The European Parliament recently adopted the eagerly awaited EU Directive on the Promotion of Renewable Energy Sources. The final compromise text recognises for the first time aerothermal and hydrothermal energy as sources of renewable energy under EU law.

The European Partnership for Energy and the Environment (EPEE), the voice of the heating, cooling and refrigeration industry in Europe, is delighted that the use of aerothermal energy (energy in the air) and hydrothermal energy (energy stored in water) will now be promoted as part of the new EU policy on renewable energy sources, reveals the entity’s press release. Geothermal, aerothermal and hydrothermal energy is currently exploited using heat pumps, which were recognised as such “renewable energy technologies” by the EU, alongside wind turbines and solar panels.