3 days Ago By Faye Dorgan
AN INNOVATIVE European initiative called the AquaCOM project, led by Limerick -border group Ballyhoura Development CLG, is exploring the potential of aquathermal energy as an alternative to fossil fuels. The project kicked off its transnational partner meeting in Croom this April and engages with 12 early adopter groups across Ireland, Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands. Croom Sustainable Energy Community is one of these early adopter groups and hosted the partners of the AquaCOM project on the first day of their transnational partner trip to Ireland on April 1.
The partners also met with three other Irish Early Adopter groups: Glenstal Abbey, Synergy Fermoy and Kylemore Abbey. AquaCOM is exploring the potential of heating homes and buildings using heat from water sources like rivers and lakes to help communities reduce their dependence on fossil fuels. READ ALSO: Over 20,000 people in Limerick to come together and clean-up this Good Friday This in turn helps accelerate a citizen-led just transition into a more sustainable way of living.
“We were delighted to welcome our European partners to Croom,” said Sybren Oggel of the Croom Sustainable Energy Community. “Last year, I travelled to the Netherlands with the project. The trip was a get together of all the partners and representatives of the early adopters groups in Ireland and the other partner countries.
“It was a great trip and we learned loads so it’s brilliant to see everyone again, show them Croom in person and have the opportunity to ask more questions of the experts.” The meeting provided an opportunity for partners to share knowledge, discuss best practices, and examine the potential of aquathermal energy in real-world scenarios. The project emphasises community involvement and aims to empower citizens to take an active role in shaping their energy future.
Sebastian Baes of EXTRAQT, an engineering consultancy based in Belgium and the technical partner for the AquaCOM project, said: “We believe that aquathermal energy has the potential to revolutionise how we heat our homes and buildings. “By working with these early adopter communities, we can demonstrate the practical benefits of this technology and pave the way for its wider adoption.” The AquaCOM project is funded by Interreg North West Europe with EU funding of over €3.
8m. The visit to Limerick is significant because during the trip, visitors saw several locations in Limerick that were identified as potential locations for producing aquathermal energy. AquaCOM aims to assist with achieving the EU 2030 and 2050 energy policy objectives of reducing dependence on fossil fuels and increasing the EU energy resilience.
Outputs include three pilot projects, 15 early adopter energy communities, master classes, site visits, a policy paper, advocacy actions and an AQE competence centre. The transnational approach combines the strengths and weaknesses of partner countries such as Ireland and France where aquathermal energy still occupies a niche space and Belgium, Ireland and Germany’s expertise in building energy community capacity..
