EU policy is the single strongest driver for local actions towards more bio-energy CHP according to the CHP Goes Green project team who will present their final results in Brussels on 19th April. Despite facing the challenge of a product which is poorly understood and deployed, the project1 has developed a strategy to move the sector forward.

Over the last two years, the eight European model towns and regions2, participating in the CHP Goes Green project, have evaluated their successes and lessons learned. It became clear that the advantages of bio-energy CHP are not yet fully understood and deployed, and that there is considerable untapped market-potential for bio-energy CHP. In most cases it is the EU policy (especially energy and climate targets and the RES Directive) implemented at Member State level that is the main driver creating a framework for interest and action and any subsequent mobilisation of stakeholders and project development. The effect of local policy seems to be altogether less significant.

The project will present its strategy for the wider implementation of green CHP based on the replicable, widely deployable successes of the model cities. Key success factors such as linked market actors, a successful business case for the investor and a local public body with responsibility for implementing energy efficiency/CO2 reduction improvements, will be elaborated at the Final Conference in Brussels. The components of a successful fuel supply chain, which remains a particular challenge for significant take-up of bio-energy related solutions will also be explored.

The free-of-charge conference will also look at bio-energy CHP in a broader perspective (update on technology and role of agriculture in the supply chain) and present several case studies. For more information on the programme and registration, please click here.

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1 The CHP Goes Green project is co-funded by Intelligent Energy Europe (IEE) and promotes the use of RES in combination with CHP, allowing the highest efficiency combined with an increase of renewables’ share. This combination can contribute to reaching the ambitious EU climate and energy goals, but is not yet widely spread and implemented. For more information, visit www.chp-goes-green.info
2 The following cities are represented in the project: Berlin, Frankfurt, Hannover, Graz, Paris, Lyon, Prague and Riga