An innovative European project, AquaCOM, led by Ballyhoura Development CLG and aimed at exploring the viability of aquathermal energy as a heat source alternative to fossil fuels, recently held the first day of its transnational partner meeting in Croom, Ireland.

The project is exploring the potential of aquathermal energy – heating homes and buildings using heat from water sources like rivers and lakes to help communities reduce their dependence on fossil fuels, helping accelerate a citizen led just transition.

The project is engaging with 12 early adopter groups across Ireland, Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands. The Croom Sustainable Energy Community is one of these Early Adopter groups and hosted the AquaCOM project partners on the first day of their transnational partner trip to Ireland. The partners met with 3 other Irish Early Adopter groups, Glenstal Abbey, Synergy Fermoy and Kylemore Abbey.

“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 transnational meeting provided a valuable opportunity for partners to share knowledge, best practices, and evaluate the practical application of aquathermal energy in real-world settings. The primary aim of AquaCOM is to demonstrate that aquathermal energy can be adopted on a broad scale, reducing fossil fuel reliance and facilitating a just, community-driven energy transition.

The project emphasises community involvement and aims to empower citizens to take an active role in shaping their energy future.

“We believe that aquathermal energy has the potential to revolutionise how we heat our homes and buildings,” said Sebastian Baes of EXTRAQT, an engineering consultancy based in Belgium and the technical partner for the AquaCOM project. “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, supporting cross-border collaboration in developing sustainable energy solutions.

Visit AquaCOM Project Website