SO WHAT

Project Summary

The main objective of SO WHAT is to develop and demonstrate a market-ready, integrated software that will support industries and energy utilities in selecting, simulating and comparing alternative Waste Heat and Waste Cold (WH/C) exploitation technologies. The tool will help determine how to cost-effectively balance the local forecasted heating and cooling demand, while also taking into account RES integration. 

The SO WHAT integrated tool will be designed to support industries and energy utilities in:

1. Auditing the industrial process to understand where WH/WC could be valorised 
2. Mapping the potential of locally available RES sources to be integrated with WH/WC potential 
3. Mapping the local forecasted demand for heating and cooling 
4. Defining and simulating alternative cost-effective scenarios based on WH/WC technologies, also leveraging RES introduction 
5. Evaluating the impacts (in terms of energetic, economic and environmental KPIs) that the adoption of the new scenarios will generate against the current situation (baseline), both at industrial and local level 
6. Promoting innovative contractual arrangements and financing models to guarantee economically viable solutions and less risky investments

To achieve this, SO WHAT will capitalize on existing tools and knowledge from previous research experiences (REEMAIN, PLANHEAT, REUSEHEAT, CELSIUS) and the expertise of 11 industrial validation sites from different sectors (petrochemical, chemical, metallurgic, food, etc.) to validate the tool and provide relevant insights for its development. 

The SO WHAT tool will be built following a participatory approach involving both National clusters from Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Sweden and Romania (composed of local industries, public authorities/energy agencies, energy utilities/ESCOs) as well as external stakeholders from the very beginning of the development. This will facilitate a wide, clear and structured promotion of WH/C, which will be supported by a robust training campaign and policy oriented dissemination actions.

IES' Role

IES will serve as Technical Coordinator for the project, as well as the main lead, specifier and developer in creating the market ready SO WHAT tool, using the existing REEMAIN tool as a starting point.

Test Sites

• Maia, Portugal
• Olen, Belgium
• Goteborg, Sweden
• Verberg, Sweden
• Antwerp, Belgium
• Willebroek, Belgium
• Pessione, Italy
• Middlesbrough, UK
• Navodari, Romania
• Constanta, Romania
• Navia, Spain