by Cliò E. Agrapidis, PhD
On October 2, 2025, the Horizon Europe cluster initiative 2cool2waste hosted its first public webinar:
“Boosting Energy Efficiency in Industry: Proven Solutions & Real Business Cases.”
This 90-minute session brought together 15 cutting-edge Horizon Europe projects working toward a common goal: accelerating Europe’s industrial decarbonisation. From renewable integration to advanced thermal management, the event showcased a portfolio of solutions ready to make a tangible impact on Europe’s green transition.
Why This Webinar Matters
Industry remains one of the largest energy consumers and carbon emitters in Europe. Improving energy efficiency is not just an environmental imperative—it’s a strategic necessity for competitiveness, cost reduction, and resilience.
The webinar demonstrated that the technologies exist. What’s needed now is policy alignment, investment in scale-up, and cross-sector collaboration to bring these innovations to market.
SUSHEAT’s Vision: Stable, On-Demand Heat for a Decarbonised Industry
Among the projects featured, SUSHEAT presented its groundbreaking approach to industrial heating. The project aims to deliver a thermal heat upgrade solution for factory processing that provides stable, on-demand heat—fully decoupled from waste heat recovery and renewable availability.
This innovation addresses a critical challenge: industries often depend on intermittent energy sources or waste heat streams, which limits flexibility. SUSHEAT’s solution ensures:
- Deep decarbonisation by reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
- Operational flexibility, with heat available when needed—not just when waste heat or renewables are present.
- Economic benefits, including lower energy costs and reduced need for carbon credits.
- As Associate Professor Ruben Barbero Fresno, SUSHEAT’s coordinator, explained during the webinar:
“The energy transition is not just a technical challenge—it’s a systemic one. We need alignment across technology, regulation, and market incentives to make sustainable heating the norm in European industry.”
SUSHEAT is now entering a critical pilot phase, validating its technology in real industrial environments and engaging with policymakers to ensure supportive frameworks for adoption.
A Collaborative Effort: The Strength of the 2cool2waste Cluster
The 2cool2waste cluster is more than a collection of projects—it’s a collaborative ecosystem. Each project contributes a unique piece to the energy efficiency puzzle:
- GEOSYN: Focused on geothermal-solar hybrid systems for industrial heating.
- HEATWISE: Developing smart heat recovery systems using AI and predictive analytics.
- HyCool-IT EU Project: Exploring hybrid cooling and heating systems for process industries.
- Moderator Project: Investigating modular thermal storage for flexible energy use.
- Push2Heat: Pioneering high-temperature heat pumps for waste heat valorization.
- RE-WITCH: Working on waste heat integration into chemical processes.
- SEEDS EU Project: Designing energy-efficient drying systems for agro-industrial applications.
- SENERGY NETS: Building smart thermal networks for industrial parks.
- SPIRIT Horizon Europe Project: Creating intelligent control systems for thermal energy flows.
- THUNDER: Developing ultra-efficient heat exchangers for industrial use.
Together with SUSHEAT, these initiatives form a complementary portfolio of solutions designed to meet diverse industrial needs. This collaborative approach ensures that Europe can deploy integrated, scalable strategies for decarbonisation.
Key Takeaways from the Webinar
The event highlighted three critical messages:
- Proven technologies exist—and they are ready for deployment.
- Collaboration is essential—between projects, policymakers, and industry.
- Action is urgent—to meet Europe’s climate targets and maintain industrial competitiveness.
The diversity of solutions presented—from sector-specific innovations to cross-cutting technologies—underscored the value of the cluster model in addressing complex energy challenges.
What’s Next for SUSHEAT and the Cluster
For SUSHEAT, the next steps include:
- Pilot testing and validation in real industrial
- Engagement with policymakers to remove regulatory barriers.
- Knowledge sharing through upcoming cluster events.
The cluster will continue to organize joint activities, ensuring that stakeholders have access to the latest developments and opportunities for collaboration.
Join the Movement
Be part of Europe’s industrial energy transition:
✅ Follow the 2cool2waste Cluster on LinkedIn
✅ Follow SUSHEAT on LinkedIn
✅ Subscribe to the SUSHEAT Newsletter
Together, we can turn ambition into action and make sustainable heating the new standard for European industry.
Re-Watch the Webinar