Cooling Down Day – Tackling the Cooling Demand for Urban Heat Islands, Grids and Data Centers
The COOLING DOWN DAY was held in Brussels on 3 April 2025 in the framework of the Cooling Down project, and brought together leading experts to discuss the policies, technologies, and business models shaping the future of cooling in Europe.
This event highlighted how solutions based on renewable sources — such as geothermal and solar thermal — can make cooling more accessible while mitigating urban heat island effects.
Programme
9:00 – 9:30 am CET
- Registration and Welcome Coffee
9:30 – 10:45 am CET
- Welcome & Introduction – Philippe Dumas, Secretary General, EGEC
- Session 1 | A Rising Cooling Demand
- Moderated by Philippe Dumas, Secretary General, EGEC
- Clean transition in cooling – Madis Laaniste, DG Energy, European Commission
- Impact of cooling on electricity demand and infrastructures – Isabella Nardini, Manager of International Affairs – Transfer and Strategy Development, Fraunhofer IEG
- Policy Recommendations and Good Practices – Valérie Séjourné, Managing Director, Solar Heat Europe
- Recommendations to address barriers to the uptake of relevant renewable and efficient cooling solutions – Emil Martini, Policy & Market Adviser, EGEC
From left to right: Emil Martini (Policy & Market Adviser, EGEC), Madis Laaniste (DG Energy, European Commission), Valérie Séjourné (Managing Director, Solar Heat Europe), Isabella Nardini (Manager of International Affairs – Transfer and Strategy Development, Fraunhofer IEG) & Philippe Dumas (Secretary General, EGEC).
10:45 – 11:15 CET
- Coffee Break
11:15 – 12:30 am CET
- Session 2 | Supply Affordable Cooling
- Moderated by Valérie Séjourné, Managing Director, Solar Heat Europe
- Mapping of state-of-the-art cooling systems – Reuven Paitazoglou, Scientific Researcher, Fraunhofer IEG
- Assessment and projection of the cooling demand – Mattia Chinello, Energy Engineer, RED srl
- Renewable and efficient solutions for cooling in the different climatic conditions across Europe – Professor Michele De Carli, University of Padova
- Powering through the heat: How 2024 heatwaves reshaped electricity demand – Kostantsa Rangelova, Global Electricity Analyst, EMBER
12:30 – 13:30 CET
- Lunch Break
13:30 – 14:30 CET
- Session 3 | Business Models to Answer the Challenges
- Moderated by Uli Jakob, Managing Director, Dr. Jakob Energy Research
- Innovative Business Models: Unlocking New Opportunities in Renewable Cooling – Benjamin Hueber, Dr. Jakob Energy Research
- Ensuring thermal comfort in our homes, offices, schools and public buildings – Simon Pezzutto (EURAC) & Adrienn Gelesz (ABUD), Cool Life Project
- The competitiveness of renewable cooling solutions – Virginie Schmidle-Bloch, Secretary General, French Association of Geothermal Professionals (AFPG)
From left to right: Simon Pezzutto & Adrienn Gelesz (Cool Life Project), Benjamin Hueber (Dr. Jakob Energy Research), Virginie Schmidle-Bloch (Secretary General, AFPG – French Association of Geothermal Professionals) & Uli Jakob (Managing Director, Dr. Jakob Energy Research).
14:30 – 14:50 CET
- Coffee Break
14:50 – 15:50
- Session 4 | Cooling Our Cities
- Moderated by Miklos Antics, EGEC Board President
- Renewable Cooling Integration based on SITE to integrate renewable cooling technologies into SECAPs – Professor Javier F. Urchueguia, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia
- Cooling our cities: Focus on urban planning in Brussels – Antoine Crahay, Managing Partner, CityTools
- EU cities and heat extremes – Silvia Iodice, Urban Analyst and Researcher, Joint Research Centre (JRC)
15:50 – 16:00
- Conclusions
- Philippe Dumas, EGEC Secretary
COOLING DOWN Project
COOLING DOWN seeks to propose a vision for a renewable cooling sector in Europe in the coming decades, and issue policy recommendations and proposals to achieve it. Beyond the technological, economic, and social trends to be assessed through research, expert consultations and modelling, the COOLING DOWN project will also be seeking to address the contribution of renewable cooling technologies to climate change adaptation with a specific focus on the mitigation of the urban heat island effect. The COOLING DOWN project has received funding from the European Union under grant agreement 101077140 — LIFE21-CET-COOLING-COOLING DOWN. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
