CLUSTERING

The "2cool2waste Initiative"

The 2Cool2Waste initiative is a collaborative cluster of sister projects funded by the EU focused on advancing sustainable heating and cooling solutions across Europe. 

Within this cluster, we have established a group of sister projects working together on heating, and  that are committed to organizing joint events, producing policy briefings and newsletters, and fostering knowledge exchange to maximize impact. 

Key themes addressed include industrial waste heat recovery, electrification, thermal energy management, and real-world solutions that enhance energy efficiency in industry.

Find out more about SUSHEAT and its sister projects below: 

Logo of a cluster 2cool2waste
EETHOS logo with lowercase yellow “ee” and “ethos” text, a circular red-and-black globe-like icon integrated into the “o,” on a white background.

EEETHOS – Decarbonising Europe’s industry with high-temperature heat pump technologies.

EXQUISHEAT logo with three sweeping red and orange heat-wave arcs above the green text “EXQUISHEAT” on transparent background.

 EXQUISHEAT – Standardised Heat Pump Solutions for Sustainable Food Production.

A logo reading “GEOSYN” with a large orange circle replacing the “O,” surrounded by curved gray lines and small icons including a green leaf, a red-and-white shape, and a gray cloud.

GEOSYN – Enhancing industrial energy efficiency through steam high-temperature heat pumps and heat-powered cooling systems with operational flexibility and public trust.

A stylized logo with three overlapping geometric shapes in black, purple, and cyan, with the word “HEATWISE” in black beneath.

HEATWISE – Holistic Energy Management & Thermal Waste integrated system for Energy Optimization.

Purple circular logo with a stylized camera icon and three dots, followed by the text “HP SUBSCRIBE” in blue.

HP SUBSCRIBE – Up-scaling High-Quality Heat Pump Installations in Leased Buildings via a Subscription Model and Cost-Effective Market Incentives

HP4INDUSTRY logo with an orange text wordmark and a circular network of blue and orange nodes and lines forming a pattern around it.

HP4INDUSTRY – Accelerating the uptake of industrial heat pumps in the food & beverage, pulp & paper, and chemical sectors. The project focuses on developing standardised, replicable solutions for low- and medium-temperature processes, while addressing technical and market barriers to support industrial electrification and decarbonisation across Europe.

A grid logo of blue and gray squares arranged in rows, with a small gray circle and the text “HYCOOL-IT” underneath.

HYCOOL-IT – Hybrid Cooling & Management for IT infrastructures.

Circular green and white emblem with a blue caduceus-like symbol and an orange flame inside, surrounded by laurel branches and the text “I‑UPS” at the top.

I-UPS is an EU-funded project developing a first-of-a-kind, cost-effective high-temperature heat pump based on Stirling engine technology. Coupled with molten salts thermal storage, it aims to deliver decarbonized industrial heat while optimizing component performance, enhancing system flexibility, and achieving a low Levelized Cost of Heat.

Mooderator logo with stylized blue text reading “moderator” on a white background, plus a small vertical graphic of blue bars at the left.

MODERATOR – Immersion Cooling and Advanced Materials for Heat Recovery from Data Centers.

Push2Heat logo with a green triangular arrow icon and the text “Push2Heat” in bold green lettering.

Push2Heat – addressing the technical, economic, and regulatory barriers that prevent heat upgrading technologies to be widely deployed.

Logo with a red and blue stylized sunburst split by a vertical line, with the words “RE-WITCH” and the tagline “The coolest cold from the cleanest heat” beneath.

REWITCH – Delivering cost-competitive, game-changing solutions in the field of sustainable industrial cooling and heating.

Logo showing a green and orange leaf with a snow flake inside, next to the word “SEEDS” in large gray letters.

SEEDS – Cost-effective and replicable Renewable Energy Sources integrated electrified heating and cooling systems for improved energy efficiency and demand response.

Senergy nets logo with an orange and blue stylized power symbol and the words “SENERGY NETS” in blue on a transparent background.

Senergy Nets – Increase the Synergy among different Energy Networks.

Therminator logo with a circular red-and-blue swirl icon and the word “THERMINATOR” in bold blue uppercase letters.

The THERMINATOR project is developing an electro-thermal energy conversion ‘skin’ to convert waste heat into electricity. This low-profile technology integrates thermoacoustic and electrocaloric systems to achieve high power density and improve energy efficiency across various sectors, including buildings and vehicles, contributing to the EU Green Deal and net-zero goals.

THUNDER logo with a purple and blue stacked cube icon to the left and the word “THUNDER” in bold blue text to the right.

