Three projects have been nominated for the European Sustainable Energy award from the European Commission. The three nominated projects are the Italian/Belgian project MUSE GRIDS, the Swedish BECCS Stockholm and Austrian, Italian and Dutch ENVISION project.
MUSE GRIDS
MUSE GRIDS is a project aimed at decarbonising local energy systems with a positive impact on centralised energy infrastructure, local economy, local social aspects and air quality.
Within MUSE GRIDS, two pilot projects have been set up in the Italian village of Osimo and Belgian Oud-Herverlee. The two villages meet 90% of their energy needs with local renewable energy production and optimised use and distribution of energy.
MUSE GRIDS hereby integrates energy-intensive utilities such as water, electricity, gas and heating and cooling systems into a smart energy system. This system enables more precise management, energy savings and affordable local energy production.
MUSE GRIDS is a project receiving EU funding. The project involves a wide range of partners, including Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), Siemens Gamesa, Engie, Astea and ABB. Further information is available here.
Beccs Stockholm
Beccs Stockholm consortium is working on the world's first bioenergy carbon capture and storage facility. Beccs stands for 'bioenergy carbon capture and storage'. The facility should capture 8Mt of CO2 emissions over 10 years. This is equivalent to the entire greenhouse gas emissions from electricity and heat production by the Swedish public sector.
Beccs technology is expected to be able to generate 30 million tonnes of negative CO2 emissions per year in Sweden. In time, initiator and energy company Stockholm Exergi wants to take the concept to other parts of the world.
The parties also foresee a variety of applications for the technology. For example, Beccs can also help the pulp and paper, waste incineration and heat production sectors reduce their CO2 emissions. Combined with district heating, Beccs' technology can provide an energy-efficient process that captures CO2 and stores it permanently. This allows CO2 to be removed from the atmosphere, which is also known as negative emissions.
Further information about Beccs Stockholm is available here.
ENVISION
ENVISION is a project developing various solutions to extract solar energy and heat from the surface of buildings. These include not only the roofs of buildings, but also walls and windows. With the solutions, the parties involved aim to enable 'energy-positive buildings'. These are buildings that produce more energy and/or heat than they consume.
The project's potential to boost renewable energy generation. For instance, there are 60 billion m2 of unused facade surfaces in the European Union, reports TNO. A similar amount of roof area is available.
The focus within the project is on a 'full renovation concept'. Here, the parties are working on innovative solutions for extracting heat and electricity from solar radiation. The aim is to maximise the yield, while at the same time preserving the aesthetics and function of the facade.
The ENVISION project involves 13 partners from six EU Member States. TNO is coordinating the project. AkzoNodel, the French energy company EDF, Pilkington, RINA Consulting, BERGAMO TECHNOLOGIE, the University of Genoa, Emergo Hout & Bouw and NBArchitecten are also involved. Further information is available here.
Vote
The public can vote for the projects to determine the winner of the European Sustainable Energy award. The winner will be announced on 26 September 2022 in Brussels.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
Photo: Ulrike Leone via Pixabay
