Definition of input data to assess GHG default emissions from biofuels in EU legislation: Version 1c - July 2017

The Renewable Energy Directive (RED) (2009/28/EC) and the Fuel Quality Directive (FQD) (2009/30/EC), amended in 2015 by Directive (EU) 2015/1513 (so called ‘ILUC Directive’), fix a minimum requirement for greenhouse gas (GHG) savings for biofuels and bioliquids for the period until 2020, and set the rules for calculating the greenhouse impact of biofuels, bioliquids and their fossil fuels comparators. To help economic operators to declare the GHG emission savings of their products, default and typical values for a number of spefic pathways are listed in the annexes of the RED and FQD. The EC Joint Research Center (JRC) is in charge of defining input values to be used for the calculation of default GHG emissions for biofuels, bioliquids, solid and gaseous biomass pathways. An update of the GHG emissions in Annex V has been carried out for the new Proposal of a Directive on the Promotion of the Use of Energy from Renewable Sources (COM(2016)767 - RED-2), for the post-2020 framework. This report describes the assumptions made by the JRC when compiling the new updated data set used to calculate default and typical GHG emissions for the different biofuels pathways as proposed in the new RED-2 document.JRC.C.4-Sustainable Transpor

Sustainable Advanced Biofuels: Technology Market Report

This Sustainable Advanced Biofuels Technology Market Report 2018 presents an assessment of the state of the art, development trends, targets and needs, technological barriers, as well as techno-economic projections until 2050. Particular attention is paid to how EC funded projects contributed to technology advancements. It includes an overview of Member States' activities based on information from the relevant SET Plan Temporary Working Groups as well as the objectives and main outcomes of the most relevant international programmes.JRC.C.2-Energy Efficiency and Renewable

Advanced Alternative Fuels: Technology Development Report

This Advanced Alternative Fuels Technology Development 2018 presents an assessment of the state of the art, development trends, targets and needs, technological barriers, as well as techno-economic projections until 2050. Particular attention is paid to how EC funded projects contributed to technology advancements. It includes an overview of Member States' activities based on information from the relevant SET Plan Temporary Working Groups as well as the objectives and main outcomes of the most relevant international programmes.JRC.C.2-Energy Efficiency and Renewable

Sustainable Advanced Biofuel: Technology Development Report

This Sustainable Advanced Biofuel Technology Development 2018 presents an assessment of the state of the art, development trends, targets and needs, technological barriers, as well as techno-economic projections until 2050. Particular attention is paid to how EC funded projects contributed to technology advancements. It includes an overview of Member States' activities based on information from the relevant SET Plan Temporary Working Groups as well as the objectives and main outcomes of the most relevant international programmes.JRC.C.2-Energy Efficiency and Renewable

Definition of input data to assess GHG default emissions from biofuels in EU legislation

Directive EU 2018/2001 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources has been officially ratified in December 2018 for the post-2020 framework. It is a new iteration of the Renewable Energy Directive RED, the so-called ‘recast’, work on which began in 2016. The Directive fixes a minimum requirement for greenhouse gas (GHG) savings for biofuels and bioliquids for the period from 2021 to 2030, and sets the rules for calculating the greenhouse impact of biofuels, bioliquids and their fossil fuels comparators. To help economic operators to declare the GHG emission savings of their products, default and typical values for a number of specific pathways are listed in the annexes of the RED-recast (Annex V). The EC Joint Research Center (JRC) is in charge of defining input values to be used for the calculation of default GHG emissions for biofuels, bioliquids, solid and gaseous biomass pathways. An update of the GHG emissions in Annex V has been carried out for the new Directive on the Promotion of the Use of Energy from Renewable Sources (Directive 2018/2001), for the post-2020 framework. This report describes the assumptions made by the JRC when compiling the new updated data set used to calculate default and typical GHG emissions for the different biofuels pathways as proposed in the new directive.JRC.C.2-Energy Efficiency and Renewable

ARTEFACTS: How do we want to deal with the future of our one and only planet?

The European Commission’s Science and Knowledge Service, the Joint Research Centre (JRC), decided to try working hand-in-hand with leading European science centres and museums. Behind this decision was the idea that the JRC could better support EU Institutions in engaging with the European public. The fact that European Union policies are firmly based on scientific evidence is a strong message which the JRC is uniquely able to illustrate. Such a collaboration would not only provide a platform to explain the benefits of EU policies to our daily lives but also provide an opportunity for European citizens to engage by taking a more active part in the EU policy making process for the future. A PILOT PROGRAMME To test the idea, the JRC launched an experimental programme to work with science museums: a perfect partner for three compelling reasons. Firstly, they attract a large and growing number of visitors. Leading science museums in Europe have typically 500 000 visitors per year. Furthermore, they are based in large European cities and attract local visitors as well as tourists from across Europe and beyond. The second reason for working with museums is that they have mastered the art of how to communicate key elements of sophisticated arguments across to the public and making complex topics of public interest readily accessible. That is a high-value added skill and a crucial part of the valorisation of public-funded research, never to be underestimated. Finally museums are, at present, undergoing something of a renaissance. Museums today are vibrant environments offering new techniques and technologies to both inform and entertain, and attract visitors of all demographics.JRC.H.2-Knowledge Management Methodologies, Communities and Disseminatio

