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‘Kind of miracle solution’: How Paris is harnessing the Seine to replace air-con

City plans to triple system of underground pipes that distribute chilled river water, reducing need for individual cooling units As heatwaves intensify across Europe, most cities are reaching for a familiar fix of more air conditioning. But in 1990s Paris, planning began for a different kind of solution: one of the world’s largest district cooling networks. The system has 120kms (75-miles) of underground pipes distributing chilled water to museums, offices, hospitals, schools and other public buildings including the Louvre, the Grand Palais, and some luxury hotels and office districts. Instead of thousands of individual air-conditioning units, cooling is produced centrally and shared across the city like a utility. Continue reading...

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Why it mattersTechnology

City plans to triple system of underground pipes that distribute chilled river water, reducing need for individual cooling units As heatwaves intensify across Europe, most cities are reaching for a familiar fix of more air conditioning. But in 1990s Paris, planning began for a different kind of solution: one of the world’s largest district cooling networks. The system has 120kms (75-miles) of underground pipes distributing chilled water to museums, offices, hospitals, schools and other public buildings including the Louvre, the Grand Palais, and some luxury hotels and office districts. Instead of thousands of individual air-conditioning units, cooling is produced centrally and shared across the city like a utility. Continue reading...

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What happened

According to The Guardian’s source item, ‘Kind of miracle solution’: How Paris is harnessing the Seine to replace air-con, City plans to triple system of underground pipes that distribute chilled river water, reducing need for individual cooling units As heatwaves intensify across Europe, most cities are reaching for a familiar fix of more air conditioning. But in 1990s Paris, planning began for a different kind of solution: one of the world’s largest district cooling networks. The system has 120kms (75-miles) of underground pipes distributing chilled water to museums, offices, hospitals, schools and other public buildings including the Louvre, the Grand Palais, and some luxury hotels and office districts. Instead of thousands of individual air-conditioning units, cooling is produced centrally and shared across the city like a utility. Continue reading…

Context

The development sits in VINI’s Technology file for readers following technology, science, product policy, markets, infrastructure, and the public consequences of innovation. The original report is linked so readers can check the source account, follow later updates, and compare new coverage against the first published record. The source item is dated 2026-06-26T04:00:08+00:00.

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Primary source: ‘Kind of miracle solution’: How Paris is harnessing the Seine to replace air-con via The Guardian. VINI cites and links the source; it does not reproduce the publisher’s full article text without rights clearance.

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