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EU Energy Projects Podcast: How the 2Cool2Waste cluster is turning waste heat into an opportunity
EU Energy Projects Podcast: How the 2Cool2Waste cluster is turning waste heat into an opportunity
Areti Ntaradimou
Posted on: 3 December 2025
In this episode of the EU Energy Projects Podcast, I had the pleasure of welcoming Mohaddeseh Maktabifard and José Luis Corrales Ciganda, both representing the inspiring 2Cool2Waste cluster; an initiative uniting EU-funded projects that transform waste heat from an overlooked by-product into a practical, clean-energy resource.
The discussion opened with briefly explaining what SEEDS, the project she coordinates, is about. Her description was a reminder of how much innovation is happening behind the scenes in our buildings.
SEEDS pilots smart, cost-effective electrification solutions - hybrid heat pumps, building-integrated PV, advanced thermal and battery storage - across six European sites. One of the focus points of the project is replicability. Through digital toolboxes, business models, stakeholder engagement and open-protocol IoT platforms, SEEDS aims to make its results scalable and accessible for planners, engineers and municipalities across Europe.
José Luis then introduced the two projects he represents: Senergy Nets, which develops tools to optimise multi-energy systems, and RE-WITCH, which focuses on thermally driven cooling technologies using waste or renewable heat. Hearing him describe the project’s progress, from preliminary sector analysis to detailed engineering at four demo sites, made the scale and complexity of these solutions feel very real. Particularly fascinating is the hybrid absorption-compression heat pump now being prepared for testing at COVAP, a major agri-food cooperative in Spain. This system aims to halve steam consumption while delivering both hot and chilled water. A concrete example of innovation with direct industrial impact.
We also spoke about the importance of initiatives like 2Cool2Waste and their links to broader movements such as the New European Bauhaus and Built4People. Mohaddeseh highlighted how these frameworks help bring technological innovation closer to citizens and end users, while Jose Luis emphasised how crucial waste-heat recovery will be for industries seeking to decarbonize.
As we wrapped up, both guests shared messages for policymakers and industry. Their points were clear: embrace interoperability, support open systems, examine your processes, and don’t overlook the enormous potential of waste heat. Solutions exist and projects like SEEDS, RE-WITCH, and Senergy Nets are building them right now.
Listen to previous episodes:
EU Energy Projects Podcast: Cross-border collaboration with THUNDER and SUSHEAT
