GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS PUBLIC CONSULTATION FOR SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS (DEADLINE OCTOBER 1) The European Commission wants to gather viewpoints and additional information about the possible introduction of pan-european measures to achieve improvement of environmental performance of buildings. The consultation provides an opportunity for all interested parties (citizens and interested stakeholders with interest in the implementation of agenda on efficient use of EU resources and the environmental performance of buildings), to express their views through of an on-line survey (this questionnaire takes about 80 minutes to complete). You can submit a contribution by completing the questionnaire: as a citizen on the behalf of an organization on the behalf of a public authority EXHIBITIONS SAVENERGY 2013 & ENVIROTEC 2013 The Cyprus Employers and Industrialists Federation (OEB) announce the organization of the 9 th Energy Saving Exhibition «SAVENERGY 2013» which will be held from 20 to 22 September 2013 at the National Exhibition Authority, booth No. 6. The exhibition organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Commerce, Industry & Tourism and the EAC. The «SAVENERGY 2013» has become the most important event in Cyprus that deals with the promotion of RES technologies and energy saving equipment. For more information www.savenergy.org.cy, www.envirotec.org.cy 1
BENEFITS FROM THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROJECT GERONIMO II-BIOGAS IN CYPRUS In the context of promoting biogas from farm waste in Cyprus, the participates in the European project Geronimo II-Biogas, which is funded by the "Intelligent Energy for Europe" programme. The aim of this project is to work closely with farmers and institutional market players in Cyprus for biogas but also the emergence of the economic and environmental benefits resulting from the creation of biogas stations from farming wastes of Cyprus. In the context of implementation of the project, 20 farmers were trained, but also held free visits of 6 Cypriot farmers to biogas plants abroad (Czech Republic and Germany) for in situ monitoring of the operation of such plants in Europe. The project website www.energy4farms.eu is rich in content and each interested can find useful material and on-line calculation tools for the biogas produced. Within the framework of project implementation, have also been developed, online training courses targeted to farmers (pig, dairy farmers) for easy learning the theoretical background of utilizing farming waste to produce energy and the rational management of the farming waste. The online course consists of 5 modules and at the end of each there are several multiple-choice questions for better understanding the content of each module. This tool is available for free on the project website Geronimo II biogas http://energy4farms.eu/el/elearning-el/. Requirement for access to online courses is the free online registration. 2
OPENING MEETING OF THE EUREM-PLUS PROJECT,1-2 JULY 2013 The educational program EUREM is a standardized training program for European Energy Managers, which combines theoretical courses, personal learning and practical work. Additionally, it provides access to a European network of graduates of this training to share knowledge and experiences. European countries to which it applies regularly the educational program EUREM are: Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Estonia, Spain, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Czech Republic, and Finland. For more information about the program EUREM visit:www.energymanager.eu About the project EUREMplus The aim of the project is to disseminate the educational program EUREM to more companies, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs), mainly in the industrial sector, in order to increase their energy efficiency and their competitiveness. To EUREMplus project funded by the European Commission through the program "Intelligent Energy Europe" and has a duration of 30 months. Through the program EUREMplus, EUREM the training program will be implemented in 6 new countries (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Hungary, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Poland and Romania). During the project implementation EUREMplus, is expected to be trained 90 European energy managers in these countries and further 90 European energy managers in other countries participating in the project have already implemented the program several times EUREM (Austria, Germany, Czech Republic). The overall expected result from the energy savings resulting from the application of the knowledge gained from the program EUREM is 67,500 MWh. 3
NEWS FROM BRUSSELS +2,9% CONSUMPTION OF BIOFUELS IN EUROPE The consortium EurObserv'ER posted the annual barometer of biofuels for the 27 EU Member States In 2012, 14.4 million toe (Tons of Oil Equivalent) biofuels consumed in Europe, with an incorporation rate in transport fuels by 4.7%. The increase in consumption between 2011 and 2012 was 2.9% (0.4 Mtoe), revealing a reduction in growth compared to 2010 to 2011 (+5.3%). Consumption growth has been unequal in Europe since, the 14 Member States (such as France, Germany, Sweden and Finland) have increased their consumption, while 10 reduced their consumption (such as the United Kingdom, Poland, Hungary and Italy). The biodiesel holds 79.1% of the total consumption of biofuels and bioethanol 19.9% and pure vegetable oil 1%. The report says that for the majority of countries with available data for 2012, almost the entire biofuel consumption was sustainable. Germany continues to be the main consumer of biofuels (5.7% share of biofuels in transport fuels in 2012), mainly through the use of biodiesel and bioethanol, and the E10 fuel consumption increases. France is the largest consumer of biodiesel in the EU (2.29 million toe). In the UK, consumption decreased by 15.9% between 2011 and 2012. According to the report, the decrease was due to the introduction of biofuels produced from wastes such as used cooking oil. In Spain, the rate dropped to 4.1% from 6.5% in 2012. For more information here. 4
