in Europe.
France is the most advanced country in this technology. Present in twenty-four cities, such as Lyon, Bordeaux, Montpellier or Nice. The advantage of this system is that the level of refrigerant flow discharges is much lower than that of conventional air conditioning units, so it is much more ecological. In effect, these flows warm the atmosphere much more than CO2, which increases the heat of certain areas of the city. The goal is therefore to democratize this technology, very useful in hot weatherso that it can be used everywhere in France, even in Europe.
Heat wave in Paris and Île-de-France: advice and recommendations
In this very sunny month of June, a new wave of heat hit the Paris region. If the sight of good weather is something to delight, these rises in temperature entail risks for our health. Here are the recommendations and advice to follow in hot weather. [Lire la suite]