The attendees and speakers made this conference so successful that Agrion will begin programming beyond its French and German offices to connect industry professionals, thought leaders and policy makers in a greater European community. Energy and sustainability are global issues, and by working together we can find solutions on an international scale. For questions or to join the dialogue, please contact Catherine Testa: Catherine.Testa@agrion.org

How has the Platform developed since its launch in June 2005?

The European Solar Thermal Technology Platform was established in 2005 with the aim to support the technological development of solar thermal energy. More than 100 experts from Europe gathered together and developed the first Strategic Research Agenda, published in December 2008. In 2009, we decided to enlarge our activities and form the European Technology Platform on Renewable Heating and Cooling (RHC-platform), which immediately became endorsed by the European Commission. The new platform is composed of three renewable energy panels – solar thermal, biomass and geothermal – as well as a cross-cutting panel, which deals with thermal energy storage, district heating and cooling technologies, heat pumps and hybrid systems. We established the secretariat of the RHC-platform at Renewable Energy House in Brussels, supported by the European Commission. Today more than 600 companies and researchers from all over Europe (and some beyond) are members of the platform.

What measures will you need to take to ensure solar thermal energy supplies 50 per cent of heating and cooling demand in Europe?

The vision of the RHC-platform is to cover 100 per cent of Europe’s heating and cooling demands by 2050 with renewable energies. Our vision paper from 2011 showed that this goal can be achieved between 2030-40. Solar thermal energy has the potential to match as much as 50 per cent of total demands, although strong technological development is necessary to achieve this goal.

Firstly, the solar fraction per building must be increased significantly. Today, solar thermal systems are mainly used for heating domestic hot water, but in Germany and Austria, already about 50 per cent of the solar thermal systems provide space heating in addition to domestic hot water, typically with a solar fraction of about 25 per cent of the overall heat demand of the building. The platform envisages the use of Solar Active Houses, which are heated by at least 50 per cent solar thermal energy. Approximately 1,000 of these well-insulated buildings with large collector areas and large hot water storage tanks have already been built in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and this building concept can gain market share of new constructions of residential homes in the coming years.

Secondly, solar thermal energy must be introduced as a heat source for large buildings such as apartment blocks and hotels; industrial and agricultural applications; solar-assisted cooling; and district heating systems.

In order to introduce solar thermal energy to all these market segments, the technology’s competitiveness must increase in terms of reduced costs, greater reliability and the development of adapted system solutions. Furthermore, the integration of solar thermal technology in conventional heating and ventilation systems – as well as the architectural quality of the integration of solar thermal collectors into the roofs and façades of buildings – must be improved.

Could you outline some of the unique benefits that may stem as a result of switching to solar thermal energy?

Solar thermal energy is a sustainable and endless energy resource, which is hazard-free, available everywhere and can be used by everybody. In contrast, fossil fuels are finite and damaging to the climate. There will eventually come a time when fossil fuels are too expensive to be burnt just for heating purposes. We will then be forced to significantly reduce our energy consumption via efficiency measures. However, roughly 50 per cent of the heating and cooling demand will remain; this will be covered by a mix of renewable energies. Since biomass is a limited and very valuable resource which will be used for many other purposes, and the availability of geothermal energy is dependent on the geological conditions, solar thermal will become one major pillar of this renewable energy mix. In addition, combined heat and power plants (CHP) and heat pumps driven by gas produced by renewable energies and renewable electricity will help to cover the heating and cooling demand.

Why do you think the role of solar heating still remains questionable despite its potential and convenience as a renewable energy source?

Solar heating and cooling are indispensable in a renewable, energy-driven system due to their huge potential. However, we don’t know exactly how the renewable energy mix will look in the long run. It will depend on the competitiveness of each renewable energy technology. As CHP plants, heat pumps and power to-gas-technologies mean that the electrical part of the energy system will be much more connected with the heating and cooling part, the role of each energy source and technology will be decided by its availability and competitiveness in the highly integrated, smart energy system of the future. In this context competitiveness means not only low costs, but attractiveness for the investors and users. For example, a lot of home owners are ready to spend more money for a heating system if they become independent from fuel supply.

To be able to replace fossil fuels for heating and cooling purposes, solar thermal systems must provide a higher share of the thermal energy demand of a building. They must also be further developed for use in large buildings, industry and district heating systems. If researchers and industry are able to increase the competitiveness of solar thermal systems through technological developments, I would be very optimistic about the future role of solar heating and cooling. However, this requires stronger political support from research programmes.

Your annual conference, ‘Teaming up for renewable heating and cooling’, took place earlier this year in Copenhagen. What was presented during the conference and how successful was it?

Organised with the district heating association Euro heat & Power, the event was a great success, attracting over 300 participants from all over Europe. Updates on the technological status of various new technologies and the early results of the Strategic Research Priorities were presented. Over the course of the discussions it became very clear that district heating and cooling is an important enabling technology, which makes renewable energy for heating and cooling purposes possible in urban areas. Copenhagen was an inspiring host for the conference, since 97 per cent of the city is connected to the district heating and cooling system. The city aims to become the first carbon-neutral capital by 2025.

What does your vision of 2030 entail?

Today, heating and cooling is responsible for almost 50 per cent of the final energy demand in Europe and it is obvious that this energy sector has been underestimated in energy policy for a long time. The work of the RHC platform makes it very clear that renewable energies, in combination with energy efficiency measures, provide an attractive and sustainable solution for the growing problems in the heating and cooling sector. Indeed, they have much higher potential for technological development than was known before. Therefore, our vision contains a clear message to politicians: R&D in heating and cooling technologies must be increased significantly to make up for missed opportunities and to exploit the full potential of renewable energies across the sector.

www.rhc-platform.org

To begin, could you give a broad overview of the CNST? What role does it play within the US National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST)?

NIST is the US national measurement laboratory, more formally referred to as a ‘national metrology institute’. As such, it maintains the units of measurement and develops and extends a wide variety of measurement methods to provide an enabling infrastructure for US science and technology. In 2010, NIST reorganised its laboratory functions into six major research units. Four specialise in physical measurement, material measurement, engineering and IT. The remaining two – CNST and the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) – operate very differently. These organisations are user facilities with a mission to provide ready access to instrumentation and methods that might not be available elsewhere because of their complexity or expense. The CNST was specially designed to help further the rapidly emerging nanotechnology enterprise.

