• Opening Speech by Giovanni Federigo De Santi, European Commission
• Contributions by Speakers from All Over the World
• Promoting Biomass in the EU and the Role of Biomass in the Renewable Energy Directive

Hamburg– The 17th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, the most important event in the Biomass sector opened its doors today at the CCH – Congress Center Hamburg, Germany, for specialists and industry representatives in the biomass sector from all over the world. The Conference will discuss a broad range of biomass-related topics, for example goals and directives concerning the increase of the Biomass share in the energy-mix, the European Biomass Action Plan, the preservation and sustainability of biomass resources and consistent regulations for the production of biomass throughout Europe.

Giovanni Federigo De Santi, Director of the Institute for Energy (IE), Joint Research Centre (JRC) - European Commission, states: “Globally we are facing huge and immediate energy challenges….climate change, security of supply, sufficient affordable energy to name but a few, we need to preserve our resources and find alternatives to fossil fuels. This conference offers the opportunity to consider all options, for example the role of research to underpin crucial decisions affecting the future of our environment. Finally I am confident that the discussions during the following days will help us to accelerate the deployment of sustainable low carbon energy technologies, which in turn will aid industry and competitiveness in the current economic climate.”

Michael Müller, Parlamentarian Secretary of State at the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, welcomed the audience on behalf of the host country Germany and highlighted in his speech the role of biomass in Germany and the country’s ambitious strategy to enhance the efficiency and to promote the expansion of renewable energies.

After the opening speeches international experts in the biomass sector took the opportunity to present their point of view concerning the role of biomass in Europe and on an international level. Fabrizio Barbaso, European Commission, Deputy Director General for Energy and Transport, presented after a short introduction of the RES-E Directive of 2001 and Biofuels Directive of 2003 and EU Biomass Action Plan of 2005, the RES targets and sectors (including heating and cooling) and the national renewable energy action plans, including biomass availability and mobilisation.

Also the U.S. Department of Energy is actively pursuing the Obama Administration’s strong initiatives to build a diverse mix of clean, domestic energy sources to meet national climate and security goals. Valri Lightner, Biomass Program Manager at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) talked about biofuels initiatives in the US and the government’s support to build a diverse energy-mix of clean energy sources. According to Lightner, Biofuels are a key piece of the solution for the transportation sector. “The Department is applying its expert resources across the spectrum, from the basic sciences to delivery infrastructure, to expedite production of a broad portfolio of biofuels from diverse, sustainable biomass resources. The Department’s commercial-scale demonstrations of integrated biorefineries in partnership with the private sector are a keystone in this process”, says Lightner.

“Biomass in South America” was another important topic on the opening session. Josè Moreira, Director CENBIO – Brazilian National Biomass Reference Centre, Brasil, held his speech about “The Brazilian biomass challenge” and the developments and targets of the biomass sector in Brazil.

Sergey Mazurenko, Head of Federal Agency for Science and Innovations, Russia, gave an insight into the Russian Research and presented the latest developments in the bioenergy sector. In this context he announced that Russia’s Energy Strategy for up to 2030 that is under development, now envisages increased share of renewable energy sources. Efforts have recently been undertaken by the Russian government to make more effective use of the national bioenergy resources. “The key drivers for development of bioenergy the sector in Russia are the need to ensure domestic energy security, agricultural interests, and Russia’s integration into the world energy markets and its competitiveness in these markets”, said Sergey Mazurenko.

The Event is supported by the European Commission, the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the World Council for Renewable Energy (WCRE), the European Biomass Industry Association (EUBIA), the Community Research and Development Information Service (CORDIS), the Sustainable Energy Europe (SEE) Campaign, the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW) and further organisations.

17th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition. From Research to Industry and Markets.

Dates:
29th June to 3rd July 2009 (Conference)
29th June to 2nd July 2009 (Exhibition) – free, no entrance fee

Place:
CCH - Congress Center Hamburg, Germany

Target Group:
Experts and decision-makers in all areas of the biomass industry, in research and politics

Organization name: ETA-Florence Renewable Energies
Phone: +39-055-5002280
City: Florence
Country: Italy
Web: http:// www.etaflorence.it