H2020 funded project RE4Industry kicks off: paving the way towards 100% renewable energy in industries
The project, coordinated by CIRCE Foundation based in Zaragoza (Spain), started on 01.09.20 will last until the end of August 2023 (36 months). With a total EU-funded budget of approximately 3 Million Euro, RE4Industry was granted under the umbrella of the Horizon 2020 topic “Market Uptake support” in which “renewable energy technologies have the opportunity to play a crucial role in this transition, leading to an increased share of renewable energy consumed in the EU and to a more active role for the consumers” (EU Commission, 2018). “The kick-off meeting is always a unique moment to share the first vision and strategy of a project as a whole, but it is also an opportunity to meet new colleagues and strengthen the bond with those you will be working with in the coming months. Despite the virtual format of the meeting, the RE4Industry consortium is demonstrating from the start its commitment and determination to achieve the ambitious goals set for the next 36 months. Now more than ever, the decarbonization of energy-intensive industries has to be one of the main axes of action for the economic recovery of the European industrial sector after the economic and social crisis caused by the COVID-19 virus. RE4Industry will be there to support the sector and manage to overcome this great challenge.” Dr. Clara Ángela Jarauta, project coordinator. RE4Industry - a breakthrough for renewables in EU industry The project will aim at determining the most suitable and economically- and technologically-feasible renewable solutions for energy-intensive industries, together with the definition of an action plan for industrial decarbonisation pointing at transforming the EU industrial landscape into a large market niche for the uptake of RE, all the while defining the appropriate framework scenarios for short-term (2030) and long-term (2050) visions. A comprehensive network of stakeholders and market actors (RE4Industry collaborative network) will be at the core of the project activities, responsible for the identification of sector needs, appropriate technologies, and barriers that might hinder their application, interacting at the same time with industry representatives for a continuous feedback loop. The effectiveness of this approach relies on a strong engagement strategy that will count with the support of an advisory board and in thematic panels organised in the framework of the collaborative network, whose objective will be to retrieve and share feedback on technology, processes, industry, sector regulation, markets, and societal perceptions. Policy recommendations will thus be elaborated. The RE4Industry approach will be validated in 3 representative industrial use cases in 3 sectors: steel, aluminium, and chemical. Partners will then work on the definition of a suitable exploitation strategy as well, to replicate the RE4Industry innovation in additional sectors, all the while initiating knowledge transfer in multiple EU countries. RE4Industry partners involvement Bringing together expertise from 6 countries (ES,NL,GR,DE,BE,AT), the consortium is a multidisciplinary and complementary group gathering expertise in energy, social studies, and knowledge transfer activities as well as with links and experience in the energy-intensive sector, retrofitting activities, and renewables. Composed of 11 partners, the consortium will ensure a wide EU geographical coverage in order to guarantee extensive engagement of external stakeholders and wide dissemination of project results. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement N.952936. The information and views set out on this press release are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the European Union. Neither the European Union institutions and bodies nor any person acting on their behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the following information.
Keywords
industry, energy intensive industry, renewables, chemical, aluminium, steel, circular economy, energy efficiency