What is the mission of the CNST and how is this being carried out?

Basically, we do two things: operate a large-scale facility that provides easy access to state-of-the-art, commercial nanoscale fabrication and measurement tools; and perform research to advance nanotechnology measurement and fabrication methods beyond the state of the art. The first task is carried out at the CNST NanoFab, which provides à la carte access to a comprehensive collection of major tools for nanofabrication and measurement. Because of the way it is structured, researchers can use major, well-maintained tools, receive training if needed, and benefit from professionally-developed and maintained fabrication processes. The fact that we provide rapid access, professional assistance, and a way for users to maintain their intellectual property rights makes the NanoFab particularly popular with industry, ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 corporations.

Which areas of research are currently being focused on at the CNST?

Within the NanoFab, we have approximately 500 active projects per year across a broad range of topics, ranging from nanoelectronics to nanomanufacturing, energy storage, bionanotechnology and healthcare applications, including single-electron silicon transistors, nanotextured films for low-friction machine parts, nanostructured films for next generation batteries, and custom-shaped nanoparticles for treating cancer. The projects are driven by our users and reflect the breadth of development in the field.

The second part of our mission – developing measurement and fabrication solutions that go beyond the current commercial state of the art – is also driven by user needs, but at a longer term and more strategic level. At the moment, most of our efforts are focused in three technical areas – future electronics, nanomanufacturing and nanofabrication, and energy – but nanotechnology is a very young and dynamic discipline. As the field is evolving so rapidly, we are organised in a way that ensures maximum agility. Our basic ‘organisational unit’ of research consists of a project leader and two postdoctoral researchers, supplemented with substantial technical support services. We quite deliberately do not grow large research groups: to get substantial research done, project leaders, by design, need to collaborate. Currently, we welcome a new postdoctoral researcher about every two to three weeks. This dynamic staffing model allows us to continually bring the best new ideas from across the world into a highly collaborative environment supported by excellent facilities.

Our approach has created an intellectually stimulating, highly productive and very popular environment for nanotechnology research. This year over 1,500 research participants directly benefited from CNST’s research, either through NanoFab projects or collaboration with our research project leaders.

What role does your work have with regard to shaping policy and commercial activities?

NIST functions more as an enabler or facilitator than an agency-shaping policy or directing commercial activities. We respond to the needs of science and industry and solve measurement problems that are encumbering the development of new technologies for the general benefit of the US population and economy. NIST has no regulatory functions and does not set standards. We may perform the underlying research that informs regulatory agencies and standard-setting bodies, and may put forward knowledgeable participants for standard-setting committees, but we neither set nor enforce regulations or standards. One positive effect of our role in these processes is that companies and others view us as an honest broker; they thus actively and enthusiastically collaborate in our work. As a testament of this, NIST has approximately 2,900 staff members and a similar number of guest researchers working side-by-side in our labs.

Could you summaries the CNST’s Energy Storage, Transport and Conversion programmers? What does it set out to achieve?

A great many emerging energy technologies involve nanotechnology at a critical stage in the process. The operation of lithium ion batteries depends on several processes that take place at the nanoscale, as does the conversion of light into electricity in photocells. We work on making extremely sensitive measurement methods and systems to specifically probe the nanoscale structure and operation of energy-related devices. We also find ways to fabricate nanostructures to test our measurements and the prevailing theories of how energy-related devices operate. For example, we recently created a nanoscale-sized version of a lithium ion battery. This device allowed us to directly observe what happens to the position of the lithium ions and the structure of the battery at the nanoscale during charging and discharging.

Future Electronics forms one of the key research areas at the CNST. In what ways are researchers at the CNST supporting the continued growth of the electronics industry?

The electronics industry can rightfully claim to have been active in nanotechnology well before it became a ‘hot’ research area. The industry’s productivity and profit depended on producing more and smaller circuits with each generation of circuitry. Currently, concerns about heating have limited the speed of future computer chips and eventually we will run out of ‘small’ when shrinking becomes limited by the granularity of matter and significant interference from emerging nanoscale phenomena. The electronics industry is therefore exploring the feasibility of developing a new ‘switch’ based on an as yet undetermined nanoscale process. We have been working closely with the joint industry/government-supported US Nanoelectronics Research Initiative to develop characterisation and fabrication techniques to support these new technologies. Much of our work has concentrated on the use of grapheme in future devices. For example, in one of our more extensive programmes, we have developed advanced scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) methods to characterise the local electronic structure of grapheme and correlate it with defects formed during fabrication.

To what extent does the CNST encourage collaboration between researchers?

There are generally two reasons to have a nano centre. First there is the necessity of finding a way to share the cost of expensive tools; we do that through the NanoFab. Second, you need multidisciplinary staff. I believe that to advance nanotechnology as efficiently as possible, you need the active participation of – and collaboration between – researchers who are deeply trained in diverse disciplines. We therefore encourage the creation of multidisciplinary teams through our staffing choices and emphasis on collaborative projects. All current projects involving CNST researchers are collaborations that were formed from the bottom up.

Since its inception, what do you believe to be the CNST’s greatest achievement? How would you like to build upon this in the future?

CNST started just over five years ago with a small number of NIST staff members and has since added about 80 per cent of its current workforce. During this long development process there have been several noteworthy research accomplishments, one being our research activities on grapheme as an electronic material. Aside from 30 grapheme-related publications – many of which have been in high profile journals – three graduate students from a collaborating university research team received PhDs while conducting these experiments, a couple of commercial products were born, and one post doc transferred this knowledge by accepting a position at a major semiconductor manufacturer.

However, I would have to say that looking back the greatest achievement may prove to be having created a unique nano centre, one that can attract talented researchers from industry, academia and government, and nurture ideas and make them a reality.

For the immediate future, I expect to see growth in our activities in nanobiotechnology, nanomedicine, nano manufacturing and in providing services to users in remote locations.

