Final Report Summary - ACCENT (Acceleration of the Cost-Competitive Biomass Use for Energy Purposes in the Western Balkan Countries) The goal of 'Acceleration of the cost-competitive biomass use for energy purposes in the Western Balkan countries' (Accent) was to promote sustainable energy development in the Western Balkan countries (WBCs), including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Serbia and Montenegro.The findings of the project are subject of intensive dissemination in the WBC through workshops, meetings and publications and are available for use by state institutions, investors, research institutes and other stakeholders in the form of electronic reports on the Accent website, brochures on hard copies and CD. The achievements were presented at the national workshops organised in all the WBCs within the project framework.During the past year the Accent project consortium completed the following tasks:1. Analyses of the feasibility of expanding the use of biomass fuels in the residential sector and SMEs and proposals of solutions most adequate for the WBCs, reflecting the best international experience. 2. Identification of political, regulatory and financial tools for encouraging the implementation of appropriate options. 3. Provision of directions for further research in the biomass technologies, aimed at enhancement of the competitiveness of biomass fuel. 4. Dissemination of the conclusions and recommendations to enforce the consensus and tangible actions regarding expansion of biomass use on the basis of competitive prices using the following dissemination activities among others:- organising five workshops, one in each WBC- publishing results on the Accent project webpage - elaboration and distribution of 500 copies of the book entitled 'Opportunities to use biomass residues and process wastes for energy purposes' summarising the project results- elaboration and distribution of leaflets in national languages among workshop participants.5. The dissemination continues after the end of the project.Project objectivesThe project goal was to develop cost competitive and environmentally friendly solutions for small and medium-scale biomass fuel production, distribution and use in the residential sector and SMEs in the WBCs. The particular objectives of the project are the following:1. To identify the opportunities for production of wood chips, bio-briquettes and biopellets from agricultural and forest residues and process waste in the WBC. The particular operational goals within this objective include:- to review the technical characteristics and costs of the fuels / electricity used for heating in the WBCs;- to review the policy and legal frameworks concerning biomass fuel production in the WBCs;- to assess the potential of forest and agricultural residues and process wastes, in view of its appropriateness to produce wood chips, bio-briquettes, and biopellets;- to investigate the technologies to produce the considered fuels;- to estimate the production costs of these fuels.This objective was achieved by month 6 of the project start.2. To identify the optimal small and medium-scale energy utilisation technologies for the concerned fuels. This objective comprises the following operational goals:- to review the heating requirements of the population, as well as heating technologies used in the WBC households;- to review the heat production and consumption technologies at SMEs in the WBC;- to investigate the EU experience regarding small and medium-scale technologies (up to 500 kW) for energy utilisation of the studied biomass fuels;- to analyse the compatibility of the combustion technologies that are currently applied at households and SMEs in the WBC, with the considered fuels;- to assess the feasibility of combined utilisation of fossil fuels and the studied biomass fuels.This objective was achieved also by month 6 of the project start. 3. To identify and propose measures for encouraging biomass energy utilisation. This objective can be broken down into the following operational goals:- to assess the economic, social, and environmental impacts from increased use of different types of biomass fuels / technologies, in order to identify the best options;- to identify the barriers that the realisation of the best options will face;- to develop proposals for removal of these barriers;- to identify future research areas.This objective was achieved by month 11 of the project start.The project's deliverables included the following reports:- Residential heating and heat consumption in SMEs- Opportunities for production of wood chips, bio-briquettes, and bio-pellets- Technologies for combustion of wood chips, bio-briquettes and bio-pellets- Impact of and best options for utilisation of wood chips, bio-briquettes, and bio-pellets- Measures to encourage the utilisation of biomass residues and process wastes.ConclusionsThe main obstacle to efficient use of biomass for residential heating and production of heat in SMEs, replacing fossil fuels and electricity in the WBCs, has not attracted the attention of the national energy policy in any of these countries. On the contrary, biomass is everywhere treated as a minor and not urgent issue. The legislation for RES development is most often absent or unsatisfactory. None of the countries has defined a strategy for development of biomass production and use. No attention is paid to the new efficient equipment, no consideration on densified fuels - pellets and briquettes - production and use of chips, forest management, cultivation of energy crops, utilisation of waste from wood processing industry and agriculture. Croatia is the country most advanced in legal framework establishment.The situation described in the previous paragraph naturally leads to neglecting the need for complete and reliable data of biomass potential. Outdated information is still in use. Often this information is updated to match the present situation, applying, however, unreliable methodologies. The need for organising proper data collection by using a common methodology is obvious. Therefore, assessment of the biomass energy potential should have the highest possible priority in the national energy strategies.At this point it should be mentioned that the lack of interest is a reason for poor forest management. In some of the countries (Albania) the forest is under the pressure of illegal cutting, in Serbia the forest is considered insufficient to maintain biodiversity and climate humidity.Technological studies are not of high priority in the WBCs. The main reason for that is the economic situation in the region. A transfer of EU technologies is very important for helping to offset this gap, but it should be complemented by a high local technological level. It is worth mentioning that there are efficient available combustion technologies and technologies for production of biomass fuels in the WBC. Most of them are imported but Serbia has set up good production of efficient combustion equipment at highest EU quality level. Use of state-of-the art combustion technologies, although quite attractive, is impeded by the high initial investments. The WB countries have to apply flexible funding mechanisms to overcome this obstacle and to encourage users in the efficient use of biomass.The project has defined a number of priority areas and directions with the main goal to remove the existing obstacles and to boost biomass deployment in the region. The highest priority is given to the Energy Policy Area: legislation and assessment of biomass potential, management of the forests. The second research priority is given to use of forest and agricultural residues, production of densified fuels, economic problems of biomass use, cultivation of energy crops.It does not mean that the technological research is not important. All these three areas are part of the general RES research policy of every country. Prioritisation here is done due to the urgency of the political research area and the impact / interaction Area. Related documents Final Report - ACCENT (Acceleration of the Cost-Competitive Biomass Use for Energy Purposes in the Western Balkan Countries)
