A short update on EU 2020 research and development

Includes the following topics (Read as PDF)

Investors follow currency fluctuations
Allianz is looking for wind projects in established markets within the euro zone. The concentration of the majority of the company’s projects in Germany, Italy and France and, most recently, Sweden has not come about by chance. This is a consequence of the risk that a fluctuation in currency exchange rates can represent.
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Carbon dioxide neutral Volvo site
Volvo Construction Equipment Site in Sweden Now Powered Entirely by Renewable Energy. No harmful emission, no contribution to the greenhouse effect. At the end of December 2013, Volvo Construction Equipment’s site in Braås, Sweden, completed its journey towards becoming carbon dioxide neutral. It is the first construction equipment production facility in the world to be powered entirely by renewable energy.
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Steps to resource efficiency
EU has approved funding for 14 new research projects to shape a more resource-efficient economy in Europe. Each project addresses a key issue such reusing discarded automobile tyres, recovering key elements from batteries, producing green fertiliser from animal waste, and generating renewable clean energy from food and plant waste.
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Nu tar vi sikte mot horisonten
Den 1 januari startade EU-kommissionens omfattande satsning på forskning och innovation – Horisont 2020. Mitt under den djupa ekonomiska krisen har medlemsländerna enats om att gemensamt lägga cirka 80 miljarder euro i det nya ramprogrammet vilket gör programmet till världens största program för forskning och innovation. Den 29 januari arrangerade VINNOVA ett lanseringsevent.
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Launch of Horizon 2020

Choose between H2020 programmes for different success rates
The odds of getting an EU grant may drop under Horizon 2020 if the success rates may drop to 15% from 20-22%, as EU officials brace for an unprecedented flood of applicants. The European Commission on December 11 announced the first €15 billion round of grant opportunities under its massive Horizon 2020 programme – but at the same time warned that the average odds of winning a grant could drop  to around 15 per cent from the 20 – 22 per cent success rate of the current – smaller – Framework Programme 7.
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A short update on EU 2020 research and development

Includes the following topics (Read as PDF)

Free-of-charge access to world-class R&D
MARINET, the Marine Renewables Infrastructure Network, is a network of research centres and organisations that are working together to accelerate the development of marine renewable energy technologies – wave, tidal & offshore-wind. MARINET offers periods of free-of-charge access to world-class R&D facilities & expertise and conducts joint activities in parallel to standardise testing, improve testing capabilities and enhance training & networking.
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Talk of the Internet
To increase awareness and the availability of environmental information, the Media Watch on Climate Change provides a comprehensive and continuously updated account of news and social media coverage on climate change and related issues. The portal aggregates, filters and visualizes environmental content from various sources.
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RI.SE Takes the lead towards Horizon 2020
The first call for Horizon 2020, EU’s new framework programme for research and innovation 2014-2020, is launched on 11 December, 2013. RISE conducted a seminar for research institute representatives on 16 October. Results in previous programmes and the importance of technological platforms were discussed. Volvo and Ericsson also described how they work with the upcoming research programmes.
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KIC-Climate identifies the Bio Horizon
With bioeconomy holding the key to unlocking new and sustainable resources, more needs to be known about the current landscape of the industry across Europe. The Biohorizons project is focused on mapping the bioeconomy industry to identify areas for growth, opportunity and innovation.
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A short update on EU 2020 developments

Includes the following topics (Read as PDF)

Rethinking car battery
Volvo Car Group and Imperial College London have been working for two and a half years on an ingenious solution to energy storage, not only eliminating the need for a dedicated battery but also saving weight by up to 15 %. Together they have developed a revolutionary concept for lightweight structural energy storage components that could improve the energy usage of future electrified vehicles.
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Measure your lifestyle
The PROMISE project seeks to promote energy savings and awareness among households situated on some of Europe’s most beautiful, and remote, islands. The Icelandic Energy Agency developed several web-based calculators that can help consumers make more energy efficient decisions related to their home, car and transport.
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A plan to make cities smarter
Leaders of European cities have together with industry and research community representatives decided on the Smart Cities and Communities Partnership. The Partnership Plan sets out a broad range of new actions and approaches to encourage cities to become smarter, focusing on building improvements, and the integration of information technologies into the transport and energy infrastructure, while relying on fast and secure networks that ensure high-quality connectivity.
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Opportunities for a circular economy
This report analyses the opportunities and obstacles that will present themselves as the Netherlands moves towards a more circular economy. It proposes a number of actions that can be taken, particularly by the government, to accelerate this process.
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A short update on EU research

