News and Events

The D4.6 “SunHorizon Integrated Tool Manual” is a technical communication document. Indeed, it aims to give assistance to people on how to use some tools and how to use a product safely, effectively and efficiently, and also to create a better user experience.

This Integrated Tool Manual aims to provide a general description and a guide to the use of each tool developed in the SunHorizon project:

• iDashboard from iScan
• Proactive maintenance
• Design under uncertainty
• Feedback app
• Decision support tool
• Dashboard in EcoStruxure

A user manual consists of textual visual information (e.g., illustrations, screenshots, tables etc.) to assist the user in completing specific tasks. It contains both procedural information (step-by-step instructions) and conceptual information needed to understand how to approach, to use and to manage the tools and their related issues.

Looking at the structure of the instructional manual we can distinguish blocks and sections, each of them with its characteristics, communicative purposes and consequent complexity. Furthermore, each section explains the procedure to obtain the suggested correct use of the integrated tool.

The communicative intention of the manual is therefore to facilitate the relationship between the user and the Integrated Tool to get the user maximum satisfaction by taking advantage of its functionality. Indeed, the manual gives a series of instructions with the aim of suggesting a certain behaviour (which results in a series of actions) to obtain optimal functioning.

Feel free to read our Deliverable D4.6 – SunHorizon Integrated Tool Manual here.

You can find all our other deliverables in the sections dedicated “Project Public Reports“.

SunHorizon participated in the “Setmana de la Transició energètica” (Week of the Energy Transition), hosted by the Ajuntament de Sant Cugat in Spain from the 25th of October to the 26th of November 2022. In particular, on the 22nd of November, it was involved in the webinar “Projectes Europeus per a la transició energètica” (European Projects for the Energy Transition) – together with the GEOFIT Project.

The event showcases the importance of European projects to promote the Energy Transition. However, it also underlines the necessity of an organisation strategy to train the public authorities – in particular in small town, as Sant Cugat del Vallès.

The presentation of the event is downloadable here.

SunHorizon project aims to demonstrate innovative and reliable heat pump solutions properly coupled with advanced solar panels and thermal energy storage that can provide heating and cooling (H&C) to residential and tertiary buildings.

Specifically, the project designed and developed six different types of technologies:

• BoostHEAT Thermal Compression Heat Pump;
• FAHRENHEIT Adsorption Heat Pump;
• BDR Thermea Group Reversible Heat Pump;
• RATIOTHERM Enhanced Stratified Thermal Storage Tank
• DualSun Hybrid PV-T
• TVP Solar LT-POWER High Vacuum solar thermal panels

In general, the innovative heat pump technologies are combined with solar appliances in Technology Packages (TPs) to unlock the potential for a mass-customized, user-friendly and cost-effective solution for heating and cooling. TPs are demonstrated in real buildings in four geographically spread locations in the European Union:

1. Berlin and Nürnberg in Germany
2. Sant Cugat del Vallès and Madrid in Spain
3. Riga in Latvia
4. The deliverable has been based on the original Belgian demo site. However due to external difficulties, it has been substituted with the demo site in Cluj Napoca, Romania.

D7.4 is part of Work Package 7 (WP7) aimed at outlining innovative pathways for the rapid market replication of solar panels coupled with heat pumps. It also refers to the activities performed in Task 7.3 – ”Pre-feasibility studies in six virtual demonstrators all around Europe via SunHorizon Design Optimized Tool”. Task 7.3 aims to achieve the optimized design and building integration of SunHorizon H&C technologies. Furthermore, this is done by respecting the aesthetic restrictions of the buildings, maximizing the usage of RES and ensuring proper satisfaction of local H&C demand.

The Deliverable aims to present six Pre-feasibility studies of SunHorizon TPs focusing on virtual demonstrators – i.e. buildings of different typologies and located in different climate zones. The study considers a predesign and preliminary assessment of the SunHorizon TPs to evaluate the optimal configuration of SunHorizon innovative technology in six virtual demonstrators for their possible replicability in buildings other than the project pilot sites.

The application of SunHorizon TPs considers technical, legal and economic aspects (i.e., the feasibility of the installations). Partners of Task 7.3 were involved in the assessment of the three above-mentioned aspects. Specifically, CNR/ITAE, CARTIF and BDR for the technical aspects, VEOLIA for the economic aspects and the Ajuntament de Sant Cugat del Vallès for the legal aspects.

