The winners of the COGEN Europe Recognition Awards were announced in a special ceremony that was held in Leuven (Belgium) on 11 October 2022, during the COGEN Europe Annual Conference. This was the first time that these Awards have been presented since 2019.

With a legacy of more than 10 years, the COGEN Europe Recognition Awards provide an opportunity for individuals and organisations to gain recognition for their achievements in developing, applying and promoting cogeneration, and to highlight the strengths and skills of Europe’s cogeneration sector. This year, COGEN Europe received 16 high quality nominations, spanning different countries, technologies and applications.

The nominations were reviewed and assessed by a prestigious jury of 9 members, including representatives of industry, media and the EU institutions (European Commission). This year, 6 award winners were chosen in 5 categories: Market Development (individual), Market Development (organisation), Technology & Innovation, Young CHP Leader and Lifetime Achievement.

From left to right: Stefan Liesner - Head of Public Relations and Public Affairs, 2G Energy; Valentina Frigerio – Channel Manager, Cogeneration Channel; Caio Pezzola – Marketing Director, Gruppo AB; Yağmur Bozkurt -Coordinator, Cogen Turk; Graeme Stanley – Marketing Communications Associate, Clarke Energy; Mark Holtmann – Managing Director, 2G Energy UK; Christian Grothold – CEO, 2G Energy (Photo: COGEN Europe)

The Market Development (individual) Award was presented to Stefan Liesner - Head of Public Relations and Public Affairs at 2G Energy, who has shown relentless dedication to supporting market development efforts for the European cogeneration sector, advocating for high ambition on energy efficiency, renewable hydrogen and energy systems integration. His passion and innovative approach to promoting ambitious climate and energy action is evident in the 2021 Energiewende erFAHREN-Radtour initiative. Stefan and other clean energy promoters cycled from Heek to Berlin, while discussing the key challenges of Europe's energy transition.

"If we want to make the global energy transition happen, all existing technologies need to work closely together – with CHP having a backbone function. This is what drives me in my daily work.“ - Stefan Liesner - Head of Public Relations and Public Affairs, 2G Energy

This year’s Market Development (organisation) Award was presented to the Cogeneration Channel, created and supported by Gruppo AB, which is a unique online platform that promotes increased knowledge and awareness of cogeneration and energy efficiency through video interviews and case studies. During its 8 years of activity, the Cogeneration Channel has forged relationships with numerous industry associations and stakeholders, besides reaching a yearly audience of 20,000 users in more than 150 countries around the world.

"We are honored and delighted to receive this award from Cogen Europe. It’s a recognition that Cogeneration Channel is continuing its journey, promoting the entire cogeneration industry worldwide. Since it was launched in 2014, the Cogeneration Channel has contributed to the growth of CHP, disseminating knowledge and information, sharing experiences, educating and empowering. By the end of October 2022, a completely renewed Cogeneration Channel will be launched, part of larger, forward-looking vision to net zero." - Caio Pezzola – Marketing Director, Gruppo AB

The COGEN Europe Technology & Innovation Award recognises a company that has brought to market a project or technological development which breaks new ground for cogeneration. This year’s Technology & Innovation Award was presented to 2G Energy for the Orkney Airport project in the north of Scotland. The first 100% hydrogen 2G CHP installed in the UK is part of a wider project to decarbonise Orkney Airport, using green hydrogen.

"With our Hydrogen powered plants we are part of the seasonal and high-efficiency storage technology to align the production and utilization of energy from renewable sources." - Christian Grothold – CEO, 2G Energy

Due to the large number of high-quality nominations, the jury decided to present an extra award for the runner-up in the Technology & Innovation category. This was presented to Clarke Energy for the AGR Fenland project, which is one of the world’s most advanced greenhouses. The project employs various technologies including quad-generation, open-loop heat pumps, LED lighting and CO2 recovery as part of an integrated hybrid system to increase efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions.

"This innovative project demonstrates the potential to create local electrical and thermal energy solutions integrating the benefits of high efficiency CHP with renewable heat generation." - Ben Wilson – Managing Director (UK and Ireland), Clarke Energy

The Young CHP Leader Award was presented to Yağmur Bozkurt, Coordinator at Cogen Turk, the Turkish Cogeneration Association. Yagmur has been successfully working and interacting with plant owners, operators and investors to collect and compile information. She is also instrumental to coordinating Cogen Turk's relations with State offices, Ministries and Market Authorities.

"Clean and efficient energy production, which gains more importance every day with digitalization, is made possible by cogeneration technology in many sectors. I am happy to be among the young representatives of this technology. I am very proud to be worthy of the award of COGEN Europe, which plays an active role in every field of its sector, from policy to promotional activities."  - Yağmur Bozkurt, Coordinator at Cogen Turk

Finally, it was announced that the COGEN Europe Lifetime Achievement Award will be given to Harry Trump, formerly of Centrax, for his active involvement in COGEN Europe over many years, and especially his contribution to the association’s advocacy efforts at EU level.