What role does the CNST play in nurturing tomorrow’s top talents?

One thing we never imagined when planning the creation of the CNST was that there would be an appreciable number of students about. But, as we should have realised, students have a great deal of interest in – and enthusiasm for – nanotechnology. It certainly has the ‘gee-whiz’ factor and it also provides opportunities to work on projects with clear societal benefits. So, it should not have been surprising that our summer student internships would prove to be highly in demand or that summer students would ask to come back for a second summer or even to arrange to spend a semester here during their studies. I don’t think, however, I could ever have anticipated how incredibly talented, knowledgeable, and motivated many of the students would be, starting at the high school level! Of course, as any teacher knows, students bring a vitality and excitement to everything they touch. We are benefiting every bit as much from having them here as they are benefiting from the experience.

www.nist.gov/cnst 

To begin, how would you define nanoscience and nanotechnology? Where does Europe position itself within this international research landscape?

The word nanoscience refers to the study, manipulation and engineering of matter, particles and structures at the nanometre scale (one millionth of a millimeter). Nanotechnology is the application of the various artificially-prepared nanostructures in useful products. The core subjects of nanotechnology are chemistry, physics, materials science and biology. At the nano-level science and technology become undistinguishable; therefore, nanotechnology is accepted as a term that incorporates nanoscience.

Nanotechnology can be considered the next industrial revolution. Take, for example, the complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) transistors, where the logic node features are about 50 nm. We can proudly say that they are the result of nanotechnology because they are made in a way that gives sub-100 nm precision. Europe is one of the leading players in nanotechnology and I personally believe that the EU’s private sector should be more forthcoming in providing funds for nanotechnology R&D.

What are the principal aims and objectives of ENNA?

One of the main aims of ENNA is to promote networking between academia, industry and policy makers, thus contributing to Europe’s sustainable growth. To achieve this goal we need a play-ground where we can come together. I believe this arena can be manifest in the form of seminars, workshops and conferences, where people from different backgrounds can meet and discuss their common goals. The objective is very clear; it is to train a new, young workforce in strategic fields.

I also hope that policy making forms a notable part of our activities going into the future. When we talk about support for science we should not forget that this could be at the national or EU level. I would suggest that at the national level support is very important, especially for countries that are not so active in the nano field.

The first ENNA annual meeting will be held next May in Sofia, Bulgaria. Can you offer insight into the organisation and themes of the event?

Initially, we were planning to hold our first annual meeting in Vienna, Austria, because of its strategic location in Europe. However, due to financial reasons we decided to hold it in Sofia, Bulgaria. We also pushed back the date and decided to hold it on 27-28 May 2013 at the University of Mining and Geology (St Ivan Rilski). We received the rector’s support to hold the event there at no cost, and have revised our plan to engage with universities across Europe. We can therefore avoid the cost of renting meeting halls and can provide cheaper accommodation for participants by using university facilities. This strategy will hopefully encourage universities across Europe to actively participate in networking and open their doors for people from other institutions to hold events in their institutions/countries.

Generally speaking, we will cover areas related to nanoscience and nanotechnologies, such as photovoltaics, photocatalysis, nanophotonics, battery research, biotechnology, material sciences and simulation studies of nanoscale objects.

Our target audience comprises students, scientists, lawmakers and industry. We plan to invite renowned speakers and managerial personnel of institutes/universities to give talks about their latest achievements. In addition, we would also like to invite lawmakers to actively participate in providing information to the general public about the funding laws. The event could also be of benefit to small start-up companies and entrepreneurs.

Nanotechnology has a big hand to play in the development and refinement of renewable energy technologies. Which of these are you most excited about?

I am most excited about photovoltaic research because there the possibilities are enormous. However, I also have great interest in photo electrochemical water splitting for H2 evolution. There is no doubt that nanotechnologies will eventually be competitive in terms of cost. Indeed, many people develop and work on these technologies in order that they will someday be cheaper than conventional technologies. Let’s take, for example, the current progress in dye-sensitised solar cells (DSSC). Knowing that the photon-to-current power conversion efficiency of DSSC doubled in the last 20 years (it now stands at c. 12 per cent, 0.25 cm2 cell), it is expected that 15 per cent efficiency could be obtained after optimising the cells energetic alignment.

ENNA is an association and as such we don’t directly develop technologies. In the future we plan to promote our ideas by engaging research funding organisations (or lawmakers) to support the development of renewable technologies. Our mission at the moment is mainly educational.

How are molecular technologies improving the current methods used to decipher and treat health problems and disease?

Molecular nanotechnologies are really promising in terms of the detection of diseases. In particular the developments of LAB-on-a-chip devices include concepts and ideas from the fields of nanoscience and biotechnology. With these devices one can easily detect various diseases in just tens of minutes.

To what extent do you communicate ideas and innovations to the general public? How does this filter down to the educational level?

Recently we organised educational courses for high school teachers. For example, I participated at the Teaching Sustainability across Slovenia and Italy (TESSI) workshop, 30-31 August 2012, where I gave lectures to high school teachers about renewable technologies. These were based on the current advances in nanoscience and nanotechnologies, meaning that those teachers who participated were able to take the ideas back to their schools.

Do you encourage cooperation within the global community of nanotechnology and nanoscience specialists?

Within Europe, we want to interact more with similar organisations such as Nanofutures (www.nanofutures.eu) or the Institute of Nanotechnology (www.nano.org.uk). The bigger the networks become the better the exchange of information. We are constantly trying to widen our horizons and contacts. For example, at the end of this September I helped to distribute ENNA flyers at the World Congress of Energy Wise Civilisation (WEW) 2012 conference at Taiyuan, China. Useful experiences gained from other places are implemented in ENNA’s vision.

Discoveries can happen any time and it is a matter of imagination!

www.europenanoscience.org  

Can you highlight the main focus of the Smart Grids European Technology Platform for Electricity Networks of the Future (ETP Smart Grids)?

ETP Smart Grids was born to streamline stakeholders’ views of the European R&D strategy. Today that focus still remains. ETP Smart Grids also provides a common ground for different stakeholders in the smart grid domain to provide input to various EU initiatives and address common challenges. Every stakeholder has a voice in this Platform and the only requirement for participation is to be active.