Technical activities are performed starting from the Tool developed by RINA-C in Work Package 4, Task 4.3 “Formulation and methods for optimal design under uncertainty of H&C components”. The tool was prepared and tested for both residential and non-residential buildings. In this deliverable, it is applied to the four TPs tested in the real SunHorizon demonstrators:

• TP1 and TP2 are meant for DHW and heating supply

• TP3 and TP4 for cooling, heating and domestic hot water supply

Structure of D7.4

The deliverable is structured as follows:

• Section 1 with the Introduction
• Section 2 describes the methodological approach
• Section 3 describes the DUU optimization Tool used for the simulations of the six demonstrator buildings
• Section 4 focuses on the pre-feasibility studies on the six virtual demonstrator buildings and specifically on:
  • Technical: input data, simulations outcomes from DUU Tool and an example of “design applying a safety factor”
  • Economic: Business Models
  • Legal: results from the EU legal online survey aspects
• Section 5 draws conclusions from the present deliverable

Feel free to read our Deliverable 7.4 – Pre-Feasibility Replication studies here.

You can find all our other deliverables in the sections dedicated “Project Public Reports“.

On the 5th and 6th of October 2022, SunHorizon consortium met in a hybrid way – both in Madrid (Spain) and online – for the M48 General Assembly, kindly hosted by our partner Empresa Municipal de la Viviendaa y Suelo de Madrid (EMVS).

In a General Assembly, the partners present what they implemented over the previous six months of the project, the difficulties encountered, and what are the next steps. For organisational reasons, the Assembly was divided as follows. The first day was about each work package and the visit to the Madrid demo site; while the second day was about each demo site.

We have a new Project Coordinator: Serena Scotton, with Nora Ganzinelli’s help, took over!

On the first day, each WP representative (except for the WP6) provided an update on the status of the WP and deliverables, as well as the next steps. In particular, the WP4 – Pillar 2: Functional Monitoring Platform and Optimization Tool leader presented the cloud-based monitoring platform: KPIs, tools and systems to optimize the design and the monitoring of the different components of the heating and cooling systems. After that, the Consortium had a workshop on the simulation tools, in particular about the demo and visualisation of different tools and their operation. The leader of WP5 – Pillar 3: Thermal Comfort and Monitoring Data Driven Control System is working on the integration of the overall SunHorizon control approach into the cloud-based monitoring platform and in defining guidelines for the integration of SunHorizon control loop with different TPs and validate its operation. 

After the presentation of each work package, the Consortium visited the Madrid demo site. It consists of a 10 flats social housing apartment block (1072 m²), envelope under retrofit.
Below you can see some photos of the building.

The second day was dedicated to WP6 – Demonstration at TRL7 and demonstration sites. WP6 aims to demonstrate the TRL7 and run the SunHorizon technologies in the demo sites. So each demo site leader showed a general update on their work. In particular, in Nuremberg, the installation has not started due to some problems. In Cluj Napoca, the involvement of the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca has started actively by February 2022. Saint Cugat and Madrid demo sites finalised the commissioning, so they already started collecting monitoring data.

You can find some photos of the General Assembly M48 below.

SunHorizon, together with SuperHomes2030, organised the “Ambition requires action: The sustainable housing revolution with heat pumps” webinar on the 27th of September 2022.

The webinar aims at putting heat pumps at the centre of the green, digital, cost-effective energy transition and industrial transformation. The European Commission’s REPowerEU plan builds on the ambitious heat pump targets it set out in March. Those targets require around 20 million heat pumps to be installed in the EU by 2026 and nearly 60 million by 2030.

Sustainable housing considers the design, construction, and operation of houses over their lifetime in three contexts: environmental sustainability, economic sustainability and social sustainability. In 2020, 7.4% of the EU population were unable to keep their home adequately warm. Among the EU Member States, this percentage ranged from 1.5 % in Austria to 27.5 % in Bulgaria. Expanding the use of heat pumps can play a vital role in the growth of sustainable housing in Europe.

