More than 100 participants joined the WaterWarmth Live event, On the Way to Sustainable Heating, in Antwerp on 26 May to explore the future of renewable heat in Europe.
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With a strong focus on aquathermal energy, the event provided an important platform for discussing the substantial, still untapped potential of this sustainable, local district heating solution. Many European communities are located close to rivers, canals, wastewater systems, and other water infrastructure, making water-based heat sources a promising part of the transition to fossil-free heating.
The discussions underlined the need for technical demonstrations, stronger awareness, policy support, and greater project visibility to help accelerate the development of these local and sustainable solutions.
One of the sessions was moderated by Hanne Kortegaard Støchkel, DBDH, and Michiel de Wit. The session highlighted valuable lessons learned from the CONFIDENCE project, in which DBDH works with Dutch municipalities in the Province of Fryslân to support the implementation of district heating and to build confidence and broader public support for sustainable heating solutions.
The case of Bolsward in Fryslân was also presented as an example of how water-based heat sources can be integrated into both the technical design and an affordable business case. In Bolsward, cleaned wastewater is being considered as a local heat source.
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