Furthermore, regulatory and legislative aspects have always been on the agenda of ETP Smart Grids. A very important part of the Smart Grid chain is regulated business. However, the ETP does not exist to drive a political or regulatory agenda; rather, it is our responsibility to point out the barriers and ensure that technology providers are prepared to deal with those obstacles, before and after policy makers step on the scene.

What advice do you offer to policy makers and by what means do you arrive at these recommendations?

Grid infrastructure was built and designed over 100 years ago, and today they are one of the largest and most complex infrastructures on Earth. In today’s context of ongoing revolution in the power generation sector, information technologies, and electric vehicles domain – to name a few – the electricity networks need to respond to very demanding needs from their users and face fundamental changes in their concept, design and operation. If these expectations are not met, they will serve as a main bottleneck not only for the grid infrastructure, but for many other sectors depending on priority developments in the future. In terms of specific initiatives, ETP Smart Grids has provided guidance and input in the early stage of the present European Electricity Grid Initiative (EEGI) and its Implementation Plan, and we will continue to do so.

Could you describe your view of Europe’s current electricity networks – how do they need to change?

Europe’s networks are developing at 27 different speeds. The challenge is to put them on a similar track by enabling the slower networks to catch up and ensuring the fastest go in the right direction. All of these networks must be tied up into a truly single energy market. Smart grids can be of use in this process by organising the market with new products for users, integrating renewable energy and high-efficiency building heating and cooling via heat pumps, and enabling the supply and use of electric vehicles.

Is the dissemination of your work to the general public a key aspect of your mission, and if so, how is this performed?

Publicising work is becoming a key issue and it is highly valuable to communicate the challenges of grid infrastructure and the Smart Grid vision in simple language. We are constantly trying to improve this in our activities with the help and partnership of the European Commission and also by involving Member and Associate States through initiatives such as the EEGI or the ERA-Net.

Can you detail the short- and long-term targets you have for the future of the Platform?

ETP Smart Grids is now updating the Strategic Research Agenda beyond 2020, shaping the future R&D activities at the EU and national level in the upcoming years, with an impact in a medium-term scenario. This year we held our 4th General Assembly in Rome where we plan to present the final SRA2035 document. We also plan to involve several experts reviewing the next EEGI Implementation Plan for 2013-24.

The future development of this Platform depends on the active involvement and participation of its experts and also on the evolution of different initiatives taking place at the moment. Back in 2005 when we started this Platform, we were the only initiative talking about smart grids. Today the whole picture at the EU and national level has changed significantly, and we expect to see faster developments soon.

www.smartgrids.eu

Could you offer an insight in the Danish Energy Agency (DEA) and outline its key roles and responsibilities?

The DEA engages nationally and internationally in policy development, administration and regulation on production, supply and consumption of energy, as well as in efforts to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. We are also responsible for Danish building policy and promote more sustainable building with regard to energy consumption, use of materials and economic issues. Our most important task is to ensure a cost-effective transition towards a green energy system entirely based on renewables by 2050.

Denmark has been engaged with major energy changes for quite some time. How are you looking to share expertise internationally in the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources?

We have been sharing our experiences and knowledge within energy efficiency and environmental technology through the so-called Joint Implementation (JI) and Country Development Mechanism (CDM) projects, aiming at cost-efficient emission reductions in Eastern Europe and developing countries respectively. This ties in with technology transfer between – and the sustainable development of – host countries.

We recently established a Low Carbon Transition Unit (LCTU) with experts within the field of energy efficiency, renewable energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction analysis. The purpose of the LCTU is to give high quality technical and financial guidance to help emerging economies with GHG emission reductions and a low-carbon transition in the energy sector. The LCTU will address general and methodological issues relevant to GHG emissions internationally, as well as work with specific energy-related capacity building in selected emerging economies.

Wind power plays a notable role in Denmark’s energy mix. How are you ensuring this natural source is being exploited as fully as possible?

Wind power is an important energy source in Denmark; in 2011 the country’s c. 5,000 wind turbines covered 28 per cent of the electricity consumption, and this share will increase substantially in the years to come. By 2020 the effects of concrete – and already agreed on – energy policies will ensure that the contribution from wind power will cater for half of all Danish electricity consumption. That is a remarkable milestone. We support onshore wind power through a price that is premium to the market price, while in the large offshore wind farm projects the subsidies are settled in a tender procedure.

Could you highlight some of the onshore and offshore wind projects taking place under the auspices of the DEA?

An important result of the recent energy agreement was a decision to establish two more large offshore wind farms. Before 2020, 600 MW-worth of offshore wind turbines will be erected at Kriegers Flak in the Baltic Sea and 400 MW-worth of wind turbines will be erected at Horns Rev in the North Sea. The two wind farms are capable of covering the electricity consumption of approximately 1 million households. The DEA is the authority for Danish offshore wind power projects and we will be responsible for carrying out the tender and coordination of the two projects with other authorities.

In addition, a decision has been made to develop 500 MW of nearcoast offshore wind turbines; the financial framework and potential sitting of the turbines is being discussed at the moment. Add to this the further development of the onshore wind deployment, and the result is half of all Denmark’s electricity consumption being covered by wind by 2020, with renewable energy covering a total of 70 per cent of all electricity.

What steps is Denmark taking to improve energy management across the public and private sector?

In 2001 Denmark was the first country in the world to introduce a standard for energy management in industry, which has been a great success. The concept has been copied and is now an international ISO standard for energy management. Furthermore, we have a long tradition in fostering voluntary agreements with energy-consuming enterprises as a means to achieve energy efficiency in industry.

The public sector is important because the state and municipalities own a considerable number of public buildings and are thus responsible for a large chunk of energy consumption in terms of heating and lighting, etc. By taking the lead in energy management strategies, the public sector can demonstrate best practice solutions which could benefit other areas of society. In Denmark, we have introduced targets for energy savings in governmental institutions which have reduced energy consumption the last couple of years.