Thomas Nowak, Secretary General of EHPA, started the webinar with an introduction about the importance of heat pumps in all buildings – commercial and residential applications, but also industrial & district heating ones. The market of heat pumps doubled in the last five years, from 1.1 m in 2017 to 2.2 m in 2022 (+34% from 2020 to 2021). Based on 17 million heat pumps installed, Thomas presented the environmental benefits of the installation of heat pumps (e.g. 45,9 Mt of CO2 savings, 170 TWh of renewable energy, etc).

Then, Nora Ganzinelli, Project manager & business developer in RINA Consulting, presented the SunHorizon project after an introduction on RINA Consulting. She presented the demosites in Riga (Latvia), Madrid and Sant Cugat del Vallès (Spain) – the last one together with the SunHorizon app.

The third speaker is Sofia Lettenbichler, European Public Affairs Officer in EIT InnoEnergy about the EIT InnoEnergy from the points of view of sustainable cities and buildings, and energy efficiency. Robyn P’Mara, Chief Marketing officer in Electric Ireland Superhomes, presented the SuperHomes2030 project. Finally, Daniel Carbonell, Team leader -Thermal systems & modelling in SPF-OST presented the TRI-HP Project (Trigeneration systems based on heat pumps with natural refrigerants and multiple renewable sources).

The presentation of the event is downloadable here.

Please, find the recording of the event here.

SunHorizon participated in the 10th edition of Sustainable Places, hosted by the City of Nice in France from the 6th to the 9th of September 2022.

A renewed commitment and call to action on climate and getting sustainability done closed the Sustainable Places 2022. Sustainability targets and climate change objectives cannot be met without addressing buildings and the built environment at the building, district, and urban scale including our transport and energy infrastructures. Renowned for showcasing results coming out of the EU Horizon 2020 Framework Programme via the participation of cutting-edge research and innovation projects, the scope of Sustainable Places is captured directly in its name. It involves designing, building and retrofitting the places we live and work in a more sustainable way.

In this context, renewable energy technologies for heating and cooling are safe, clean, efficient and increasingly cost-competitive. In its vision 2050 prospective document, the European Technology and Innovation Platform on Renewable Heating and Cooling – RHC ETIP – envisions that 100% renewable energy-based heating and cooling (100% RHC) in Europe is possible by 2050.

SunHorizon, together with other European-funded projects, has been part of Sustainable Places with the workshop “Renewable Heating and Cooling Solutions for Buildings and Industry”. It is related to the two previous RHC for Buildings and Industry Workshop at SP2020 and SP2021. Focused on the same topic which brought together a selection of H2020 EU-funded projects involving experts from biomass, geothermal, solar thermal and heat pump sectors to discuss a common strategy for increasing the use of renewable energy technologies for heating and cooling for buildings and industries. 

This has been a perfect occasion for projects to pitch their progress and achievements to date. Interactive discussion slots have been organised to identify possible synergies, cooperation on horizontal issues or potential joint dissemination activities to maximise expected impacts. 

In particular, SunHorizon participated in the session dedicated to demonstrating actions for RHC in buildings. The new SunHorizon Project Coordinator, Serena Scotton (RINA Consulting SpA), presented the project in general, followed by a panel discussion. Most of the questions raised were about the lessons learned were technical and also social related, e.g. the process of technology packages’ installation, the relation with the end-users and stakeholders and the post-project support to the end-users and the demo sites.

The presentation of the event is downloadable here.

All SP2022 presentations and recordings will be posted online on their respective web pages here.

Below you can find some photos taken during the presentation at the event.

“Ambition requires action: The Heat Pump Accelerator for RepowerEU” Heat Pump Forum 2022 puts heat pumps at the center of the green, digital, cost-effective energy transition and industrial transformation. Indeed, the European Commission’s REPowerEU plan builds on the ambitious heat pump targets it set out in March. Those targets require around 20 million heat pumps to be installed in the EU by 2026 and nearly 60 million by 2030.

Sustainable housing considers the design, construction, and operation of houses over their lifetime in three contexts: environmental sustainability, economic sustainability, and social sustainability. In 2020, 7.4% of the EU population were unable to keep their home adequately warm. Among the EU Member States, this percentage ranged from 1.5 % in Austria to 27.5 % in Bulgaria. Indeed, expanding the use of heat pumps can play a vital role in the growth of sustainable housing in Europe.

