Promoting clean and efficient energy technologies across the EU - The OPET Network

The official launch of the new OPET Network (Organizations for the Promotion of Energy Technology) took place in Brussels, Belgium, on 30-31 January 1997. At the invitation of the European Commission, the actors in the new Network assembled for the first time to outline the fu...

The official launch of the new OPET Network (Organizations for the Promotion of Energy Technology) took place in Brussels, Belgium, on 30-31 January 1997. At the invitation of the European Commission, the actors in the new Network assembled for the first time to outline the future activities to be carried out under the OPET banner.

The OPET Network is an initiative of the European Commission aimed primarily at fostering the market penetration of successful new and innovative energy technologies, in particular those related to technologies demonstrated through the Community's specific RTD programme in the field of non-nuclear energy (JOULE/THERMIE).

The Network is managed by DG XIII (Telecommunications, information market and the exploitation of research) of the European Commission, within the framework of the Community's INNOVATION programme. DG XVII (Energy) of the European Commission, responsible for the THERMIE (demonstration) section of the JOULE/THERMIE programme, ensures the technical coordination of OPET activities and their relation with the results of the JOULE/THERMIE programme.

The OPET Network aims to draw upon the wealth of information and experience produced by initiatives in EC Programmes, activities in the Member States of the European Union and international initiatives, and to ensure that this material is disseminated to key market actors such as industry, public authorities, educational/training bodies, the financial sector and the final consumer.

The work of the Network will be carried out by the 39 OPETs who are situated throughout the European Union, and in Norway and Iceland. These OPETs will be responsible for completing a number of initiatives (such as market studies, workshops, conferences, exhibitions, publications etc.), all with the aim of disseminating information on non-nuclear energy technologies. The OPETs will be supported in their activities by the OPET-Central Unit (OPET-CU), based in Brussels.

The OPETs' main tasks, which are to be carried out on a network basis, complement and tie in with the work performed by the Innovation Relay Centres (IRCs). The services will focus on developing the synergies with the relevant national and regional networks and operators with the aim of boosting the promotion of Community RTD programmes and the transnational dissemination and exploitation of research results from any source, including support for the activities of the OPET network in the field of dissemination and optimization of RTD results.

As part of its information dissemination activities, the new OPET Network Home Page, recently launched on the CORDIS WWW server, offers a useful source of information on OPET activities. In particular, the page features a general introduction to the OPET Network and its services, a list of the 39 OPETs with contact names and addresses, a calendar of events and a repertory of OPET-related publications. Links are also provided to related sites, including those of the JOULE/THERMIE programme and the Innovation Relay Centres.