Newsletter/ nawaros^® 04/04

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Content

C.A.R.M.E.N. Forum on EU Eastern Enlargement
Elsenfeld Heats With Wood
Biomass in Lower Franconia
Biogas for Farmers
Biogas Get-Together
Amendment of the Renewable Energy Sources Act
Preliminary Standard for Biofuels
News from the Competence Centre
Grants for Energy Crops
The Ice Block Bet
Technical Journal on Pellets
Ziel 21 (Target 21)

C.A.R.M.E.N. Forum on EU Eastern Enlargement
With 150 International Participants

In May, 2004, the most extensive enlargement of the European Union (EU) will be taking place. Then, 25 countries with about 453 million people inhabitants, 167 million hectares of agricultural area and 136 million hectares of forested area are going to be part of the EU.
For this reason, the 11th C.A.R.M.E.N. forum dealt with the subject "EU Eastern Enlargement - Determining Factors, Potentials, Opportunities" in the ducal castle of Straubing on March 22nd, 2004. The forum was held in co-operation with the Lower Bavarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce.

C.A.R.M.E.N.'s chairman, Reinhold Erlbeck, Straubing's mayor Reinhold Perlak, and district administrator Alfred Reisinger welcomed 150 participants and called Straubing's geographical position ideal for an event dealing with the EU eastern enlargement.
Anton Adelhart , head of department in the Bavarian State Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, deputised for minister Josef Miller. He gave the lecture "The enlarged union - a sounder basis for the use of renewable raw materials". He said he was not worried about agriculture in an enlarged Europe because the use of renewable raw materials was an excellent alternative.
Peter Sonnleitner, Lower Bavarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce, presented EU fitness programmes for promoting the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises in frontier regions.

Zavis Pexidir, Czech Ministry of Agriculture in Prague, characterised the use of wood energy in the Czech Republic. An exchange with EU states managing under similar production conditions as the Czech Republic was helpful for further orientation and alignment, he said.
Josip Dundovic, Croatian State Forest Administration in Zagreb, explained that forests were considered important sources of energy in Croatia. A reform of the energy sector and an active government policy created conditions for increasing the energy efficiency and the use of renewable energies.
Dr. Gheorghe Florian Borlea, Forest Research and Management Institute in Timisoara, dealt with the wood energy potential in Romania. The generation of wood energy was the main objective of the present Romanian forestry policy, he explained.
Günther Huemer, Guntamatic Heiztechnik GmbH in Peuerbach, reported on "A Manufacturer of Biomass Boilers in Poland: How to open up new markets". Xaver Haas, Haas Fertigbau GmbH, talked about wood, the material of short distances, as exemplified by a logging company in the Czech Republic. In autumn 1989, Haas had bought a window manufacturing company, now "Hoco Bauelemente" company in the Czech Republic. Today, the company ranked among the biggest window manufacturers of the Czech Republic, Haas said.
Markus Ott, Schmack Biogas AG, Schwandorf, dealt with the economic potential of biogas in Germany and Eastern Europe. According to Ott, the Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz (Renewable Energy Sources Act) had considerably increased the importance of biogas in Germany. Due to its agricultural structure, Poland also possessed an enormous potential for biogas.

In the final panel discussion led by Dr. Hans Götzl, Straubinger Tagblatt (the local newspaper of Straubing), the speakers took questions from the audience. The representatives of the Czech Republic and Croatia explained that their countries did not have any networks of C.A.R.M.E.N.'s importance yet. Dr. Götzl also paid tribute to C.A.R.M.E.N.'s activities and closed the forum with a quotation of Victor Hugo: "All the forces in the world are not so powerful as an idea whose time has come."
Information: The conference proceedings are available from C.A.R.M.E.N. at a price of 10 euros (plus VAT and postage & packing).