In particular, this event will present two projects that are flagship examples of the work toward sustainable housing:

• Superhomes2030 is a ‘one stop shop’ deep retrofit service for domestic homes in Ireland. It aims to dramatically scale this service over 3 years, increasing completed retrofits from 100 houses in 2019 (€6M) to 500 houses in 2023 (€36M).

• SunHorizon aims at deploying sun-coupled innovative heat pumps in the residential and tertiary sectors, supporting the decarbonization of the heating and cooling sector.

More information is available here.

Please, register here.

SunHorizon will participate at the Chillventa 2022, which takes place from 11 to 13 October in Nuremberg, Germany. Chillventa is one of the world’s leading trade forums with a focus on refrigeration technologies. Experts get to exchange on the latest innovations in the sector and share their knowledge on the development of the technology. The exhibition is also a unique opportunity to learn about refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pumps but also to network with business experts from around the world. And why not, also to discover more about the SunHorizon project!

No other trade fair worldwide can rival Chillventa for its comprehensive overview of refrigeration, AC, ventilation, and heat pump technology. Its distinctive focus and specialization, cutting-edge products, and high-calibre expertise make this leading exhibition a unique international gathering and a not-to-be-missed event for the sector. The key topics at Chillventa 2022 are the followings:

• Sustainability
• Energy performance of refrigeration systems
• Circular economy
• Indoor air quality
• Indirect cooling
• IT security

You can find us in hall 4A, at booths 402 and 301 together with the European Heat Pump Association and the German heat pump association BWP (Bundesverband Wärmepumpe)!

More information will follow. Stay tuned!

SunHorizon will partecipate at the European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) 2022 both in person and online!

The EUSEW is the biggest event dedicated to renewables and efficient energy use in Europe.It is organized by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy and the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). This year, EUSEW will take place in a hybrid format*, online and onsite in Brussels, on 26-30 September 2022 under the theme “Going green and digital for Europe’s energy transition”.

The EUSEW consists of a 4-day Policy Conference, the European Sustainable Energy Awards Ceremony, the Energy Fair, Energy Talks and the third European Youth Energy Day. Participants will also have access to independently organised Sustainable Energy Days, taking place online and physically around the world, from June to September 2022.

SunHorizon will participate thanks to the European Heat Pump Association (EHPA) online booth “Heat Pump Innovation Center” and RINA in-person booth.

More information will follow. Stay tuned!

For updates on the agenda and location of the events please refer to eusew.eu and @euenergyweek on social media.

*Due to the uncertainties linked to the current pandemic, this year’s edition is planned to have a hybrid format where participants and speakers can attend both onsite and online, with the possibility of reverting to a fully digital format if the conditions do not allow a physical presence at the event.

SunHorizon will participate at the Sustainable Places 2022, held as an hybrid event from 6th September to 9th September 2022. Nice, France is hosting the in-person sessions.

Sustainability targets and climate change objectives cannot be met without addressing buildings and the built environment at the building, district and urban scale to include our transport and energy infrastructures. Renowned for showcasing results coming out of the EU Horizon 2020 Framework Programme via the participation of cutting-edge research and innovation projects, the scope of Sustainable Places is captured directly in its name. It involves designing, building and retrofitting the places we live and work in a more sustainable way.

SunHorizon will be part of the hybrid workshop “RHC Solutions for Buildings and Industry – 3rd Edition” from 8:30 to 11:45 on Wednesday, 7th September.

Renewable energy technologies for heating and cooling are safe, clean, efficient and increasingly cost-competitive. In its vision 2050 prospective document, the European Technology and Innovation Platform on Renewable Heating and Cooling – RHC ETIP – envisions that 100% renewable energy-based heating and cooling (100% RHC) in Europe is possible by 2050.

This workshop is a continuation of the two previous RHC for Buildings and Industry Workshop at SP2020 and SP2021. The topic brought together a selection of H2020 EU-funded projects, involving experts from the biomass, geothermal, solar thermal, and heat pump sectors. It aims to discuss a common strategy to increase the use of renewable energy technologies for heating and cooling for buildings and industry. 

The event invites projects to pitch their progress and achievements to date. Interactive discussion slots will allow for opportunities to identify possible synergies, cooperation on horizontal issues, or potential joint dissemination activities to maximize expected impacts. 

More information available here.