Could you comment on some of the initiatives that have been set out by the DEA to reach its energy consumption targets by 2050?

It is the Danish Government’s target that the energy and transport system should be based solely on renewable energy by 2050. This is a huge task, as the last 30 years of ambitious energy policy has brought us to a point where renewable energy covers about 24 per cent of total energy consumption. However, we have accelerated the development and the energy agreement from March this year is an important step in the right direction. The political agreement is based on a broad majority of the parties in the Parliament and it contains a long list of concrete initiatives to raise the share of renewable energy to 36 per cent by 2020 and the contribution from renewable energy-based electricity to nearly 70 per cent by 2020.

In sum, the transition to a green energy system is well underway. By 2030 coal will be fully phased out and by 2035 the electricity and heat supply will be based 100 per cent on renewable energy. As long as concrete initiatives are put in place to back up the long-term objective, I wholeheartedly expect the 2050 target to be achieved.

www.ens.dk

IN THE PAST five years we have seen a significant paradigm shift in terms of the energy and climate debate in Danish politics. The two issues have gained independent policy mandates and increased importance within both national and international public governance.

The Danish climate change debate really peaked in the months leading up to the COP 15 UN Climate Change Conference 2009 in Copenhagen. The debate surged until finally collapsing in a welter of exaggerated expectations and high politics. A lot was stirred up by the debate, including unclear signals about the urgency of the agenda. While the debate has regained momentum in Denmark, it is now more focused on what can be done at the national rather than global level. For instance, in March this year a broad coalition of parties in the Danish Parliament signed up to an ambitious energy agreement towards a society free of coal, oil and natural gas. It is expected to reduce emissions by 34 per cent by 2020 compared to 1990 levels.

Now it is time to take the next step to reach 40 per cent reductions. Our task is therefore to reach the last six percentage points. While it may not sound much, it in fact corresponds to roughly half of the agricultural sector’s annual greenhouse gas emissions, or one-third of those of the transport sector. The Danish Government will therefore present a climate change plan before the end of this year, which will show how we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions even further and reach our goal. The target is ambitious and the energy sector alone cannot deliver all the reductions; the agricultural, transport and building sectors need also contribute.

PUBLIC BACKING

In general there is very strong support for the conversion to a green Danish society. Public awareness of the greening of society must be a priority if we are to reach our targets, partly because it will put pressure on politicians and partly because it is the foundation for ensuring action at all levels of society. An example of how we are working on increasing awareness of climate and energy solutions in local communities is our best practice catalogue for municipalities, which is currently under development. This catalogue will emphasise the importance of local action and facilitate sharing of best practices for green solutions.

LONG-SIGHTED VISION

In Denmark we have shown that investing in renewables goes hand-inhand with economic growth. That said, a green transition does not come around by itself.

When you factor in the environmental costs of developing clean energy infrastructure, it can be seen that burning fossil fuels is cheaper in the short term. The OECD has calculated that while a green transformation has high up-front costs, it pays off in the longer term, as fossil energy costs are likely to increase, and because fossil energy causes irreversible damage to our natural resources.

Green enterprises that are more energy-efficient are less vulnerable to energy price fluctuations. Furthermore, the transition can spur innovation. Companies and countries that can come up with clean and efficient solutions will get a head-start in adapting to a world of scarcer resources. Doing nothing is therefore short-sighted and can end up being much more expensive in the long term.

HURDLES TO OVERCOME

Today electricity is one of the backbones of our energy system and will be even more important in the future energy system. Denmark is favored by good wind resources, which supply green electricity at relatively low prices. Storing wind energy, however, is a challenge. The equation also needs to include district heating and the natural gas grid. They all have to work together. There are great opportunities for electrification of consumption: district heating, individual heating and many industrial processes can be electrified with heat pumps.

We also need to work on the electrification of most personal transport. Transport based on electricity will become increasingly green as electricity production is converted to renewable energy; this will contribute to greater flexibility in electricity consumption.

High electricity consumption combined with extensive wind power calls for an intelligent energy system known as a smart grid. We need to combine flexible electricity consumption, strong connections abroad and an efficient international electricity market. These are important elements that will enable Denmark to export wind electricity and import hydropower, depending on weather and market conditions. We need to take important steps towards a stronger and more flexible energy system. The gas grid, district heating system and electricity grid need to work together intelligently in an energy market with flexible electricity consumption.

R&D IN ENERGY

There are several programmes underway in the area of energy research development and demonstration. My Ministry is responsible for the Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Programmed (EUDP), which is supporting some very exciting projects. I would to like mention two excellent examples.

Danish firm InVentilate and the Danish Technological Institute have developed an unconventional ventilation solution called MicroVent, which ventilates directly through the outside wall and recycles the heat of the replaced air by up to 90 per cent. The solution saves energy, space and money while providing better comfort and new possibilities for the design and construction of buildings. Having completed the project a year ago, InVentilate has already sold the first MicroVent systems to schools and office buildings in several Danish cities.

Another company, H2 Logic, has developed hydrogen filling stations and technology for hydrogen cars and other vehicles. H2 Logic has patented gas station technology and supplied hydrogen filling stations in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland, and now hopes to add Germany to its list. The company works closely with the world’s largest automakers and is contributing to the proposed coordinated market introduction of hydrogen filling stations in 2015.

THE GREEN ROUTE

Transportation plays a key role in our society. Employees need to get to work and businesses need to transport their goods. A modern society requires high mobility. Mobility is tantamount to freedom for individuals and is essential to welfare. A more efficient and developed traffic infrastructure is also a prerequisite for further growth.

In working towards our independence from fossil fuels and the reduction of GHG emissions, we will require a radical conversion of the transport sector by 2050 – primarily towards electricity and biofuels, but possibly hydrogen too. The transport sector is indeed a tough nut to crack. However, there are a number of things we are working on:

• The energy agreement from March this year includes support for recharging stations for electric cars, and infrastructure for hydrogen for light vehicles and gas in heavy transport

• Electric vehicles and energy-efficient cars need to be further promoted; a key concern is to ensure that purchased cars pollute less

• A proposed reform of taxes on passenger cars is expected, and a mileage-based tax on trucks is under consideration. Proceeds will be used on investments in public transport

• Major electrification and improvements of the Danish railways

DANISH OUTLOOK

The world is facing two major crises: an economic one and a climatic one. These crises and their associated challenges need to be resolved at a time when major changes are pointing towards a new world order.