On March 16th, 2004, the new biomass-fuelled heating plant in Elsenfeld (rural district of Miltenberg) was inaugurated. District administrator Roland Schwing officially put the heating plant in the school centre into operation.
Schwing said that we owed the coming generations the preservation and husbanding of our natural resources. A positive example for that was the new biomass-fuelled plant which - in contrast to other possible ways of heating - worked economically due to the government funds for the rural district of Miltenberg. The funds have been applied for. The plant's total cost amounts to 1.5 million euros.
The boiler installed in Elsenfeld has got an output of 1,000 kW. Peak and light loads are covered by two gas boilers with an output of 1,120 kW. The heat consumers are supplied via a heating network about 1,200 metres in length.
Dr. Ruth Brökeland, project manager at C.A.R.M.E.N., presented a "wooden locomotive of renewable resources" to the operators of the heating plant. The locomotive symbolised the heating plant of Elsenfeld which moved the use of biomass forward and which would hopefully be followed by many others, Dr. Brökeland commented.

Further information: C.A.R.M.E.N., Dr. Ruth Brökeland, e-mail: rb@carmen-ev.de

Biomass in Lower Franconia

On March 13th, 2004, the Bavarian Minister of Agriculture, Josef Miller, officially put two new biomass-fuelled heating plants into operation. The monastery buildings of the Benedictine abbey of Müsterschwarzach are now supplied with heat generated from regional wood chips. "A gentle treatment of creation and of all human beings is a way of worship for us," abbot Fidelis Ruppert OSB characterises the motives for this project in a brochure that is available for free from C.A.R.M.E.N.
The former heating system of oil boilers with seven heating units was replaced by a future-oriented new heating unit with a biomass-fuelled boiler (nominal thermal output of 1,200 kW).
A total area of 50,000 m² is now heated in an environment-friendly way. Wood chips are supplied by the forest communities of Main-Steigerwald and Iphofen the members of which are mainly communal and private forest-owners. The cost of the heating plant in Münsterschwarzach amounted to about 1.5 million euros. It was funded with approximately 450,000 euros from Bavarian and EU funds.

In Amorbach, too, a biomass-fuelled heating plant was inaugurated. A biomass boiler of 700 kW now supplies a school centre and further buildings with environment-friendly heat. More than 950 tons of wood from domestic forests which, after felling, is chopped without any additional processing and regional left-over wood from sawmills annually serve to generate about 2,900 megawatt hours of heat. The operator, Wärmeversorgung Amorbach GmbH, receives a grant of 400,000 euros from the Free State of Bavaria, the total cost of the plant amounting to 1.4 million euros.

Information: C.A.R.M.E.N., Sebastian Kilburg, e-mail: sk@carmen-ev.de

Biogas for Farmers

On March 10th, 2004, the department of agriculture of Weiden (Upper Palatinate) organised an event on "Biogas - An alternative source of income for farms". More than 30 farmers accepted the invitation. Mr. Mitterleitner, Bayerische Landesanstalt für Landwirtschaft (Bavarian State Research Centre for Agriculture), Weihenstephan, spoke about the function and the technology of biogas plants. Subsequently, Robert Wagner, C.A.R.M.E.N., explained the efficiency of biogas plants and presented various operator models. Then, operators of biogas plants reported on their practical experiences.

The speakers of the Fachverband Biogas e.V. (German Biogas Association), Markus Bäuml and Gepa Porsche, dealt with the amendment of the Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz (Renewable Energy Sources Act) and other legal conditions concerning biogas.

Information: C.A.R.M.E.N., Robert Wagner, e-mail: rw@carmen-ev.de

Biogas Get-Together

On March 9th, 2004, about 40 participants met for the 3rd Lower Bavarian biogas get-together in Landau. The event was organised by the Lower Bavarian regional group of the German Biogas Association and C.A.R.M.E.N.

Walter Danner (regional group of Lower Bavaria) dealt with the present state of the amendment of the Renewable Energy Sources Act. Helmut Loibl, a specialised lawyer from Regensburg, illustrated legal problems of the Renewable Energy Sources Act. Subsequently, there was an exchange of experience. The next biogas get-together is held on Tuesday, May 11th, 2004 in Landau/Isar.

Information: Robert Wagner, e-mail: rw@carmen-ev.de

Amendment of the Renewable Energy Sources Act

The Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit (Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety) reported in a press release of April 2nd, 2004, that the Bundestag (German National Parliament) had passed an amendment of the Renewable Energy Sources Act for improving the promotion of renewable energies.
"The amendment of the Renewable Energy Sources Act allows the continuation of a successful development that has already created about 120,000 jobs and an annual sales volume of about 10 billion euros in the field of renewable energies," Federal Minister for the Environment Jürgen Trittin is quoted.

