Ecoheatcool
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Ecoheatcool project was launched at the beginning of 2005 with support from the Intelligent Energy Europe programme. The project was carried out by Euroheat & Power, in cooperation with 13 partners across Europe, and concluded at the end of December 2006.[1]
32 European countries, including the 25 member states of the European Union (as of 2004), the 4 accession countries, as of 2007, (Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Croatia), and three EFTA countries (Iceland, Norway and Switzerland) were included in the analysis for the project.[2]
The project assessed the heating and cooling markets, looked for possibilities for more district heating and district cooling in Europe, provided recommendations for policy makers and developed a tool for assessing the efficiency of district heating and cooling systems.[2]
The project showed that district heating and cooling grids make it possible to optimally use and combine a large spectrum of "free" energy inputs: surplus heat from electricity production based on conventional or renewable fuels, from waste incineration and/or from industrial processes as well as different forms of renewable heat (i.e. geothermal, heat/cold from deep-sea or lake water).[3]
The Ecoheatcool project became a reference for district heating and cooling sector, its findings being used in the arguments provided to European Union and national policy makers. It enabled the development of a vision, quantification of the benefits which the district heating and cooling sector can bring to achieving the EU policy objectives: energy efficiency, environmental protection, security of supply, use of renewable energy sources, avoided investments in peak electricity capacities, and evaluation of the costs.