The legacy of Europe’s heat waves will be more air conditioning. That’s a problem.
21 Jul 2022
EUROPE is sweltering in record-breaking temperatures this week, and across the continent, people are largely trying to cope without air conditioning.
Fewer than 10% of households in Europe are air-conditioned. But as temperatures rise, that figure is set to climb. Rising AC use may present new challenges, as most systems are inefficient and produce emissions that contribute to climate change. In extreme cases, when adoption gets high enough, too many units working overtime can overload the electrical grid on hot days.
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