This report, authored by IEECP for the EU-funded project RE-WITCH, assesses the current regulatory landscape governing waste heat and industrial cooling technologies. It provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of standardization and EU policies relevant to RE-WITCH technologies.
As industries seek to lessen their dependence on traditional cooling systems that consume vast amounts of energy, the RE-WITCH project aims to demonstrate how integrating solar thermal energy and utilizing waste heat can power thermally driven sorption cooling across four key sectors: pulp and paper, brewing, food and drink, and biofuel production.
Aside from the technology development, the RE-WITCH project is also focused on promoting these innovative solutions by tackling the various challenges (technical and non-technical) that hinder their market adoption. An essential part of this is understanding the regulations and standards that guide these technologies, shaping market conditions. Standardization plays an important role in boosting innovation in the market; it acts as a bridge connecting cutting-edge research with real-world applications.
The report highlights the relevant product standards, technical committees, regulations and policy frameworks that currently exist for heating and cooling technologies. This includes a review of existing regulations impacting industrial cooling systems, best practices, product policies, and waste heat recovery initiatives. The report highlights guidelines and standards specifically relevant to thermally driven absorption and adsorption chillers, hybrid solutions, and solar thermal technologies. It also discusses EU policies and key reference documents affecting refrigeration systems for industrial cooling.
As RE-WITCH progresses, this research will form the foundation for future activities related to exploitation, business modelling, and ongoing standardization development, in addition to other activities related to aligning standards and developing policy recommendations for the successful market deployment of RE-WITCH technologies.
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