Ecoheatcool
Encyclopedia
Launched at the beginning of 2005 with support from the Intelligent Energy Europe programme, the ECOHEATCOOL project carried out by Euroheat & Power
Euroheat & Power
Euroheat & Power is a pan-European trade association of district heating operators and related companies and associations.Euroheat & Power unites the combined heat and power, district heating and cooling sector throughout Europe and beyond, with members from over thirty countries: including...

, in cooperation with 13 partners across Europe was concluded at the end of December 2006.

The project assessed the heating and cooling
Cooling
Cooling is the transfer of thermal energy via thermal radiation, heat conduction or convection. It may also refer to:-Techniques:* Air conditioning* Air cooling* Computer cooling* Cryogenics* Conduction * Infrared solar cells* Laser cooling...

 markets, looked for possibilities for more district heating
District heating
District heating is a system for distributing heat generated in a centralized location for residential and commercial heating requirements such as space heating and water heating...

 and district cooling in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

, provided recommendations for policy makers and developed a tool for assessing the efficiency of district heating and cooling systems. 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
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...

 production based on conventional or renewable fuels
Renewable fuels
Renewable fuels are fuels produced from renewable resources. Examples include: biofuels Renewable fuels are fuels produced from renewable resources. Examples include: biofuels Renewable fuels are fuels produced from renewable resources. Examples include: biofuels (eg. Vegetable oil used as fuel,...

, 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).

The Ecoheatcool project became a reference for district heating
District heating
District heating is a system for distributing heat generated in a centralized location for residential and commercial heating requirements such as space heating and water heating...

 and cooling sector, its findings being used in the arguments provided to European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...

 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
Efficient energy use
Efficient energy use, sometimes simply called energy efficiency, is the goal of efforts to reduce the amount of energy required to provide products and services. For example, insulating a home allows a building to use less heating and cooling energy to achieve and maintain a comfortable temperature...

, environmental protection, security of supply, use of renewable energy sources, avoided investments in peak electricity capacities, and evaluation of the costs.
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