ReUseHeat

There is enough waste energy produced in the EU to heat the EU’s entire building stock; however despite of this huge potential, only a restricted number of small scale examples of urban waste heat recovery are present across the EU. The objective of REUSEHEAT is to demonstrate, at TRL8 first of their kind advanced, modular and replicable systems enabling the recovery and reuse of waste heat available at the urban level.

ReUseHeat will tackle both technical and non-technical barriers to unlocking urban waste heat recovery projects and investments across Europe. There are four large-scale demonstrators in the project, showing the technical feasibility and economic viability of excess heat recovery and reuse from data centres (Brunswick), sewage collectors (Nice), cooling system of a hospital (Madrid) and underground station (Bucharest).

The experience from running the demonstrators and from other examples across the EU will be consolidated into a handbook that will provide guidance for investors and project developers and support future uptake of using urban excess heat. It will include innovative and efficient technologies and solutions, suitable business models and contractual arrangements, estimation of investment risk, bankability and impact of urban excess heat recovery investments and authorisation procedures.

ReUseHeat kicked off in October 2017 and will run for four years. It is funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Programme for Research and Innovation.

Goals:

Creating awareness and raising interest – to create a demand for urban waste heat recovery investments
Fostering engagement – to create an acceptance of urban excess heat recovery investments
Accelerating the market uptake of the ReUseHeat solutions – to facilitate implementation through a handbook that also outlines business models, contractual and legal arrangements, financing and technology solutions