Irish National Roundtable: Perspectives on the Renewable Heating and Cooling Industry

Online, November 25, 2025 – The European Technology and Innovation Platform on Renewable Heating and Cooling (RHC-ETIP) hosted an engaging online national roundtable on renewable heating and cooling in Ireland, successfully bringing together stakeholders from Ireland in a lively discussion centred around the challenges and opportunities of the Irish renewable heating and cooling sector. The event, organised by EUREC, gathered sector-specific experts to discuss the status and future of RHC technologies in Ireland as well as industry representatives to showcase actual implementation efforts.

The event was moderated by Anna Spoden (EUREC), who opened the session with a brief overview of Ireland’s recent introduction of the Renewable Heat Obligation and its aims to reduce emissions and enhance security in Ireland’s heating sector.  Andrej Misech (EUREC) then presented the RHC-ETIP, its roles and responsibilities, and its tools, including the RHC Projects Database, the RHC Accelerator, and the repository of funding schemes to link research outcomes with market uptake. Before the first panel session, Andrew Campbell (SEAI – the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland) gave a short presentation on Ireland’s current energy emissions and the share of renewable energy in the Irish energy mix. In the first panel session, titled “RHC Technologies in Ireland: Status and Future,” the audience heard from Andrew Campbell (SEAI), Seán Finan (Irish Bioenergy Association), Rory Dunphy (Geothermal Association of Ireland), and Pauline O’Reilly (Irish District Energy Association). The speakers talked about the financial, political, and societal needs for their sectors, as well as the fact that Ireland’s lack of a historical heating sector provides an unexpected benefit in that there is no need for a complicated transition period. With the right networks (in district heating, for example), Ireland can quickly adapt to a renewable heating future. Additionally, the need for cooperation and collaboration was stressed, especially as many of the RHC technologies can be coupled together (e.g. district heating using geothermal sources and heat pumps, as well as thermal storage systems). 

The second panel on industry perspectives featured three presentations from company representatives. John O’Shea first presented Codema, Dublin’s energy agency, and the agency’s projects on district heating and thermal energy storage. Notably, Codema recently developed a standardised best practice approach for district heating in Ireland on behalf of SEAI, which includes a ‘How-to guide’ and feasibility study template. One of their studies on thermal storage also indicated that thermal energy storage can deliver 76% of Ireland’s 2030 flexibility target. Dr. Simon Todd then followed with a presentation on new renewable energy startup company Causeway Energies, which specialises in geothermal solutions coupled with heat pumps and thermal storage. Dr. Todd was additionally able to describe his role as a board advisor for Senergy Innovations, a startup focused on developing a breakthrough solar thermal panel manufactured from nano-composite polymers. Finally, Pauric McGearty presented ÉireVolt Energy, a new Irish company which installs renewable energy solutions to ensure energy-neutral homes in Ireland. The company specifically installs their own infrared panels for heating, as well as heat pumps and thermal storage solutions. 

The roundtable underscored the importance of technology partnership to tackle Ireland’s heating and cooling future – no single technology will dominate, but all are key components (and work well together) to the energy transition. Additionally, more collaboration is needed between renewable heating and cooling and the electricity sectors; each can help solve the other’s challenges.With strong collaboration between sectors and a young industry which is eager to meet the challenges of the market, the renewable heating and cooling industry in Ireland has a bright future. The recording of the webinar is available here.