Neither the planet nor our economy can bear the pressure on resources and the environment. Pollution, resource shortages and climate change will continue to top the political agenda. We need to come up with solutions.

Denmark will engage in international negotiations both within the EU and globally and push for a more sustainable pathway, while also ensuring action is taken at the local level. We are committed to developing a greener economy and promoting new technologies and solutions. In this way we will create new jobs in the private sector, mitigate climate change and create a more sustainable pathway. We need to combine the benefits of a better environment and a rise in employment in the form of green growth. Denmark can prove to the world that it is possible.

www.kemin.dk/en-US/Sider/frontpage.aspx  

THE FUEL CELL: A DEFINITION

A fuel cell is in many ways similar to a battery, but rather than holding a closed store of energy it electrochemically consumes an external source of hydrogen-rich fuel, and can run indefinitely. The most common type in use today is the proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell – a low temperature, hydrogen-fuelled cell containing a platinum-based catalyst. In this cell hydrogen is oxidised at an anode, electrons are released to an external circuit, and hydrogen ions travel across a polymer electrolyte before combining with oxygen at a cathode to produce water.

FITTING INTO THE ENERGY JIGSAW

It is important to remember that hydrogen is not an energy source but an energy carrier. Fuel cells are not designed to displace energy sources such as wind, solar and tidal, but to complement them. Renewables are fundamentally intermittent in nature; excess electricity that is currently lost can be stored as hydrogen via electrolysis. It can then be used as vehicle fuel or injected into the gas grid for later use in domestic fuel cells at high efficiency. Likewise, biogas from anaerobically-digested waste is most efficiently used in a fuel cell. Renewable and fuel cells can together move the energy mix away from incumbent fossil fuels.

A RENEWABLE FUEL

The argument that hydrogen used for fuel cells may not be fully renewable is short-sighted. Hydrogen fuel cells completely eliminate emissions at point of use. Particularly when looking at fuel cell vehicles, their widespread introduction into population centers would instantly improve air quality. With emissions centralised at points of hydrogen production, carbon capture and storage (CCS) can be implemented. As technologies advance and costs come down, industrial-scale hydrogen production methods such as steam methane reforming can be superseded by truly zero-emission methods such as wind-driven electrolysis of water.

ON THE MOVE

Fuel cells represent a viable long-term transport solution, offering the short refueling times and long range of incumbent combustion vehicles but with a zero-emission electric drivetrain. The first fuel cell vehicle was demonstrated back in 1966 and automakers have been developing modern fuel cell vehicles since the early 1990s. The main barriers to commercialisation have been size and cost reductions, as well as the need for a hydrogen refueling infrastructure. The cars are now ready for early commercialisation and programmers are underway to strategically build up infrastructure in key launch markets.

In late 2009 seven of the world’s biggest automakers gathered to sign a letter of understanding outlining their intent to commercialise a significant number of fuel cell vehicles from 2015; a truly exciting commitment. The letter was addressed to oil and energy industries and government organisations, and urged them to develop hydrogen infrastructure, primarily in Europe and especially in Germany. Since then, the number of hydrogen refueling stations has steadily increased and there are a number of national programmers in several countries bringing together government bodies, automakers and gas suppliers in order to strategise a rollout of hydrogen infrastructure for 2015 and beyond.

PORTABILITY

Portable fuel cells have been the catalyst for the commercialisation of the fuel cell industry. The first fully commercial fuel cell launched in 2007 and was a portable system designed to meet hotel load in leisure applications such as in caravans and on yachts. Products in the same series have been successfully utilised in a number of commercial, industrial and military applications, including long-lasting, quiet power for remote sensing operations. Three handheld portable electronics chargers have recently launched and we expect to see dramatic growth in the portable sector as a result.

In auxiliary power applications, fuel cells offer a quiet, clean and efficient alternative to incumbent battery technologies and diesel gensets. Industrial users benefit from extended run times and the ability to operate in harsh weather conditions; military users enjoy weight savings and low heat signatures. Handheld fuel cell chargers are compact and efficient too: one fuel cartridge the size of three AA batteries can hold the power of a dozen. Looking forward, there will soon be fuel cell chargers that can run off standard cigarette lighters; a boon for ease of use.

EXCITING TIMES

In 2011, for the first time, we saw more than 100 MW of fuel cell capacity shipped – a true hallmark of the commercialisation of the industry. We expect to see this grow by more than 60 per cent to over 175 MW by the end of 2012 thanks largely to shipments of fuel cell power plants in Asia. The commercial launch of handheld fuel cell chargers is putting fuel cells into the hands of consumers through conventional channels such as Amazon and outdoor leisure stores. In the last few months we have also seen many leading automakers reaffirm their commitment to bring fuel cell cars to market by 2015, which is really encouraging.

INDUSTRY EVENTS

27 February-1 March 2013 Tokyo, Japan

FC Expo 2013: The world’s largest exhibition and conference for fuel cells, FC Expo is held within World Smart Energy Week and is an invaluable insight into the Asian markets and provides an opportunity to meet key players from across the entire industry.

8-12 April 2013 Hannover, Germany

Group Exhibit Hydrogen and Fuel Cells: Completely open plan, Europe’s largest fuel cell trade show is part of the world’s biggest industrial technology expo – the Hannover Messe. Rides and drives of fuel cell cars are available, enabling those from other industries to experience the benefits of fuel cells.

Fuel Cell today provides authoritative, objective and unbiased market-based intelligence on the fuel cell industry. Established in 2001, its aim is to allow decision makers to take advantage of the opportunities that fuel cells offer and to provide a reliable source of information for those developing and deploying fuel cell solutions.

www.fuelcelltoday.com  

STOA facilitates dialogue between MEPs, the scientific community and society at large on S&T issues of political relevance. This takes place mostly via workshops that are often in cooperation with external organisations. Each year STOA organises an annual lecture in which eminent scientists – often Nobel-Prize laureates – speak to a broad audience about S&T topics of notable interest. In addition, STOA has developed the MEP-Scientist Pairing Scheme, through which individual MEPs can work for a certain time on specific issues with high-level scientists. The aim is to enhance mutual understanding and establish lasting links between MEPs and the scientists with whom they are paired.

