Europe Today
Euronews' flagship morning TV show with the news and insights that drive Europe, live from Brussels every morning at 08.00. Also available as a newsletter and podcast.
The Ring
The Ring is Euronews’ weekly political showdown, where Europe’s toughest debates meet their boldest voices. In each episode, two political heavyweights from across the EU face off to propose a diversity of opinions and spark conversations around the most important issues of EU affairs and the wider European political life.
No Comment
No agenda, no argument, no bias, No Comment. Get the story without commentary.
My Wildest Prediction
Dare to imagine the future with business and tech visionaries
The Big Question
Deep dive conversations with business leaders
Euronews Tech Talks
Euronews Tech Talks goes beyond discussions to explore the impact of new technologies on our lives. With explanations, engaging Q&As, and lively conversations, the podcast provides valuable insights into the intersection of technology and society.
The Food Detectives
Europe's best food experts are joining forces to crack down on fraud. Euronews is following them in this special series: The Food Detectives
Water Matters
Europe's water is under increasing pressure. Pollution, droughts, floods are taking their toll on our drinking water, lakes, rivers and coastlines. Join us on a journey around Europe to see why protecting ecosystems matters, how our wastewater can be better managed, and to discover some of the best water solutions. Video reports, an animated explainer series and live debate – find out why Water Matters, from Euronews.
Climate Now
We give you the latest climate facts from the world’s leading source, analyse the trends and explain how our planet is changing. We meet the experts on the front line of climate change who explore new strategies to mitigate and adapt.
Europe Today
Euronews' flagship morning TV show with the news and insights that drive Europe, live from Brussels every morning at 08.00. Also available as a newsletter and podcast.
The Ring
The Ring is Euronews’ weekly political showdown, where Europe’s toughest debates meet their boldest voices. In each episode, two political heavyweights from across the EU face off to propose a diversity of opinions and spark conversations around the most important issues of EU affairs and the wider European political life.
No Comment
No agenda, no argument, no bias, No Comment. Get the story without commentary.
My Wildest Prediction
Dare to imagine the future with business and tech visionaries
The Big Question
Deep dive conversations with business leaders
Euronews Tech Talks
Euronews Tech Talks goes beyond discussions to explore the impact of new technologies on our lives. With explanations, engaging Q&As, and lively conversations, the podcast provides valuable insights into the intersection of technology and society.
The Food Detectives
Europe's best food experts are joining forces to crack down on fraud. Euronews is following them in this special series: The Food Detectives
Water Matters
Europe's water is under increasing pressure. Pollution, droughts, floods are taking their toll on our drinking water, lakes, rivers and coastlines. Join us on a journey around Europe to see why protecting ecosystems matters, how our wastewater can be better managed, and to discover some of the best water solutions. Video reports, an animated explainer series and live debate – find out why Water Matters, from Euronews.
Climate Now
We give you the latest climate facts from the world’s leading source, analyse the trends and explain how our planet is changing. We meet the experts on the front line of climate change who explore new strategies to mitigate and adapt.
Europe’s solar boom is providing homes with hours of ‘free’ air conditioning (AC) – providing much-needed relief amid the latest heatwave.
Blistering temperatures have gripped much of the continent this week, resulting in widespread disruption and dozens of fatalities. Weather forecasts warn that the intense heat is starting to shift east – threatening huge parts of central Europe.
A new analysis by energy think tank Ember found that a typical UK home with rooftop solar generated enough electricity to power an AC unit for five hours per day during the hot spell.
But can AC ever really be environmentally friendly – even if it is powered by sunlight?
The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that space cooling – which is mostly AC, but also includes fans – consumed around 2,100 terawatt-hours (TWh) of power in 2022. That’s around seven per cent of the world’s electricity from that year.
Some of this electricity comes from fossil fuels, which is why AC is often seen as a driver of carbon emissions. In 2022, the IEA estimated that space cooling caused around one billion tonnes of CO2 from electricity use – almost three per cent of total CO2 emissions.
While this may not seem significant, experts predict that AC units could triple in the next three decades – reaching a staggering 5.5 billion installations – as climate change continues to push up temperatures.
The EU, which has a low uptake of AC in comparison to regions like the US, is forecast to have more than 275 million AC units by 2050. France’s latest heatwave, which saw temperatures break records on Tuesday (23 June), has already sparked political debates over the country’s aversion to AC.
In the UK, which has spent the last week sweltering under intense heat, the Climate Change Committee (CC) has urged the government to invest in AC, as well as other methods of cooling such as green shading, across key public services like schools.
The 2026 Independent Assessment of UK Climate Risk suggests that 22 per cent of UK buildings will need active cooling in a future with 2°C warming.
AC has consistently been proven to reduce heat mortality during heatwaves. The 2021 Lancet Countdown report estimated that cooling units prevented nearly 200,000 premature deaths in 2019.
But with greater demand comes greater emissions.
Earlier this year, researchers at Birmingham University warned that AC could potentially produce more CO2 than the current annual emissions of the US, in a worst-case scenario for global emissions, by 2050.
However, the world’s solar boom could prevent that from happening – replacing fossil-powered electricity with clean energy.
“Solar power and air conditioning are complementary technologies with similar seasonal patterns, though air conditioning use tends to be weighted later in the day,” Ember states.
“On 21 and 22 of June, a typical UK rooftop solar installation generated 15 MWh, equivalent to five hours of electricity demand from a full-house air conditioning set up (at 3 kW) per day.”
Across the 1.9 million UK homes with rooftop solar, the equivalent to 10 million solar-powered AC hours were generated each heatwave day, the report adds.
However, AC’s environmental impact goes far beyond its dependency on fossil fuels. These systems use specific chemical blends called refrigerants to absorb heat from inside a home and release it outdoors.
Refrigerants, such as hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) and hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC), are powerful greenhouse gases – which trap thousands of times more heat in the atmosphere compared to CO2.
According to Our World In Data, greenhouse gas emissions from ACs totalled 1,750 tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2022, accounting for 3.2 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions that year.
AC units are becoming more energy efficient – consuming less electricity and releasing lower amounts of greenhouse gas emissions. However, the IEA estimates that globally people buy AC units that are half as efficient as the best options currently available in stores.
This could be because of up-front costs, particularly in low-income countries, or simply a communication problem. In an average UK home, installation will cost £2,500 (€2,895) per room.
The EU and UK are actively phasing out fluorinated gases in favour of natural refrigerants such as hydrocarbons (like propane) and CO2, which are far less damaging to the climate – but propane’s flammability makes installation complicated.
A ban on F-gases in smaller self-contained air conditioning units is expected to take effect in the EU by 2032, with other systems following by 2035. All HFCs are set to be eliminated from the EU market entirely by 2050.
Regardless of how energy efficient an AC unit is, the process of absorbing heat from inside a home and dumping it outside contributes to the urban heat island effect.
This is when heat is trapped between tall buildings and absorbed by the large amounts of asphalt and concrete found in cities before being released back into the air. It is why larger cities tend to experience stronger heat stress.
According to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), the centres of London and Paris, for example, regularly record temperatures of around 4°C higher than rural surroundings at night.
“As global temperatures rise, we risk being locked into an ‘arms race’ where defending ourselves against extreme heat is causing the issue to get worse,” says Professor Yuli Shan from the University of Birmingham.
“The world must transition quickly to cleaner, more efficient cooling technologies while ensuring fair access to cooling, especially for vulnerable populations.”


Browse today's tags

source