Page 48 - European Energy Innovation - summer 2019 publication

48 Summer 2019 European Energy Innovation

COMMUNICATION

The EPOS project develops a simple and single management tool for exploring
industrial symbiosis (IS) across process sectors. A wide range of technology
and management solutions is proposed for supporting collaboration between
sectors, by making industrial sites more efficient, cost-effective, competitive
and sustainable.

From the start of the project, the consortium has The case of heat recovery from an EPOS steel site feeding
challenged its process industry sites to get to know the Dunkirk district heating network (FR) serves as a
nearby companies from other sectors and understand textbook example of symbiosis. It points to the success
their plants, operations, site streams and management. factors driving over 30 years of operation on which the
Meanwhile, new ways of doing cross-sectorial business database of technical and non-technical indicators for the
are introduced and tested, always starting from a sound EPOS toolbox is built.
industrial pragmatism.
The new cross-sector IS cases at the Hull (UK) and Lavera
The UGent cluster management surveys map current and (FR) industrial clusters have supported the EPOS toolbox
potential cross-sectorial IS cases. The prioritisation of IS development. The findings were used to challenge the
opportunities from the longlist has initiated early IS deals metrics, system settings, functionalities and operating
within the EPOS clusters, inspiring generic business cases modes of the EPOS platform. Modelled and integrated
with IS potential for process industry clusters across into the toolbox is also a selection of more than 25
Europe. IS-supporting technologies. And not at least, the multi-
objective optimisation function of the EPOS toolbox
embeds sustainability and economic parameters that
allow for the calculation of triple bottom line gains for a
given set of IS solutions.

more cost-effective The EPOS User Club grants access to the EPOS toolbox
and shares all guidance material on using the toolbox and
investing in IS (manuals, background information, generic
cases, etc.). l

Contact information

Coordinator: Greet Van Eetvelde
Email: info@project-epos.eu
Website: www.spire2030.eu/epos

more competitive more sustainable

In parallel, after completing detailed energy studies This project has received
on the EPOS sites using the EPFL energy optimisation funding from the European
platform Osmose and merging with the survey findings, Union’s Horizon 2020 research
the shareable streams are mapped, and virtual sector and innovation programme
profiles built. These profiles are an open-innovative way to under grant agreement No 679386. This work
share industrial information from industries by simulating was supported by the Swiss State Secretariat for
typical operating modes of a given industry sector. They Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) under
enable a systems approach and are an essential part of contract number 15.0217
the toolbox.

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