BEIRUT (Enmaeya News) - December 16, 2025
The American University of Beirut (AUB) has launched the “STORM” project, a €2.7 million initiative aimed at advancing seasonal thermal energy storage across the Mediterranean region to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
Funded primarily by the European Union (€2.4 million), the project will pilot heating and cooling systems in Lebanon, Jordan, Italy, and Spain.
According to the National News Agency, AUB said the project is part of a transformative EU-backed effort under the Mediterranean Regional Cooperation Program, focusing on integrating advanced seasonal thermal storage technologies to lower fossil fuel use and emissions.
As the coordinating partner, AUB has gathered a consortium of seven partners from Lebanon, Cyprus, Jordan, Italy, and Spain to implement the project.
“STORM demonstrates how the Mediterranean’s abundant solar resources can be harnessed and stored efficiently to power flexible and climate-appropriate heating and cooling systems,” the university noted.
Heating and cooling account for over half of building energy use in the region, which heavily depends on expensive, polluting fossil fuels.
The project seeks to capture surplus solar heat during summer months and store it underground or in insulated tanks for reliable winter use, potentially cutting electricity bills and carbon footprints in homes, schools, public facilities, and tourist sites.
AUB will host one of three full-scale pilot sites on its Beirut campus, installing a thermal energy storage system to meet approximately 40% of the annual heating needs for the historic 2,500-square-meter Bliss Hall building.
Additional pilot sites include Palermo, Italy; Ajloun, Jordan; and Barcelona, Spain, each testing different climate and geological conditions with solar and hybrid thermal systems.
Through STORM, AUB and its partners intend to accelerate the transition to green energy, significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and support more resilient, sustainable communities across the Mediterranean.
