Aquathermal Energy Tracker

Aquathermal energy (AQE) is a sustainable process of heating and cooling using water. It involves the extraction of heat and cold from surface water and can play a major role in the energy transition.

The AquaCOM project, under the EU Interreg NWE programme, has assessed the state of the art of AQE in five countries of North-West Europe (i.e. Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, and the Netherlands), providing insights into progress across policies, regulation, finance, stakeholder engagement, and project development per country.

The AquaCOM AQE Tracker provides a comparative overview of national efforts to create supportive conditions for the deployment of aquathermal technologies. Its primary aim is to highlight progress in key areas such as national policies and regulatory frameworks, financial support structures, permitting processes, stakeholder and public engagement, ongoing project developments, and future potential for integrating AQE.

A modified traffic light grading system is used to provide a clear summary of each country’s level of advancement in supporting and integrating AQE into national energy systems and policies. For each country, the Tracker offers an overall qualitative assessment of its approach to AQE, along with evaluations across each of the key categories.

Learn more about the the methodology used to develop the tracker.