AGREEMENT REGARDING THE PROGRAM HORIZON 2020: RESEARCH AND INNOVATION FOR 2014-2020 The Permanent Representatives approved the agreement that reached last June between the President of the Council and representatives of the European Parliament on the "Horizon 2020" for research and innovation for the years 2014-2020. The program will be formally adopted in late 2013 to begin on January 1 st, 2014, while the first call for proposals will be published in mid-december 2013. The new program, "Horizon 2020" will adopt a simplified model of funding in relation to FP7, with a funding rate of about 100% for direct costs and a flat rate for indirect costs of 25%. Part of the deal includes special measures to widen participation, such as twinning schemes and personnel exchanges between developed and developing regions of Europe. Also, the time period for financing was reduced to eight months, excluding grants of the European Research Council and some "complex projects". The "Horizon 2020" will have a budget of around 70 billion and will focus on three priorities: - Strengthening of world-class scientific excellence in Europe, so as to make research and innovation more competitive - Promoting industrial leadership to accelerate the development of technologies that will support enterprises on innovation (including small businesses) - Tackling societal challenges, in order to meet the priorities identified in the Europe 2020 strategy. For more information click here. GREEN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT The Directorate General Environment has created a special website to disseminate information and raise awareness on GPPs. Interested parties can visit the knowledge platform that provides information and relevant criteria for GPP, GPP examples, studies and local activities and tools. In addition, the website provides useful Information about integrating GPP in procurement, as well as specific examples. For more information click here. 5
«OPEN DAYS 2013»: REGISTRATIONS STARTED Registrations started for the seminars of the 11 th event «Open Days 2013», the European Week of Regions and Cities, taking place in Brussels from 7 to 10 October 2013 by the Committee of the Regions and the Directorate General for Regional Policy of the European Commission. CALL FOR PROPOSALS "URBAN EUROPE": JOINT PROGRAMME INITIATIVE The "Urban Europe" is a Joint Programming Initiative (JPI), to create attractive and economically viable urban areas. The initiative focuses on transforming urban areas to centers for innovation and technology in ensuring social cohesion and inclusion, and to reduce the ecological footprint and enhancing climate neutrality. The call for proposals opened under the initiative aims to cover new and innovative approaches and to promote interdisciplinary research and cooperation around two themes: a) Governance of Urban Complexity, b) Urban Vulnerability, Adaptability, and Resilience. Eligible institutions are universities, research organizations, institutions, associations, municipal councils, SMEs (MME) and stakeholders in the industry. Eligible countries calls are Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Turkey and the United Kingdom. Support will be given to applicants from their respective national funding agencies (Research Promotion Foundation RPF for Cyprus). The maximum amount of funding available from the RPF is 200,000 euros, from which will be supported maximum two projects. The submission of applications will be done in two stages. The deadline for submission of the preliminary proposal is 18 September 2013. 6
BUILD UP SKILLS Call for proposals for the program BUILD UP Skills. The guide for proposals 2013 for the BUILD UP Skills is now available and the electronic submission system is open. The deadline for submitting applications is until November 28 th, 2013 at 17:00 (Brussels time). For more information click here. SEMINARS / CONFERENCES / EVENTS / EXHIBITIONS BIOMASS PELLETS TRADE & POWER, 09-12 SEPTEMBER 2013 IN SEOUL On 9-12 September 2013 in Seoul, Korea, you can be informed about the strategic use of biomass fuel supply. The main speaker will be Mr. Chang Joo Ok, President and CEO of East-West Power (EWP) Korean who will present the future plans of EWP in connection with the start of clean energy trends. For more information click here. POEM 2013 2ND CONFERENCE ON POWER OPTIONS FOR THE OF EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN, 07-09 OCTOBER 2013, NICOSIA After the success of the 1 st Conference on Power Options in the Eastern Mediterranean and taking into account developments in the field of hydrocarbon reserves and renewable energy in the Eastern Mediterranean, is organized for the 2 nd consecutive year the Conference POEM 2013 on 7-9 October 2013, in order to share new experiences, knowledge and information on stocks of hydrocarbons and 7
renewable sources of energy. The conference aims primarily to become an important meeting point for ideas and knowledge sharing on technical, economic and regulatory implications of energy production in the Eastern Mediterranean. In this way, the Conference aims to catalyze the transfer of oil, gas and renewable energy, advances in technology and best practices from developed energy markets. ACI SMART METERING SUMMIT, IN 20-21 NOVEMBER 2013 IN VALLETTA The ACI Smart Metering Summit will take place in Valletta, Malta on 20-21 November 2013. During the two-day event will be gathered key stakeholders in the industry, such as Organizations of Public Benefit, representatives of TSOs, traders of technologies utilizing renewable energy sources, financing institutions, NGOs etc. For more information click.here. PLATTS GLOBAL ENERGY AWARDS The Platts Global Energy Awards honor for the 15th consecutive year the excellence and achievements of companies and individuals in the global energy industry. Interested candidates may apply until 16 September 2013 to 30 September 2013 the finalists will be announced and prizes will be awarded on Thursday, December 12 th, 2013, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York at a gala event. 8
EUBC & E 2014, 23-26 JUNE 2014 IN HAMBURG The organization of the 22 nd European Conference on Biomass and Exposition will be held in Hamburg 23-26 June, 2014. The call for abstracts is open until October 28 th, 2013 EDITIONS RENEWABLE ENERGY MEDIUM-TERM MARKET REPORT 2013 EDITION 2013 14 pages Free download 9