JOULE/THERMIE - Preliminary results of third call
The European Commission has selected a total of 123 project proposals to receive funding for energy research activities as a result the third call for proposals for JOULE, the research and development component of the Community's specific RTD programme in the field of Non-Nuclear Energy (JOULE/THERMIE). The call, published in January 1997, attracted a total of 351 proposals by the deadline of 6 May 1997. The focus of the call was essentially on renewable energies, although some activities in other areas with a link to renewable energies - such as "Rational use of energy in buildings" and "Clean technologies for solid fossil fuels" - were also covered. Of a global budget of some ECU 98 million, ECU 30 million will go to research into photovoltaics, ECU 19 million to wind energy, ECU 16 million to production of energy from biomass, ECU 10 million to energy in buildings, ECU 10 million to problems linked to the integration of renewable energies, and ECU 13 million for applications in the field of solar thermal energy, wave energy and problems linked to energy storage. In addition to the 123 projects selected, one proposal for a concerted action relating to the integration of renewable energies has also been retained. This would receive a budget of ECU 380,000. Other proposals for concerted actions are presently being evaluated and a Commission decision is expected in Spring 1998.