Includes the following topics (Read as PDF)

World class research Infrastructure
The MERIL database is an inventory of the most excellent research infrastructures (RIs) in Europe of more-than-national relevance across all scientific domains: from archives and statistical offices to biobanks and satellites.
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European Energy Harbours
The e-harbours project aims at stimulating renewable energy for power and transport by optimizing energy usage and production. The challenge is to create a more sustainable energy model in harbour regions on the basis of innovative intelligent energy networks (smart grids). e-harbours focuses on 3 objectives: Increase the production and use of renewable energy in harbour cities; Increase the use of energy smart grids; Increase the use of electric transport.
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Daktriper

Few on course for energy efficiency targets
Only four EU countries are on course to meet their energy efficiency target for 2020, while the Union is broadly on track to meet its renewable energy and greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals, the European Environment Agency says in a new report. These targets, also called the ’20/20/20 targets’, include a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, a 20% rise in the share of renewable resources to Europe’s energy needs, and 20% more efficiency in energy use across the EU.
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Vinnova presenterar Horizont 2020
Nu är VINNOVAs informationsturné om Horisont 2020 – EU:s nya ramprogram för forskning och innovation, igång. Under informationsturnén besöker de sju platser från Umeå i norr till Lund i söder för att informera om Horisont 2020. Intresset för det nya ramprogrammet är rekordstort och vi har drygt 1800 anmälda deltagare till turnén. Den 31 oktober kommer de till Göteborg.
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A short update on EU research

Includes the following topics (Read as PDF)

Dual-fuel hybrid
Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich have developed an ultra-efficient new engine that runs on a combination of natural gas and diesel. When combined with a battery and electric motor to make a hybrid vehicle, it could allow a car to get the equivalent of 80 miles per gallon, the researchers say. That’s far better than most efficient existing hybrids.
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Good practise for Energy Efficiency
The good practice brochure presents the results of the screening of the National Energy Efficiency Action Plans and the survey on the implementation of energy efficiency policies in the EU. Besides analysing overall governance framework and sector policies, this brochure is also a collection of good practices in energy efficiency. The survey were carried out within the framework of the Energy-Efficiency-Watch project, which aims to facilitate the implementation of the Energy Services Directive.
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Electrical roads project at Arlanda
European scientists and engineers are working on a technology that would allow charging an electric car on the go. We have the technology to power a car while it is moving, with an electrical track in the road that propels the car in a way that’s a lot like a slot-car kit,” says Mats Leksell (KTH) leader of the Electrical Roads project. They are testing the technology on an electrical demonstration road close to Arlanda, Stockholm’s international airport.
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LCA takes the long view
These days, companies are being swept up, willingly or otherwise, into the concepts of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and environmental sustainability. For financial, practical, and even brand-image reasons, they are taking the long-term view of their operations and products — that their activities shouldn’t be borrowing from the future or placing an undue burden on future generations.
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A short update on EU research

Includes the following topics (read as PDF)

Climate targets in EU presidency program The Lithuanian Presidency will mostly focus on retaining EU leadership and the coordination of EU activities in international negotiations on climate change regarding global legally binding post-2020 agreement. Lithuania will seek to approve within the Council a common EU position for negotiations on the future of climate change policy at the 19th Conference of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change scheduled for November 2013.
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Organisationen för Horisont 2020
En arbetsgrupp vid Utbildningsdepartementet har haft som uppdrag att analysera om den nationella organisationen för EU:s forskningssamarbete. De föreslår att den nationella EU-organisationen utvecklar ett mer systematiskt samarbete med intermediära, som ger råd till deltagare i Horisont 2020, för att effektivare nå̊ ut till större grupper av aktörer. Små̊ och medelstora företag, SMF, utgör en prioriterad målgrupp för deltagande i Horisont 2020.
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Green buildings beyond energy efficiency
Green housing campaigners are excited by a new sustainable buildings debate the EU has kick-started, which aims to move certification schemes beyond the energy efficiency paradigm. On 10 July, the Commission launched a public consultation on the lifecycle impact of buildings, in advance of a communication which is expected at the beginning of 2014.
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Biggest battery in Europe
A trial of the largest battery in Europe will transform the UK electricity grid and boost renewable energy. The trial of cutting-edge energy storage technology will test new methods of capturing electricity for release over long periods, evening out the bumps and troughs of supply and demand that plague the electricity grid. Finding ways of storing power from wind and solar generation is key to maintaining a constant source of energy.
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A short update on EU research

Includes the following topics (read as PDF)

