Week 4: Environmental and Technological influences & Harvard
ENGIE (2022) Sustainable Cooling Solutions for Paris. Available at: https://www.engie.com/en/explore/projects/engie-x-fraicheur-de-paris/ [Accessed 16 June 2026].
Environment
Urban cooling networks reduce carbon footprint because they use a single central cooling plant instead of multiple individual air conditioners consuming energy independently.
The system’s power source can incorporate renewable energy, resulting in lower overall CO₂ emissions for the city compared to self-sustaining systems.vWhen electricity prices rise, using a single cooling source reduces operating costs and simultaneously lowers energy consumption, contributing to air pollution control and climate change mitigation.
Technology
The system consists of a central cooling plant, a network of chilled water pipes running through streets, and connection points within buildings. Process: Water intake → Cooling at the plant → Pumping through the network → To buildings → Buildings utilize the chilled water to power air conditioners. The architecture is designed similarly to urban hot water systems, making installation and expansion to new buildings easy.
Essay feedback
After getting feedback for my first 400 words essay, I realize that most of the problem is about tense. When I write essay, most of the tense I used is in present because I usually write based on the Vietnamese phrasing in my mind, and I tend to automatically translate it into the present tense.
Phuong Vi Nguyen 