NEWS & EVENTS

By the time WP1 is completed, the project is no longer dealing with an abstract idea. It has a validated concept, a clear understanding of its performance, and a solid foundation to move into design and construction.

HydroCool’s Work Package 1 has completed its initial design and assessment phase. This update summarizes the early-stage results, including Task 1.4, which focuses on the circularity and cost analysis that will shape the next phases of development.

On the Thursday September 25th, the consortium of the HydroCool project met at the Université Clermont Auvergne in the Maison de l’Innovation for the second General Assembly of the EU-funded HydroCool project.

Cooling has been part of human ingenuity for millennia—from windcatchers and ice houses to today’s supermarket chillers, hospital pharmacies, data centres and comfortable homes.

With AI driving global demand, data centre growth is expected to surge 19–22% annually through 2030. To keep up, the industry must double its infrastructure in under a quarter of the time it took since 2000—raising a critical question: can we scale without sacrificing sustainability?

The Earth is getting warmer… and so are many things that our lives depend on. Cooling already consumes about 20% of global electricity, and demand is expected to double by 2050. It also contributes to approximately 7.8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. We need to act, and sustainable cooling is part of the answer.

Cold plays an essential role in our modern lives, from the comfort of air-conditioned spaces during scorching summers to preserving food and medicine in refrigerators. But have you ever stopped to ask: can we create cold? Let’s explore the science behind this concept.

Tarragona, Spain – September 30, 2024 – The Sescelades Campus of Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) hosted the kick-off meeting of the HydroCool project.