Analysis of current aviation biofuel technical production potential in EU28

The significant growth aviation has been observing is increasing the sector's pressure on the environment; in the EU28, passengers travelling by air in 2016 increased of 5.9% compared to 2015. The aviation industry voluntarily committed to significant aspirational goals, and identified bio-based aviation fuels as a potential means to improve its environmental performance. Despite of that, the market penetration of aviation biofuels in EU28 is almost negligible. In this paper, an assessment of the likely aviation biofuels demand has been carried out, under a baseline scenario of increasing total fuel consumption of +3% for 2016–2020 and + 3.5% up to 2030; the CO2 intensity of this growth has been calculated accordingly. Europe is a World leader in biofuel technologies; the current potential aviation biofuels is based on the HVO/HEFA technology, and the upper limit of the installed capacity can be considered approximately 2.4 Mt y−1. Nevertheless, lower production volumes can be expected as production plants are today optimized for road fuel production, not aviation. By 2025 the situation may change, with a total production capacity of 3.5 Mt y−1, and with an average potential production for aviation biofuels ranging 0.5–2 Mt y−1. The paper shows that even if today's EU nominal capacity appears large enough to support the expected aviation biofuels demand, other bottlenecks may limit the real market uptake: availability of sustainable feedstocks, competition with demand for road transport sector, etc. For this reason, a comparison of the cost for CO2 saving of other potential solutions to mitigate aviation's climate impact has also been carried out.JRC.C.2-Energy Efficiency and Renewable

Considerations on GHG emissions and energy balances of promising aviation biofuel pathways

This article presents results of a European Commission Joint Research Centre study to analyse the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and energy efficiency of various options for alternative aviation fuels. Interest in alternative aviation fuels is growing, as the sector seeks viable options to reduce increasing GHG emissions. For biofuels non-biogenic emissions arise from cultivation, harvesting and transport of the feedstock, as well as from their conversion into biofuel. It is important to consider whether any emissions reductions benefits are justified by the energy efficiency of each alternative. This article is focussed on American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) certifiable alternative drop-in biojet fuels [1], i.e. non-fossil hydrocarbon fuels which have (i) the same chemical structure and (ii) can be blended with conventional jet fuels, (iii) can use the same jet fuel supply infrastructure, and (iv) do not require modification of the aircraft. The results indicate that the biofuels studied tended to exhibit lower GHG than conventional jet fuels although indirect effects or existing uses of materials were not included in this study. Some biofuels performed better at reducing GHG than others (for example biofuels from wastes and residues). A large and important effect on emissions is seen due to land type used for cultivation and whether methane capture is used for certain pathways. GHG savings results vary due to the Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) methodology chosen for dealing with emissions and co-products. Certain pathways are notably more energy intensive than others and strong GHG reduction does not always coincide with high energy efficiency. An overview of industry initiatives and critical EU legislation relating to aviation biofuels is given. The insights from this work are expected to be of use for decision-makers considering investment options in this sector.JRC.C.2-Energy Efficiency and Renewable

Clean energy technology synergies and issues

The objective of this report is to provide recommendations for long-term R&D priorities for crosscutting EC funded projects in the energy domain. Nineteen JRC experts analysed synergies and issues of the future energy system in following areas: * objectives of Horizon 2020 projects were compared with national and international projects; * key energy technologies for a cost-effective energy transition using the energy system model JRC-EU-TIMES; * development trends of LCEO technologies with regard to their potential to provide grid support services; and * R&D synergies between LCEO technologies to accelerate development and use research budgets efficiently.JRC.C.7-Knowledge for the Energy Unio

Mikromekaaninen oskillaattori

Tässä diplomityössä tutustuttiin kapasitiivisesti kytketyllä mikromekaanisella resonaattorilla stabiloidun sähkömekaanisen oskillaattorin teoriaan: resonaattorin mekaniikkaan ja vahvistimen elektroniikkaan. Esitetyn teorian pohjalta suunniteltiin ja rakennettiin sähkömekaaninen 500 kHz:n Pierce-oskillaattori. Prototyypin toiminta demonstroitiin mittauksin. Prototyypin mittauksissa todennettiin mikromekaanisen oskillaattorin värähtelytaajuuden ja -amplitudin riippuvuus resonaattorin biasjännitteestä; mittaustulokset olivat ennusteiden mukaiset. Oskillaattorin värähtelytarkkuutta kuvaava vaihekohina mitattiin tarkoitukseen suunnitellulla laitteistolla. Mitattu vaihekohina oli -123dBc@SkHz. Prototyypissä käytettiin palkkiresonaattoria, jonka epälineaarisuuden seurauksena oskillaattorin ulostulo oli säröytynyt. Työssä pohdittiin myös fysikaalisia rajoja palkkiresonaattoriin perustuvan mikromekaanisen oskillaattorin suorituskyvylle