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Project summary
Aquathermal energy technologies enable the extraction of heat or cold from water – surface water from rivers, canals, lakes, etc – and subsequent processing, through heat pumps, to support local or district heat networks. The AquaCOM project aims to empower energy communities in North-West Europe to use aquathermal energy to sustainably and efficiently heat their community. AquaCOM is developing replicable governance and technical models for aquathermal energy and providing training and capacity building activities for energy communities. Through these activities, project partners seek to prove that aquathermal energy can be adopted on a widespread, sustainable basis.
Aquathermal energy
Aquathermal energy involves the extraction of heat or cold from water, upgrading it to a higher temperature using an electricity driven heat pump, and finally delivering it to buildings. In the AquaCOM project we focus on aquathermal energy from surface water.
Our pilot sites
Lorient
France
The city of Lorient is surrounded by water (ocean and rivers), making it ideally suited for the extraction of aquathermal energy. The aim is to withdraw energy from the ocean and river and supply low-temperature heating and/or cooling networks.
Rotselaar
Belgium
The watermill of Rotselaar has been harvesting energy from the water of the river Dijle for more than 800 years. Energy cooperative Ecopower will now extract heat from the river to warm family dwellings in the cohousing project and several rooms in the mill itself.
Vlieland
The Netherlands
The quay wall of Vlieland’s harbour needed replacement, which caused an opportunity to extract heat from the new dam walls to heat the adjacent business park sustainably. The project can be upscaled to provide Vlieland’s village with a fossil free heat.
