Bringing bioenergy to the forefront of European R&D
The ‘Overcoming barriers to bioenergy’ (NOE-Bioenergy) project was initiated to establish a Network of Excellence (NoE) for the integration of research and development (R&D) in the bioenergy field. Project members further aimed to use policy actions and market analysis to establish successful ‘bioenergy chains’ that overcome the barriers to bioenergy development. Initial mapping of partners’ competences demonstrated comprehensive coverage of most areas and extensive facilities and expertise. The researchers focused on all steps of the bioenergy chain for delivery of heat, electricity and biofuels. Among the many areas evaluated were biomass (from cultivation and farm waste to gasification and synthesis), liquid biofuels and hydrogen, heat and power production plants. A barrier analysis considered economics, legislation, technology, biomass supply, sustainability and social aspects. Overall, the researchers concluded that non-technical barriers seem to be most critical, economic ones in particular. The researchers then focused on business opportunities created by EU policy directives, including Biofuels for Transport, Emissions Trading and Landfill Directives. One of the main project outcomes was definition of research and technology development (RTD) goals based on infrastructure, facilities and equipment in various areas of bioenergy. Based on this, the partners focused on determining the legal structure required for the planned integration of bioenergy-related R&D. Given the diversity of organisations with varying requirements (universities, public research organisations, private research organisations, etc.), the partners supported a flexible consortium agreement-type structure. Discussions are ongoing. However, the foundation has been built to support international integration of bioenergy RTD to meet ambitious EU goals for alternative energy usage and reduced GHG emissions in the very near future.