The Secretariat, under the political supervision of the STOA Panel and the financial responsibility of the Director responsible for STOA , sets up Technology Assessment (TA) studies (often including workshops, expert meetings and presentations), which are carried out by external specialised organisations. They are designed to offer objective and independent assessment overviews of existing and emerging technologies.

TIES WITH EURO PEAN INSTITUTIONS  

STOA’s proximity to MEPs helps to channel research results to the relevant Parliamentary committees. We also enjoy privileged access to the European Commission’s in-house scientific research service, the Joint Research Centre (JRC), with whom we cooperate in the definition of new projects and the evaluation of outcomes.

We increasingly focus on grand societal challenges and work closely with the EC’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, as well as with all major European S&T organisations and associations (COST, Euro Science, ESF, EASAC, Euro-CASE, etc.). Moreover, STOA has wide-ranging contacts with a network of individual experts and participates actively in important international S&T-policy fora. Our increased emphasis on clear and concise communication is expected to make our work yet more accessible to MEPs. Additionally, the tendency towards organising short, focused workshops should facilitate better links between policy makers and the scientific community, and thus ensure that informed decision making takes place.    

PROJECTS  

STOA has carried out a large number of strategic projects analysing the impact of a wide range of new technologies. These projects are systematically advertised to all MEPs, presented to relevant committees wherever possible, and outsourced to a highly-reputed network of scientific institutes with long-term experience with handling the methodology and tools of TA.

TA studies seek to provide scientifically sound, independent answers to medium/long-term, complex, interdisciplinary problems relating to ongoing or expected scientific and technological developments. They assess the economic, social, ethical and environmental impact of existing or emerging technologies, and identify and evaluate the widest possible range of long-term, strategic policy options in these fields. The options they provide should ensure that politicians have the required state-of-the-art knowledge to guide their debates and decisions, which incorporate other factors such as their individual political and ethical values. While ensuring that the scientific analysis is of the highest standard, TA studies strive to present the policy options in a manner accessible to the non-expert.

REACHING OUT  

The Panel carries out a large number of activities in the context of promoting dialogue between the political and scientific communities and society at large. Among these is the STOA Annual Lecture, which this year will focus on the activities of CERN, with Professors Peter Higgs and Francois Englert as special guests of honor. As such, we hope to attract a broad audience of students, researchers, scientists and journalists, in addition to MEPs and officials of the EP and the other European institutions.

Additionally, STOA pursues dialogue with scientists and society beyond the premises of the EP by participating in key international events, such as the Science and Technology in Society (STS) forum, the Euro Science Open Forum (ESOF), the World Science Forum (WSF), the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) and BioVision.

The art of science communication    

Recent debates organised by STOA

‘Human Enhancement – The Ethical Issues’ (26 April 2012, in cooperation with the Conference of European Churches and the FP7-funded project, ETHENTECH)

‘Challenges Arising from the Large-Scale Deployment of Smart Grids in Europe’  (12 April 2012, STOA project)

‘The Science of Innovation’ (28 February 2012, in cooperation with ESF)

‘Risk Governance of Manufactured Nanoparticles’ (21 November 2011, STOA project)

‘Chemistry for a Better Life’ (09 November 2011, in cooperation with the European Association for Molecular Science – EuCheMS and the European Chemical Industry Council – CEFIC)

‘A Roadmap for Ageing Research’ (18 October 2011, in cooperation with FP7- funded project FUTURAGE)

CURRENT RESEARCH PRIORITIES   

• Eco-efficient transport: scenarios for a sustainable transport future, Intelligent Transport Systems, alternative fuels

• Security of the Internet: e-Government, social networks, cloud computing

• Life sciences and human health: clinical trials, public health in times of economic crisis

• Science policy: science metrics, technology and knowledge transfer, research management

Correia de Campos on the eurozone

The key issue is how to create jobs and improve economic growth in a context of sound budgetary management to keep the single currency alive. There is a permanent dialectic between these two elements. For decades growth and consumption were prioritised through cheap and easy credit to nations, banks and consumers. Suddenly, the US-generated real estate bubble raised the issue of financial sustainability. Mechanisms for financial and economic governance were rather weak. The first instinct was the serious restraint of spending. Now, through new legislation and institutional efforts – mainly from the European Central Bank (ECB) – the growth component can restart. Technology is a key element in the European recovery: we have clear competitive advantages and the trans- European networks of transport, energy and communications can be a booster for industrial development, economic growth and the creation of more and better jobs.

www.europarl.europa.eu/stoa

We last spoke with you in 2010. Could you outline how the Platform has progressed since then?

Since 2010 we have published our latest update of the Strategic Research Agenda (SRA), identifying key R&D working lines considered necessary in achieving the EBTP biofuels vision for 2030. The SRA also aims to provide a reliable source of information and opinion on the development of biofuels for transport in the EU.

Alongside developments in the biofuels sector, the EBTP increasingly focuses on the latest stages of the innovation cycle, i.e. the demonstration and deployment of advanced biofuels. We continue to promote further research in the biofuels sector, but we also highlight to policy and business leaders that the technology for advanced biofuels is ready to be deployed. What is missing is a favorable framework to make it happen and ensure advanced biofuels play a key role in meeting the EU 2020 targets.

In what way is the EBTP helping to contribute to the development of cost-competitive and world-class technologies to serve the EU markets with a healthy supply of sustainable biofuels?

We connect the dots between various actors along the value chain and inform them about latest developments in the biofuels sector. We also help to generate consensus and to improve the alignment of investment efforts by avoiding duplication and making the most of poles of excellence and best practice.

The EBTP actively engages with biofuels stakeholders (researchers, academia, civil societies, and industry), EU-funded research projects and initiatives, related European Technology Platforms and global biofuels organisations in a wide range of activities relevant to the development of sustainable, advanced biofuels in Europe.

