News and Events

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.

The SunHorizon project combines heat pump technologies with solar appliances in different technology packages. The goal is to unlock the potential for a mass-produced, easy-to-use and cost-effective custom solution for heating and cooling (H&C).

The Technology Packages (TPs) will be demonstrated in four geographical areas in 6 demo sites across Europe.

Deliverable 7.7 is confidential. It analyses people’s perceptions of heat pump and solar thermal integration as potential turnkey technologies of the new H&C sector and the consequent aspects that may limit the market entry of these technologies and how to overcome these possible barriers. In particular, these aspects are explored by the SunHorizon six technology providers, and from the internal and external points of view of the project.

The deliverable gathered information using a four-step approach:

• A literature review
• A review of previously submitted useful project deliverables
• A survey of the six projects’ technology providers
• A second survey of other consortium partners and external stakeholders

Most of the respondents to the second survey were not involved in the SunHorizon project, people with many years of experience and working in the energy consulting or equipment manufacturing sector.

Moreover, the main families of recognized standards for SunHorizon component technologies appear to be part of the groups of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the European Standard (EN). Regarding solar collectors and heat pumps, the main certification schemes are Solar and Heatpump KeyMark, while on the labeling side there are EU Ecolabel, Solergy label and A + label package.

Finally, the Report identified the main non-technical factors that can limit the entry of TPs into the market and how these limitations could be overcome through specific strategies.

Please, can find the other deliverables in the website section dedicated to them here.