The Bundesrat (Upper House of the German National Parliament) now also deals with the amendment. The law is planned to come into force before the summer recess. It is the objective of the Renewable Energy Sources Act to increase the contribution of renewable energies to the complete power supply in Germany to at least 12.5% by 2010 and to at least 20% by 2020. The basic conditions for feeding in, transmitting, and distributing electricity from renewable resources are distinctly improved to make this possible.

Download of the press release (in German) under http://www.bmu.de/de/1024/js/presse/2004/096/

Preliminary Standard for Biofuels

The new preliminary standard DIN CEN/TS 14588 "Solid Biofuels - Terminology, Definitions, and Description" is published in April 2004. C.A.R.M.E.N. was part of the standardisation committee. DIN CEN/TS 14588 is the first of several planned standards dealing with solid biofuels. They are prepared at EU level and planned to be completed and published within the coming months.

The current version can be ordered from Beuth Verlag GmbH, D-10772 Berlin, Tel: +49-30-2601-2260, Fax: +49-30-2601-1260, e-mail: postmaster@beuth.de

Information: DIN Deutsches Institut für Normung e.V., (German Standards Institute), Normenausschuss Materialprüfung, NMP (Standardisation Committee for Materials Testing), D-10772 Berlin, (http://www.din.de)

News from the Competence Centre
Monthly Information Event

In co-operation with the Technology and Promotion Centre (TFZ), C.A.R.M.E.N. regularly offers a guided tour of the exhibition on the subject "Renewable Raw Materials - Plants and their Utilisation". The event takes place the first Tuesday of every month. The next guided tour is on May 4th, 2004. The 90 minutes' tour begins at two o'clock p.m.

The meeting place is the Training and Exhibition Centre (SAZ), Schulgasse 18, next to the Competence Centre for Renewable Resources in Straubing. The tour of the exhibition is free of charge but for larger groups registration with C.A.R.M.E.N. is required.

Grants for Energy Crops

In passing the directive no. 1782/03, the Council of the European Union (EU) decided to provide a grant of 45 euros/hectare for the cultivation of energy crops on not set-aside land. The grant is provided for the utilisation of original products in biogas plants of the own farm. It can be paid in addition to other area premiums (subsidies for oil seeds, etc). The total area in the EU that can be funded is limited to 1.5 million hectares. If this limit is exceeded, the grant for energy crops will be reduced pro rata.

Starting with the harvest of the year 2004, it will be possible to use energy crops not cultivated on set-aside land as fuel for heating the own farm and also for selling heat.
Source and details: Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung, BLE (Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food), Adickesallee 40, D-60322 Frankfurt/Main (http://www.ble.de)

The Ice Block Bet

There is enormous potential for CO₂ reduction in the private sector, especially in the heating of buildings. A very special bet is now to prove that wooden houses only need very little thermal energy.
The "ice block bet" is under the auspices of the Bavarian Minister of Economic Affairs, Infrastructure, Transport, and Technology, Dr. Otto Wiesheu. It is meant to show how atmospheric influences can be minimised and how energy costs can be reduced by means of insulated constructions that meet the standards. The ice block event is taking place in all Bavaria from March 27th to June 5th, 2004. On March 27th, 2004, ice blocks of 2 m³ size were packed up in heat-insulated wooden houses in 17 Bavarian cities and in Innsbruck (Austria). They will be unwrapped on June 5th, 2004, World Environment Day. The question of the bet is now: "How much ice will be left?"
The bet is carried out by members of the Bavarian Carpenter's and Timber Trade Association (VBZH).
Details of the project are to be found on the internet under http://www.eisblockwette.de

Technical Journal on Pellets

In March 2004, the new technical journal Pellets - Markt und Technik ('Pellets - Market and Technology') was published for the first time in Germany. It deals exclusively with the subject of pellets. Coming out four times a year, it reports on the market and its products.

Information on the internet under http://www.pelletsmagazin.de and from Barbara Pilz, Solar Promotion GmbH, Postfach 100 170, D-75101 Pforzheim, Tel.: +49-7231-351380,
e-mail: info@pelletsmagazin.de