The congress, organised by AVEBIOM, will be the 10th and will tackle the major challenges facing the sector over the coming years
As it reaches its 10th anniversary, the IBC can be proud of nine previous years of distinguished presentations, experiences, case studies and debates. In figures, the long-running event has hosted 439 expert speakers from Spain and abroad and 2,415 inscriptions. Now, the congress is celebrating its first decade by looking to the future, with a view to offering professionals the keys they need to adapt their enterprises or future projects to the new European energy strategy.

Within the EU`s framework for action on issues of climate and energy leading to 2030, three objectives have been established: reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40%; increase the quota of renewable energies on an EU scale to at least 27%; and increase energy efficiency by 27%. By choosing this topic AVEBIOM hopes to put on the table the great challenges the biomass sector will have to face in the coming years if this energy source is to play a major role in achieving the objectives established for the future European context.

The main targets for the European strategy are to guarantee sustainability, supply, energy efficiency and low emissions. That is why professionals working with biomass will have to be ready in order to adapt their businesses to the new regulatory requirements that will govern the market’s development over the next few years.

Three thematic blocks
During the morning and afternoon sessions, which will be on Tuesday 22nd September within the framework of Expobiomasa, the content will be structured around three blocks:
Block 1: European and national reference framework to meet the 2020 objectives
The general European framework for actions in matters of Climate and Energy for 2030 will be presented, as will the role of bioenergy at a European level in order to meet the established objectives for 2020. There will also be an introduction to the policies and support mechanisms for the biomass sector.
Block 2: Towards a low-emissions biomass sector
The main legislative changes currently being discussed both nationally and in Europe that will affect the sector in the coming years will be presented. (Royal Decree on the protection of the atmosphere, Eco-design and Eco-labelling regulation, New Directive on Medium and Small Power Installations, etc.) There will also be an introduction to the main technologies available for reducing and measuring biomass facility emissions and how they can be applied in practice.
Block 3: Towards a traceable and sustainable biomass supply chain
The certification systems for sustainability and chain of custody in existence for the various stages of biomass supply will be explained, both for the organisations responsible for them and for the users themselves. Some of the different tools that are available for such uses as carbon footprint tracking or life-cycle analysis will be presented.

SAVE THE DATE: Tuesday 22 September, Auditorium 2, Feria de Valladolid.
Further information: info@congresobioenergia.org
Inscription period: 1 July  – 17 September 2015.

The sector is gearing up for new European regulations on Ecolabelling and Ecodesign for biomass equipment
The International Bioenergy Congress, organised by AVEBIOM, will deal with the legislative changes that will affect the sector over the coming years
The regulations regarding energy labelling for solid fuel boilers (lot 15) and local space heaters (lot 20) were adopted by the Commission in April. The proposals for Regulation are at the control stage. During this stage the European Parliament and Council still have the right to request amendments before publication. This control period is likely to last until July 2015.

The new requirements for Ecolabelling will be mandatory in the EU from 2017 on.
For biomass local space heaters, a factor of 1.45 has been selected for application to the label, compared to a value of 1 for fossil fuel installations. This means that the best solid-fuel space heating equipment can attain the A++ rating.
The Regulations for Ecodesign in Lot 15 (biomass boilers) and Lot 20 (solid fuel space heaters) were adopted by the Commission in April and will be published in a few months in the Official Journal of the EU. Once published, they will come directly into full force in all European Union Member States.

The Regulations for Ecodesign for biomass boilers will come into force from 1st January 2020 for all boilers under 500 kW using solid fuel. The requirements to be met from that date on will be based on class 5 in the UNE 303-5 norm. As for solid fuel space heaters, the regulations will come into force from 1st January, 2022 for all stoves under 50 kW. Four equipment types are recognised: stoves, stoves using pellets, cookers and open equipment.
These and other legislative measures promoted by the EU are aimed at encouraging efficient use of fuel from renewable sources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In this way, the EU is taking firm steps in its intentions to meet its ambitious medium-term targets.

The International Bioenergy Congress, organised by AVEBIOM, will deal with the legislative changes that will affect the sector in the coming years.
Block 2 of the Congress, entitled „Towards a low emissions biomass sector”, will show the main legislative changes that will affect the sector over the coming years: Royal Decree on protection of the atmosphere, Ecodesign and Ecolabelling Regulations, New Directive for Medium and Small Power Installations, etc. There will also be a presentation of the main technologies available for reducing and monitoring biomass installation emissions and their practical application.

Source: AVEBIOM