By producing the SRA we draw European policy makers’ attention to the most important fields of research and innovation to enable the production of world-class, competitive biofuels. With proper funding and favorable policy frameworks, Europe can become a global leader in the field of advanced biofuels. The SRA objectives will be further updated in coming weeks by a series of Research Priority Documents.

Financing the first commercial units of value chains operating at an economically viable scale is a challenge. We are therefore actively engaged in the proposals for the European Industrial Bioenergy Initiative (EIBI), which can help address the investment challenge and aims at bridging the gap from research to market deployment of advanced biofuels/bioenergy.

Given the complex and wide-ranging issues surrounding biofuels and the wide range of industry actors involved with them, developing joint analyses and formulating shared recommendations must pose quite a challenge. How do you respond to this task?

The strength of the EBTP is in its diverse membership and we are all there because we share the same objectives. We cover all aspects of the biofuel value chains and focus on sustainability issues.

We have developed biofuels factsheets which are published on our website. These aim at informing the interested public in a scientifically engaging way on the production, use and advantages/disadvantages of different biofuels. They are ‘living documents’, updated with stakeholder input as biofuels technology and deployment develops.

How might you measure the EBTP’s success, and could you give some recent examples of this?

The EBTP is a unique platform as it represents an open forum for stakeholders along the full biofuel value chain – from agriculture and forestry to end use – thus transcending the typical sectoral borders and looking into sustainability issues in a horizontal manner, across every step of the value chain. Since its inception in 2006 the EBTP has constantly increased its number of stakeholders; around 300 are currently registered. Furthermore, over 1,800 people are subscribed to the EBTP newsletter and e-mail service. This demonstrates how many people value our output and would like to be connected or kept informed of our activities.

Moreover, the industrial leadership and active participation of the major companies interested in advanced biofuels ensures we have a close relation to the market. It also provides an invaluable insight into the challenges and opportunities of rapid market uptake.

Thanks to the ongoing structured dialogue with the European Commission – and DG Research and Innovation and DG Energy in particular – the EBTP is also a unique source of information on biofuels policy and technological development.

We have also put a lot of effort into the development of the European Industrial Bioenergy Initiative (EIBI). This launched in late 2010 and aims at supporting demonstration or reference plants for innovative bioenergy value chains that are not yet commercially available.

The recent FP7 call, which includes a call for support activities to the EBTP, is a clear signal that the activities pursued by the EBTP are highly relevant to the EU and that the EBTP is indeed a success!

Sustainability is a key challenge for the biofuels industry and a central theme for the EBTP. Can you highlight some of your activities in this area?

We have just merged our Working Group on sustainability with the Working Group on policies and markets. In our view, sustainability is not a single topic to be addressed, but an overarching issue concerning biofuels. Sustainability plays a vital role in all Working Groups and decisions made by the EBTP.

For example, in the EBTP position paper on indirect land use change (ILUC) we highly encourage the deployment of advanced biofuels, as advanced biofuels produced from lignocellulosic materials (eg. straw, energy crops and forestry residues) could enable far greater reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In this paper we also recommend the European Commission to:

• Further encourage the improvement of GHG life cycle performance of biofuels through existing regulation

• Support the rapid deployment of advanced biofuels by financing the EIBI

• Further promote advanced biofuels as a whole in its Renewable Energy Directive (RED) and Fuel Quality Directive (FQD) 2014 revision

Recent directives have proved challenging for the biofuels industry. While they will boost the most cost-efficient technologies and sustainable options, they still present obstacles. How are you able to help the industry to overcome these hurdles?

The key recommendation of the EBTP is that a stable and long-term political environment is needed to deploy advanced biofuels in Europe. As already mentioned, the technology for advanced biofuels production is available; what is now needed is deployment. To foster this we continue to help in shaping the EIBI in close collaboration with the European Commission and Member States.

The EIBI was launched at the Belgian Presidency’s Strategic Energy Technology (SET)-Plan conference in November 2010, following extensive cooperation between industry, Member States and the EC to agree common objectives, a roadmap and an action plan. The major milestones of the EIBI are: the 2020 Technology Roadmap included in the 2009 SET-Plan Communication; the Implementation plan for 2010-12, agreeing on Key Performance Indicators; mapping of existing EU and national projects; identifying financial needs and barriers; mobilising the aviation sector through the Biofuels Flight path Initiative; and the publishing of a Call for Expression of Interest, which is to support the 2012 ERA-NET Plus for demonstration of advanced bioenergy technologies.

We are also very conscious of the need for the EIBI to cooperate with and complement other initiatives, such as the emerging Private-Public Partnership (PPP) on Biobased Industries. EBTP industrial members of the EIBI team support a structured linkage between the two initiatives (EIBI and Biobased PPP) which should highlight their similarities and differences. The industrial members of the EIBI are willing to support the European Commission in creating this articulation and contributing to the definition of respective scopes, activities and governances of the two initiatives.

How do you see the role of the Platform evolving over the next 10 years? Are there any areas that you particularly wish to develop?

The EBTP is constantly developing. Back in 2006, we focused a lot on research activities, which resulted in the development of the Strategic Research Agendas. As all EBTP members are actively involved in the European and global biofuels business along the whole value chain – from basic research to biomass production, conversion and end use – we of course follow all developments within the sector. The profile of the EBTP was based on research suggestions, but as advanced biofuels matures more and more, so too does the EBTP. Our focus changes in accordance with the advanced biofuels developments towards deployment. New end use areas such as aviation and maritime transport gain importance, as does the link to the biobased economy as a whole.

The EBTP aims at remaining a strong, reliable and independent contact for the European Commission and all biofuels stakeholders. As new technologies develop, new applications are found and the industry evolves. We believe the EBTP will continue to play a predominant role in defining research and innovation priorities and action plans to deliver advanced sustainable biofuel technologies to the market at a competitive price.

Suggestions and comments on the work of the EBTP are always welcome. If you have a proposal on topics or issues for the Platform to address, please email the Secretariat at secretariat@biofuelstp.eu

www.biofuelstp.eu