Field Visit in Serres Highlights Potential for District Heating with Waste Heat Recovery

On 19 October 2024, our partners from Electra Energy Cooperative conducted a field visit to Serres, Greece, to explore opportunities for future collaborations on district heating systems, with a focus on potential waste heat recovery integration.

The visit, hosted by the Municipality of Irakleia Serres and the Hellenic Survey of Geology & Mineral Exploration (H.S.G.M.E. / ΕΑΓΜΕ), included site visits to geothermal drilling facilities and discussions with local stakeholders, including municipal authorities and residents. The objective was to better understand the region’s geothermal resources and assess how they could support a community-led district heating system — a model that could serve as a potential application area for MODERATOR's waste heat reuse technologies.

This initiative is closely aligned with Deliverable D6.1 of MODERATOR "Report on potential end users mapping". The case of Serres offers a promising example of how municipalities, energy communities, and local industries can collaboratively develop heating solutions that combine renewable energy sources and waste heat recovery to meet local energy needs.

Beyond the technical insights, the visit also highlighted the enthusiasm and long-standing commitment of local actors to realising Greece’s first collective and community-driven geothermal district heating system. Electra Energy Cooperative will continue supporting the development of this vision by contributing expertise in community engagement, social impact methodology, and system design from within the MODERATOR project framework.

By connecting innovative technologies with local ambition, MODERATOR supports a just and sustainable energy transition rooted in real-world applications.