As coordinators of the IncentEU project, supported by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) under the LIFE Programme funding (GA No. 101215745), AIGUASOL actively participated in the II Congress of Urban Heating and Cooling Systems, organized by the ADHAC Association in Madrid. The gathering provided a strategic space to exchange first-hand insights into the current trends, technological shifts, and regulatory challenges shaping Spain’s District Heating and Cooling (DHC) landscape.
Accelerating Efficient DHC Investment Across Europe
The congress offered a key venue to showcase AIGUASOL’s lead role in driving the IncentEU initiative alongside an expert European consortium. Under this framework, AIGUASOL is collaborating directly with local authorities and sector stakeholders to draft 13 strategic investment plans (5 in Spain, 3 in Strasbourg, and 5 in Tallinn) to accelerate the deployment of efficient DHC networks across Europe, focusing on low-temperature renewable sources and waste heat.
To achieve this, AIGUASOL works alongside a multidisciplinary consortium of project partners, combining technical, financial, municipal, and research expertise:
- IREC – Leading the development of the general methodology and conducting demand and resource assessments.
- AMB, Strasbourg Eurométropole & Tallinn Municipality – Providing three regional case studies at different stages of DHC deployment, allowing for meaningful cross-country comparison and replication potential.
- EGIS Conseil, EnergyMentor and AIGUASOL – Serving as the technical partners, supporting system design, feasibility analysis, and implementation strategies.
- SEFA – Acting as the finance expert, responsible for financial modeling, capacity building, and dissemination of project results.
Aligning Policy, Local Planning, and National Goals
During the event, AIGUASOL engaged in key discussions with industry leaders and representatives from the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), specifically within the Deputy Directorate-General for Energy Efficiency and Energy Access. The exchange focused on aligning the evolving regulatory framework for DHC with local planning initiatives —such as the drafting of the Local Heating and Cooling Plan for the City of Madrid— exploring synergies and demonstrating how projects like IncentEU directly support Spain’s national roadmap for urban thermal decarbonization.
🔗 Discover the latest project updates on the official IncentEU website: https://www.sefaeu.org/incenteu
