Page 12 - European Energy Innovation - Winter 2016 publication
P. 12
12 Winter 2016 European Energy Innovation
EU INTELLIGENT ENERGY
Rural areas in Europe are ideally on a harmonised methodology The information provided is resulting
placed to benefit from bioenergy to allow the cross border market from a review performed by Ricardo
generation. In these regions, local of biomethane and to establish Energy & Environment. It does not
economies are often dominated by ‘guarantees of origin’ and agreement necessarily reflect the opinion of
agriculture and forestry, offering an to exchange information on the European Union. The European
immediate supply of biomass for biomethane transactions in six Commission cannot be held responsible
energy generation. However, key countries: Austria, Denmark, France, for any use which may be made of the
stakeholders in local government Germany, Switzerland and the UK. information contained therein.
often have limited experience in
implementing local bioenergy In addition, 10 national biomethane
exploitation, and low visibility of the roadmaps and one pan-EU roadmap
financial and environmental benefits it were produced. The European
can bring. Biomethane Roadmap drew attention
to the potential of bio-methane at
The IEE II BioRegions project aimed to EU level with a vision to reach 18-20
support five rural areas in Europe to billion m3 of biomethane production
supply at least a third of their heating by 2030. This figure is estimated to
and electricity needs from local and represent about 3% of the European
sustainable biomass sources. During natural gas consumption and a
the project a range of workshops and minimum of 10% of the total gaseous
events were carried out, involving vehicle fuel consumption by 2030.
business owners, local government The EU roadmap received positive
decision makers and other local feedback from several policy makers
stakeholders to formulate a shared and European relevant organisations.
vision for bioenergy production in
the targeted regions. Study tours LONG LASTING IMPACT
to best practice regions in Sweden IEE II bioenergy projects have played
and Germany were organised to an important role in the development
demonstrate how similar areas have of bioenergy in Europe and continue
successfully supported bioenergy to influence the sector at present and
uptake. Policy makers were supported into the foreseeable future.
to develop regional action plans, which
resulted in the implementation of To find out more about the impacts
more than 20 bioenergy projects, with and achievements of IEE II bioenergy
a total installed capacity of 14 MW and projects, download the full report
another 18 energy efficiency projects “Review of bioenergy projects
that contribute to the bioenergy target implemented under IEE II” and
by reducing the energy demand. The the summary report “Impacts and
project also inspired other regions: achievements of bioenergy projects
over 130 additional regions expressed supported under the EU programme
interest in developing similar activities. IEE II” at the EASME website:
https://ec.europa.eu/easme/en/
Success story: facilitating the
international trade of biomethane in Since 2014, Horizon 2020, the
Europe common EU programme for Research
At European and national level, the and Innovation, supports actions for
GreenGasGrids project aimed to renewable energy market uptake,
increase the production and use including bioenergy. Several Horizon
of biomethane (from animal waste, 2020 projects are building up and
other waste materials and sustainable wide-spreading the successful results
biomass), for grid injection and as obtained in IEE II. For information on the
transport fuel, by removing non- bioenergy projects supported under
technical barriers and paving the way the Competitive Low-Carbon Energy
towards a European biomethane market. calls visit the INEA website: http://
ec.europa.eu/inea/en/horizon-2020/
The project achieved an agreement projects/funded-projects. l
www.europeanenergyinnovation.eu
