ETIP Bioenergy-SABS

European Technology and Innovation Platform – Support of Advanced Bioenergy Stakeholders 2016-17

In spring 2016, the previous European Biofuels and Technology Platform (EBTP) and the European Industrial Bioenergy Initiative (EIBI) merged into the new European Technology and Innovation Platform Bioenergy (ETIP Bioenergy).

Building on a 10 years track of support to EBTP, the project objective was to provide support to actions directed at advanced bioenergy and biofuel stakeholders as well as the general public. This included monitoring the bioenergy and biofuels sector, providing information on biofuels/bioenergy and on recent trends and developments to the biofuels and bioenergy community, as well as facilitating discussion between various groups of stakeholders on hot topics, and providing overviews and summaries on stakeholder views to the working groups of the ETIP Bioenergy Platform. Key instruments, which ensured to achieve this aim, were the new ETIP Bioenergy website, the new accomplished factsheets, reports, newsletters and networking events at different scales. The project compiled scientifically sound, fact-based information on technical and non-technical bioenergy issues. The overall adjustments of the website including the modern layout, the content update as well as the new factsheets reflects renewed quality, which is available for every stakeholder and underlines the achievement that the project compiled scientifically sound information about technological, market, political, regulatory and financially as well as deployment activities.

The ETIP Bioenergy expanded its scope from biofuels to all areas that cover the deployment, technology development and commercialization of advanced biofuels and bioenergy in Europe. The project aimed to connect and support all stakeholders coming from industry, politics, research and development. Furthermore, the project supported the ETIP Bioenergy in its endeavour seeking to be a productive platform facilitating exchange and sharing up-to-date knowledge on latest developments and innovations.

Key objectives of the project were to facilitate

contributions to the SET-Plan activities and strategy, e.g. on renewable energy integration, technology cost reduction and upscaling;
defining priorities, strategies, R&I investment decisions and programmes;
collaboration between stakeholders in addressing energy system integration challenges;
identification of technical and non-technical barriers to the delivery of innovation to the energy market;
assistance to the European Commission and Member States in defining the research programmes, financial instruments, and addressing the mentioned barriers

for the area of advanced biofuels and bioenergy.

The project was strongly connected to the European Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan) and strived to support the decarbonisation of the European energy system and to coordinate those efforts throughout Europe. ETIP Bioenergy had a key role in drafting the Implementation Plan of SET-Plan Key Action 8 Renewable Fuels and Bioenergy. ETIP Bioenergy industrial experts co-chaired the Temporary Working Group for Action 8. The Implementation Plan that contains concrete R&I activities, and proposes relevant funding opportunities for their realization, was approved on 13th June 2018 by the SET-Plan Steering Group. The EBTP/ETIP Bioenergy Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) from June 2016 served as a key background document for Action 8 Implementation Plan. The SRIA was updated in August 2018, which was accomplished in collaboration with the Steering Committee, Working Group Leaders, the Secretariat of the Platform and all project partners.
In order to further strengthen the public presence of ETIP Bioenergy, promote sustainable advanced biofuels and other bioenergy carriers and gather feedback, recommendations and remarks from a broader panel of stakeholders, the consortium organized four public events. Each event had different scope and target groups, as well as thematic focus. Nonetheless, they have all been designed so to promote dialogue among different stakeholders on the main topics of the current bioenergy and advanced biofuels debate.

Five new factsheets on different aspects of biofuels and bioenergy have been produced:

aviation biofuels
marine biofuels
bioenergy RES hybrids
biomass combined heat and power facilities
biorefinery concepts.

The ETIP Bioenergy-SABS project was coordinated by the Agency for Renewable Resources (FNR). The project consortium further comprised Bioenergy 2020+ from Austria, the Central European Initiative (CEI) and ETA Florence Renewable Energy (both coming from Italy).

Duration of the project: 01.09.2016 - 31.08.2018