Worldwide Data centers (DC) are estimated to account for 1 to 2% of electricity usage. Regarding the European context, it is expected that data centres will account for 98.5 TWh/year in 2030. So it is evident that there is an important potential to recover waste heat from the cooling processes of DCs. The THUNDER project aims to overcome existing barriers hampering a wide adoption of DCs waste heat recovery strategies, providing an innovative, efficient and cost attractive Seasonal Thermal storage based on Thermochemical Materials. THUNDER solutions stretch across the value chain (data centre innovative storage providers, heat pump manufacturers and district energy company operators). The THUNDER solutions will be validated in field conditions at the Demosite in Bulgaria where the practice of WHR from DC is not widely diffused thus boosting the market also in those areas. Deepened replicability assessment will be done and pre-feasibility analysis developed in 10 further Demosites across all over Europe. Co-design and training workshops will be organized at the replicability identified sites to promote stakeholders engagement and social awareness thus unlocking barriers and make it real THUNDER replication.

The main objective of REHOUSE is to develop and demonstrate 8 renovation packages of promising technology innovations until TRL7. The renovation packages are fully designed for a wide range of building renovation actions, including deep renovations, that overcome the main barriers that slow down the current EU renovation ratios, following circularity principles, including multi-functionality through active/passive elements integration, prefabrication and off-site construction of components and respect of buildings aesthetics, architectural and historic value. REHOUSE also implements an inclusive people-centric social engagement strategy to endow the renovation wave with a resident and owner perspective towards affordability, satisfaction and attractiveness of sustainable renovation. The renovation packages will be deployed across 4 locations serving as demonstrators located in Greece, Italy, France and Hungary. These buildings renovations include detailed design, pilot set-up, demonstration and evaluation to validate in operational conditions (social) the prototypes of the 8 renovation packages. REHOUSE proposes solutions that cover together a set of 5 renovation principles offering technically and economically affordable renovation solutions with enough flexibility to tackle almost 100 % of the building renovation challenges at EU level. The aim is to boost market uptake, scalability and replicability of REHOUSE renovation packages, linking its value proposition with critical economic, technical, social, regulatory and data security/protection aspects and barriers and propose practical recommendations on how to overcome them.