If I understand the system correctly from that brief description, I've slept in a hotel with that. It was quiet, calm, no hum at all, and cool. A cool that came from the walls, so to speak.
It sounds like they have an advanced geothermal AC system, but are making some distinction that this is not an AC. They also have good insulation.
Even if they had a traditional AC, the carbon in French electricity is so low that it's a rounding error compared with the carbon of holding an international sporting event, even if they had poor insulation.
Any additional AC on top of the "not an AC" cooling system, in a well insulated building will have less work to do and so draw less electricity.
I can see why any dense traditional city would have a preference for heating networks over a proliferation of window AC but something seems to have got lost in translation.
edit: some googling suggest that Paris, like many big cities, has had geothermal cooling networks for large office buildings, museums etc. for decades. The new Olympic village extends those networks and is designed to be converted into office buildings with sufficient cooling planned for 2050 temperatures so seems mostly a storm in a teacup.
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[ 2.6 ms ] story [ 28.8 ms ] threadIt sounds like they have an advanced geothermal AC system, but are making some distinction that this is not an AC. They also have good insulation.
Even if they had a traditional AC, the carbon in French electricity is so low that it's a rounding error compared with the carbon of holding an international sporting event, even if they had poor insulation.
Any additional AC on top of the "not an AC" cooling system, in a well insulated building will have less work to do and so draw less electricity.
I can see why any dense traditional city would have a preference for heating networks over a proliferation of window AC but something seems to have got lost in translation.
edit: some googling suggest that Paris, like many big cities, has had geothermal cooling networks for large office buildings, museums etc. for decades. The new Olympic village extends those networks and is designed to be converted into office buildings with sufficient cooling planned for 2050 temperatures so seems mostly a storm in a teacup.