On the Dutch island of Vlieland, water is never far away. It shapes the landscape, the rhythm of the island and everyday life. During the four-day AquaCOM meeting, that same water took on another role: as a source of sustainable heat and a starting point for European knowledge exchange.
From 21 to 24 September, we came together on Vlieland, our Dutch pilot site. Partners and early adopters from the five target countries visited the pilot site in the Wadden Harbour, where heat from the Wadden Sea is used to provide sustainable heating and hot water. They also shared experiences and worked together on knowledge that can help community-led aquathermal projects move forward.
From idea to practice
For many communities, aquathermal energy starts with a question. Can the water around us play a role in sustainable heating? What does that require technically, financially and organisationally? And how do you move such an idea beyond the exploration phase?
On Vlieland, participants saw a concrete example. In the Harbour, heat from the Wadden Sea is combined with heat pumps powered by the solar panels installed on the roof of the building. This provides sustainable heat for the Harbour showers during the summer season and for heating the building and a neighbouring house in winter.
That practical setting is exactly what makes a visit like this valuable. On paper, you can explain what aquathermal energy is. But, on location, you see everything that comes with it: the technology, the surroundings, the users, the choices made along the way and the collaboration behind the project.
Learning from early adopters
The meeting was not only about the pilot on Vlieland, but above all about what participants could take back to their own projects. Early adopter energy communities, project partners and experts discussed questions that many local heat projects face. Which choices are difficult? What knowledge is needed? And what helps to move from an initial idea to the next step?
The composition of the AquaCOM project is what makes this exchange so valuable. The project brings together technical, theoretical, legal, financial and organisational knowledge. Partners from different countries and diverse expertise contribute their own practice, legislation and experience. This creates space to discuss similarities and differences, learn from one another and explore what can be applied elsewhere.
For the early adopters, that is exactly why they came together: to see how aquathermal energy works in practice on Vlieland, to ask questions to professional partners and to gain inspiration for the next step in their own community.
A Frisian pilot with European significance
The strength of Vlieland lies not only in the system itself, but also in the lessons it provides. By putting experiences side by side, questions become sharper and solutions more concrete. What works in one place can help another project make the right choices faster.
In this
way, Vlieland became not only a demonstration site, but also a learning site.
The insights gained here travel further: to other communities, other countries
and other local heat projects. That is precisely the value of AquaCOM and of
practical examples such as the Wadden Harbour.
