French company that turns heat waste into cooling named among finalists of 2026 European Sustainable Energy Awards 

A French company is using mobile thermal batteries to capture waste heat from one place, store it and deliver it as cooling or heating to another. In response to the rising cooling demand across Europe, Water Horizon proposes a Cooling-as-a-Service offer where customers are able to reduce energy consumption and emissions without needing to invest in equipment. This way, the company has developed a scalable and replicable business model. 

In Toulouse, for example, Water Horizon recovers 6 GWh per year of waste heat from a waste treatment centre, delivering it 15 km away to the Alex Jany swimming and ice rink centre, where the captured energy is used to heat the pool and cool the ice rink. This service helps to avoid 1 400 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. In La Rochelle, energy captured from a waste treatment plant will be used to provide cooling at the nearby fishing harbour, which handles 2 000 tonnes of fish per year. The effort saves 3 000 tonnes in CO2 emissions each year, equivalent to the carbon footprint of more than 11 000 return Paris-Lisbon flights*. 

Cooling is one of the fastest-growing sources of energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for 20% of global electricity use and 7.5% of CO₂ emissions, explains Jean-Emmanuel Faure, founder and CEO of Water Horizon, adding that most cooling needs are still met using expensive, energy-intensive chillers that use harmful refrigerants. 

“We deliver the right amount of clean thermal energy exactly where and when it is needed. Our solution operates with no refrigerant fluids and uses minimal electricity. This mobility and efficiency, combined with clear economic and environmental benefits, make adoption much easier and faster for our clients,” says Faure. 

“By transforming cooling into a simple, sustainable and performance-based service, this model removes structural market barriers and enables access to energy efficiency solutions that have so far remained difficult to deploy.” 

The project originated from a simple observation, that, every day, large amounts of industrial heat are released into the air without being used. “We saw the opportunity to transform this untapped resource into a flexible form of renewable energy,” Faure explains. 

He adds that EU support via the Innovation Fund played a decisive role in de-risking the innovation and turning the idea into reality. “It enabled us to move from an early 10 KW prototype to a fully operational 1 MW industrial demonstrator in 24 months, accelerating its development and validating the concept under real conditions.” 

He adds that in terms of scaling potential, the impact is significant: “Deployed across 100 similar sites, the model will enable annual emissions reductions of approximately 140 000 tonnes of CO₂, strongly contributing to the European Clean Industrial Deal and the decarbonisation of industry.” 

The company is actively working on the large-scale industrialisation of the thermal battery to enable rapid deployment. The next step is the development and construction of Water Horizon’s manufacturing plant enabling increased battery production to significantly accelerate industrial decarbonisation in France and across Europe. 

Water Horizon is one of three finalists shortlisted for the European Sustainable Energy Awards 2026 in the SMEs Driving Energy Efficiency category. The award recognises Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) that have developed and deployed innovative business or financing models to advance energy efficiency solutions, notably in buildings and industry.  

The other finalists in this category are the RE-LEAF project in Belgium and Ener2Crowd in Italy. RE-LEAF is pioneering an innovative approach to tackling energy poverty by linking mortgage finance with renovation advice. Ener2Crowd is an innovative crowdfunding platform raising millions of euros in investments for energy efficiency projects in buildings and industry.  

The winner will be chosen through an online public vote, which is open from now until 31 May, and will be announced at an awards ceremony in Brussels on 9 June 2026. 

EUSEW Awards ​celebrate Europe’s best clean energy projects and leaders  

The European Sustainable Energy Awards ​(EUSEW Awards) recognise outstanding individuals, projects and initiatives that advance Europe’s transition to clean energy. The nine finalists have been selected by a high-level jury in three categories: SMEs Driving Energy Efficiency, Local Energy Action, and Women in Energy. The finalists will be submitted to an online public vote, which is open now until 31 May, and the winners will be announced during the EUSEW Awards Ceremony on 9 June 2026. ​   

EUSEW 2026  

The European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) is the biggest annual event dedicated to renewables and efficient energy use in Europe and is organised by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy and the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). The 20th edition of EUSEW will take place in a hybrid format, onsite in Brussels and online, on 9-11 June 2026. The European Sustainable Energy Week consists of a three-day Policy Conference, the European Sustainable Energy Awards Ceremony, the Energy Fair and the activities dedicated to the Young Energy Ambassadors. Participants will also have access to independently organised Sustainable Energy Days, taking place in online and physical formats worldwide, and this call is open till 24 May. 

For updates on the agenda and location of the events, please refer to ec.europa.eu/eusew and the new European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) page on Linkedin. Join the conversation any time on social media via #EUSEW2026. 

*Source: https://www.icao.int/environmental-protection/environmental-tools/icec