China deploys innovative cooling systems to combat rising temperatures

As summer temperatures continue to rise, cities across China are actively adopting innovative solutions to improve residents’ comfort and enhance the climate resilience of urban environments.

According to Xinhua News Agency, a partner of TV BRICS, in Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province – where summer temperatures frequently exceed 37°C – local authorities have successfully deployed "artificial rainfall" technology to combat the sweltering heat.

The technology was officially put into use in August 2024 at a local residential estate. It works by installing approximately 200 high-pressure nozzles on the roofs of seven buildings within the estate, which spray a fine mist of water every 10 minutes. The resulting fine water mist can lower air and surface temperatures by around 10°C within minutes whilst also humidifying the air and settling urban dust.

In Chongqing, one of China’s "furnace" cities, numerous innovative practices can also be observed. Some local bus stops are equipped with mist-cooling devices, which consume only 10 per cent of the energy used by traditional air conditioning. Passengers need only press a button for the system to emit a cool mist, lowering the temperature in the bus stop area by 3°C to 8°C. The Chongqing Metro has also introduced a differentiated temperature control system, allowing passengers to choose between "strong cooling" and "mild cooling" carriages according to signage at the platforms.

Furthermore, in one of the districts, an environmentally friendly water-cooling system is in operation. This system utilises water from the Yangtze and Jialing Rivers for heat exchange, not only saving energy but also reducing carbon dioxide emissions in the area by approximately 60,000 metric tonnes annually.

Meanwhile, China’s exports of heat-relief products continue to grow. In Yiwu, Zhejiang Province, sales of small cooling appliances – such as portable bladeless fans and parasols with misting functions – have risen by 17 per cent. In the first four months of this year, sales via cross-border e-commerce reached US$7.6 billion, providing a strong boost to the global "summer economy".