Bioeconomy Observatory started
A JRC coordinated Bioeconomy Observatory will monitor progress of the sustainable conversion of biological material and waste – from agriculture, forestry and livestock farming – into raw material and industrial products, including energy. Operational as of March 2013, it will follow the evolution of markets and map regional, national and EU policies, research and innovation capacities, as well as the scale of related public and private investments.
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JRC report on biofuels
The increased demand from 10% biofuels in year 2020 would lead to an increased generation of co-products, replacing conventional fodder for animal feed. Considering the co-products, the land used for bioenergy would range between 8.8 Mha and 15.0 Mha in 2020 in the various scenarios. This represent between 7.9% and 13.3% of the total arable land used in the EU.
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Stories from the biobased economy
A collection of short films tell the story of how biobased innovation is contributing to a more sustainable, competitive and prosperous Europe. They show how the sector is successfully tackling food and energy security, climate change and resource efficiency, whilst creating jobs, regenerating industries and reviving rural communities.
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Chalmers research break-through
Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology have developed an integrated motor drive and battery charger that shortens the charging time for electric vehicles from eight to two hours, cutting the typical cost of charging from $2000 to “close to zero, ideally”, said Saeid Haghbin, a postdoctoral research fellow at Chalmers. “If we manage to solve the main problems with the battery and the battery chargers, I think the electric vehicles will succeed.”
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A short update on EU research

Includes the following topics (read as PDF)

European Bioplastics
European Bioplastics has published data demonstrating that less than 0.006 percent of global agricultural area is currently required to grow feedstock for the bioplastics industry. According to the trade organization, the finding is based on figures sourced from the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations and calculations made by the University of Hannover’s Institute for Bioplastics and Biocomposites.
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Hybrid Car Sales Set For Explosive Growth
Sales of electric cars are set to fall far short of official expectations, according to a new report commissioned by the RAC Foundation which says 20 to 50 per cent of cars sold in 2030 could be hybrids. The Committee on Climate Change has previously said it would be “feasible and desirable”, to have up to 1.7 million fully electric and plug-in hybrid cars on the road by 2020.Most industry analysts predict the number will be significantly lower.
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Quest To Be The First Oil-Free Nation
Famous for Volvo, Ikea and Absolut Vodka, Sweden is now on a new pursuit to become the first completely oil-free economy in the world by 2020. The oil crisis in the early 1970s forced Sweden to embark on a quest for alternative energy sources. Its phasing out of oil has proceeded smoothly; in 1970, oil accounted for 77% of Sweden’s energy, but by 2003 that figure fell to 32%.
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The fuel of the future
Drax, in Britain and one of Europe’s largest coal-fired power stations, said it would convert three of its six boilers to burn wood. This energy will get a subsidy, called a renewable obligation certificate, paid on top of the market price for electricity. With incentives like these, European firms are scouring the Earth for wood. Europe does not produce enough timber to meet that extra demand. Prices are going through the roof.
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A short update on EU research

Includes the following topics (read as PDF)

Smart Grid Project for a Greener Future
The UK’s largest ‘smart grid’ project has completed the first stage of its research into electricity consumption after establishing a series of ongoing trials with 12,000 customers. The £54m Customer-Led Network Revolution  project is testing a number of innovative solutions to ensure Britain’s electricity networks are fit for the future and ready for the mass uptake of low carbon technologies, such as solar PV, heat pumps and electric vehicles. Läs mer =>

Falkenberg, a leading Concerto project
The EU CONCERTO initiative has presented a database of major construction and retrofitting projects being carried out in 58 European municipalities. One of them is Falkenberg, which aims to cut its energy consumption of 1/4 within the CONCERTO core area, by using different techniques of Energy Efficiency (EE) and new methods of clean energy production. Läs mer =>

Finland takes the biorefinery lead
The EU’s Renewable Energy Directive, which requires that renewable energy should account for at least 10% of the energy used in traffic by 2020, is creating a boom in biorefinery projects in Finland. There are currently more than EUR 1 billion worth of biorefinery projects underway or planned in Finland. If all the planned projects are realised the production of biofuels in Finland will increase to almost one million tons annually. This would cover 12-20% of Finland’s total traffic fuel needs. Läs mer =>

Europe in 2030
The European Commission took last week the first step towards developing a 2030 framework for EU climate change and energy policies. The Commission also adopted a report assessing the EU and Member States’ progress towards their 2020 renewable energy targets and on the sustainability of biofuels and bioliquids consumed in the EU. Läs mer =>