AquaCOM Project Partners assess progress of the Project, 1 October 2024
The Interreg NWE AquaCOM partners came together at the start of October in Leeuwarden, the beautiful capital of the province of Fryslân in the Northern Netherlands. This meeting was the second, in person, transnational partner meeting, with the aim of assessing the progress of the project so far and discussing the best ways to move forward.
The project partners come from nine different organizations across North West Europe, each contributing a unique set of skills, experiences, and viewpoints. This diversity enriches the project by combining technical expertise, local knowledge, and innovative ideas from various regions. Together, they tackle shared challenges, drawing on their individual strengths to create a well-rounded, collaborative approach to problem-solving.
The different perspectives of the partners resulted in several very interesting discussions where the focus was to not only ensure the success of the project but to ensure when the project was complete it resulted in effective tools that communities can use to assess if Aquathermal energy is suitable for their specific circumstances. The goal of providing replicable, scalable, implementation models was at the centre of all discussions.
These discussions included points such as:
- The need to create tools for communities to establish how much potential energy can be generated from different water sources based on their specific location.
- The lack of clear or supportive laws and regulations in many NWE regions.
- The financial viability of both installing this technology and running costs compared with other renewable heating solutions.
In the evening, after the first meetings finished, and despite the wet weather, the partners took the opportunity to travel to dinner via canal boat. In keeping with the belief system of the project the boat was equipped with an electric motor so emitted no fossil fuels. Not only was this an environmentally friendly mode of transport, it also allowed the partners to take in the beauty and rich history of Leeuwarden.
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