The conference attracted a number of distinguished speakers, including: 

• Romana JORDAN CIZELJ - MEP, Member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy
• Giulio VOLPI – DG Energy, Renewable Energy Policy: The importance of regions in energy planning
• Brian MEANEY - Committee of Regions Rapporteur on biomass

Emilio FONT DE MORA - Project Officer, Executive Agency for Competitiveness & Innovation (EACI) Speakers and members of the consortium for these projects explored the biomass energy register, the methodology for biomass and heat demand assessment, the BIOPOLE tool, the methodology for estimating biomass potentials and technical potentials as energy sources, and local actions for the development and production of energy from biomass. All methods were showcased thanks to the practical experience from these EU regions. The conference brought together representatives from EU institutions, national and regional administrations, research and industry, and NGOs. The conference was the meeting place for all those who have a stake in bioenergy.

The individual projects were:

The BEn project

BEn - Biomass energy register for sustainable site development for European regions

http://www.ben-project.eu

“The biomass energy register as planning and communication tool” 

The local bioenergy actions in the four BEn model regions were reviewed:&nb

• Partner Umbria presented online guides & actions (CRB)
• Partner ELR presented online master plan & actions (WiN)
• Partner presented online Network & actions (RDI) 15
• Partner PGW presented online master plan & actions (IETU) 15

The BioEnerGIS project

BioEnerGIS - GIS-based decision support system aimed at a sustainable energetic exploitation of biomass at regional level

http://www.bioenergis.eu 

• “Biomass and heat-demand assessment: methodology and results
• “BIOPOLE: a web GIS-based DSS for planning biomass energy exploitation”

The MAKE-IT-BE project

MAKE-IT-BE – Decision-making and implementation tools for delivery of local and regional bio-energy chains

http://www.makeitbe.eu  

• “Methodology for estimating biomass potentials and potential technical availability as energy sources”
• “Local actions for development/production of energy from biomass” The event demonstrated that various ideas had been accumulated and that these will make possible fruitful developments

The results and conclusions will be presented in the joint conference “Bioenergy planning in European regions” on 5th Ocotber 2011 in Brussel. The conference will bring together representatives from the EU institutions, national and regional administrations, NGOs and stakeholders to discuss practical experience from European regions in defining

• methodologies for biomass potential and heat-demand assessments, and
• tools and local actions for development of production of energy from biomass.

The efforts of the European Union in promoting the use of bioenergy will be presented by several distinguished speakers.

• Romana Jordan Cizelj - MEP - Member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy
  
• Emilio Font de Mora - Project Officer - Executive Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation (EACI)
  
• Peter Vadasz - Major of Güssing, the Austrian

During the conference, participants are invited to test the biomass geographic information system and other online tools that support bioenergy planning in the regions.

We look forward to welcome you.

The presentation of the work performed by all partners showed different results since the initial situation in the respective regions varied.

In Poland great weight was placed on the basic work on economic utilization of biomass, lobby activities among decision-makers, establishing the network and setting up information platforms for potential players.

In northeast England, by contrast, the focus was on fusion of regional, municipal and private initiatives concerning the British Biomass Energy Model Region and development of a sustainable biomass supply chain.

In ltaly – predominantly characterized by agriculture – improvement of investment support was urged through the energy plan (PER) and the plan for development of the rural region and the structure of information platforms for SMEs was improved. Pilot plants for biogas production for small and medium-sized farms were built up as the partners were able to see for themselves during a visit.

In Germany a significant increase in the installed power has already been noted since the beginning of the project due to the initiation of biomass facilities. More environmentally friendly and economical alternatives were pointed out on the basis of new cultivation methods and new types of crops (wild plants).

Tapping additional sources of energy by generating biomass on brownfield sites as well as surveys regarding further energy sinks will complement holistic, ecological use of biomass in the region.

At this juncture a word of thanks is most certainly due to the partner organization in Italy. Its selection of the site, the atmosphere prevailing there and the excellent organizational work all laid the basis for a successful meeting.

Providing the background for the seventh BEn team project meeting was the town of Pszczyna, south of Katowice. This settlement was founded in the Middle Ages, has experienced many changes of rulers, and has developed to become the center of the largely agricultural region in which it is located. The late Baroque townscape and the impressive castle have been restored. This setting offered an atmosphere that helped the BEn project team achieve the goals set for this meeting.

Major milestones – such as working out the master plans for the individual regions – were discussed. This was flanked by a lively exchange about legislation affecting the conversion of biomass into energy in the individual countries. Also discussed here were the approaches and incentives with which a legal basis could be created for establishing comprehensive and sustainable use of biomass. Essential to the discussion was a comparison of the feed-in tariffs for biomass-based electricity – and for other renewable energy sources – in the individual countries. The Web-based energy register, now almost complete, was presented. It shows the major details for the four partner regions. The first day was rounded out with this presentation and the subsequent discussion about details that have yet to be worked out. The project is now in its final phase, making it possible to present some of the important results. Agreements were reached on additional events and, in particular, the final event. It is to take place in Brussels, before the European Commission.

On the second day of the BEn project meeting, the team visited a 35 kW biogas plant in an agricultural setting at the village of Studzionka. The system is “fed” with inputs – pig slurry, poultry dung and harvest wastes – collected on the farm with its 40 hectares under cultivation. The system – planned and built through the great personal commitment of the farmer and the technical consultant, Mr. Latocha – has received no government subsidies. Difficulties in reaching agreement with the public utility company were overcome in arduous negotiations. The electrical power has been fed into the public utility’s grid for a short while now.

The thermal energy liberated here is used primarily to heat the barns, the digester and the residential buildings on the farm.

The main results of the meeting were summarized in the closing discussion. Future steps and assignments in the individual regions were brought together and documented.

At this juncture a word of thanks is most certainly due to the partner organization in Poland. Its selection of the site, the atmosphere prevailing there and the excellent organizational work all laid the basis for a successful meeting.

from 5 to 7 April at FOSSGIS in Heidelberg, a presentation will be held stressing the cooperation of local authorities with the research institution regarding GIS in the renewable energy planning and by joining the Fraunhofer exhibition stand at the European Biomass Conference and Exhibition from 6 to 9 June in Berlin with focus on the use of the biomass energy register.   

We look forward to your visit and to an interesting exchange.

The BEn team wishes you and your family all the best for the New Year.

The fair was transnational indeed: over 40 national as well as international events took place and 200 speakers and 73 exhibitors from seven countries attracted more than 2000 visitors from 17 countries. Knowing EUREGIA as a high value international regional development fair, the EU Commissioner for Regional Policy, Johannes Hahn, and the prime minister of Saxony, Stanislaw Tillich, traveled to Leipzig to participate in this event definately worth seeing. Additionally, numerous federal and state ministers and state secratercies used EUREGIA as a platform to exchange experience.

BEn was brought together with other projects in the hall “Mulit-purpose area 4” under the subtheme “Science and practice in dialogue”. There, the presentation of BEn was able to visualise results of two years of work and present further steps to be taken after the end of the project. The focus of the presentation was the demonstration of the core part of the project: the webbased bioenergy register and its usage possibilites.

Of particular interest were the discussions after the demonstration concerning the general implementation and use of Open Source technology, its expenditure of time required as well as possible synergies with other registers dealing with renewable energies.