€80 million to equip schools and nurseries with cooling systems
Announced on 26 June 2026, this scheme responds to the intensification of heatwaves in buildings that host children.
On 26 June 2026, EDF announced the release of €80 million to equip schools, nurseries and leisure centres with cooling systems.
The initiative responds to a now well-documented reality: heatwaves are becoming more frequent and more intense, and buildings that host young children are among the most exposed, often designed at a time when summer comfort was not a design criterion.
Choosing electric cooling solutions — reversible heat pumps in particular — has a twofold characteristic: it meets an immediate adaptation need and relies on electricity that is largely decarbonised in France.
It does, however, raise a sizing question for the power system. Air conditioning creates a summer consumption peak that coincides with periods of high photovoltaic generation, but which can extend into the evening, when solar output declines.
This configuration reinforces the value of arrangements that make it possible to shift or modulate power demand, including in public buildings.