THUNDER – The THUNDER project aims to overcome existing barriers to the widespread adoption of data centre waste heat recovery strategies.

Logo reading “SPIRIT” with a stylized hexagon made of overlapping teal and gray shapes to the left.

SPIRIT – Fostering the decarbonisation of industry through high-temperature heat pumps.

Orange “SteamDry” logo with a stylized icon resembling a curved letter "S" ahead of the word “teamDry”.

SteamDry is developing superheated steam drying (SSD) to decarbonise and cut energy use in industrial drying, especially for paper, board and other web-based materials. By shifting from hot air to a closed-loop steam process with heat recovery and digital optimisation, SteamDry targets cleaner, more efficient, future-ready production.

Logo with a red-and-white circular emblem containing curved stripes, next to the word “SUSHEAT” in blue uppercase letters.

SUSHEAT will contribute to deep industrial decarbonisation by providing a thermal heat upgrade solution for factory processing.

Colorful circular logo made of flowing segments with the text “UP- FLEXH” beneath it.

UP-FLEXH – develops a flexible high-temperature energy system for industrial applications, delivering heat up to 400 °C, cooling, and power generation. By advancing high-temperature heat pump technology combined with thermal storage and solar integration, the project supports industrial decarbonisation and grid flexibility.

ZIMBA logo with stylized geometric shapes in orange, teal, and dark red forming letter "Z", featuring the text “IMBA” in bold teal letters.

The ZIMBA project is developing an ammonia/water Absorption Heat Transformer (AHT) to upgrade low-grade industrial waste heat into useful higher-temperature heat. Operating initially at 110°C and later targeting 130°C, the system aims to improve energy efficiency, reducing electricity demand and supporting the decarbonisation of industrial heat.

EU ProjectsClustering Events

Sustainable Places 2026

3 December 2026, 14:00 -15:30 CET Online

 SUSHEAT’s Dr. Iman Golpour from the Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia will join our sister projects STEAMDRY, RE-WITCH and SENERGY NETS at Sustainable Places 2026. The 2Cool2Waste cluster will host a stand and a workshop exploring how Life Cycle and Techno-economic Assessment can help advance the development and uptake of circular and low-carbon technologies. 

Come by the stand to meet us all and discover what the 2Cool2Waste cluster is working on!

Check the event out

From Prototype to Market

13 October 2026, 13:00 -15:00 CET Online

The 2cool2waste cluster of EU-funded projects is happy to invite you to an online event that will showcase real-world pilot results and waste heat to cold / high temperature / thermally-driven solutions. 

The projects have worked for months now and can share about live pilot data, manufactured prototypes, and demonstrators ready to showcase, with examples such as data centers, food and beverage industries, and many more.

REGISTER HERE

Webinar. The Future of Energy Efficiency

19 June 2026, Online

As part of the European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) 2026, the 2cool2waste cluster hosted a Webinar entitled “The Future of Energy Efficiency: Practical Solutions for Heat Recovery and Electrification”, which took place online on 19 June 2026 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM (CET).

Read Therminator's Report

Enlit Europe 2025: Sustaining Success of Industrial Heat Pumps - A Call for Action!

18 - 20 November 2025, Bilbao

The 2cool2 waste cluster hosted a stand at Enlit Europe 2026, co-hosted by SEEDS, SUSHEAT, RE-WITCH, SENERGY NETS and THUNDER projects, covering:

  • Waste heat recovery and reuse
  • Electrification of thermal systems
  • High-efficiency solutions for buildings and industry
  • A stronger voice for thermal energy innovation in Europe.
Listen to ENLIT's Podcast with 2Cool2Waste

1st 2cool2waste Cluster Webinar

2 October 2025, Online

The webinar took place on 14th of March 2024 and came a few months after the European Commission’s decision to postpone the Heat Pump Action Plan until after the EU elections, which are due to be held in June this year (2024). 

Policy support is the vessel through which we can achieve the decarbonisation of European industry, and a call to action is needed to restate that high-temperature heat pumps are one of the most valid means leading to energy savings and CO2 emissions reduction of industry.

Click for more info
Picture shows the title, time and date and partners participating in the webinar

Sustaining Success of Industrial Heat Pumps - A Call for Action!

14 March 2024, Online

The webinar took place on 14th of March 2024 and came a few months after the European Commission’s decision to postpone the Heat Pump Action Plan until after the EU elections, which are due to be held in June this year (2024). 

Policy support is the vessel through which we can achieve the decarbonisation of European industry, and a call to action is needed to restate that high-temperature heat pumps are one of the most valid means leading to energy savings and CO2 emissions reduction of industry.

Click for more info