Presenting the end results of the ERA-NET Bioenergy Joint Call on Small-scale combustion (Potsdam, Germany, 10^th September 2008)  

The first joint call in the framework of ERA-NET Bioenergy was published in March 2006. Concentrating on the topic of small-scale combustion (SSC), the call was targeted at research institutions from Austria, Finland, Germany, Sweden and the UK.

The aim was to provide new opportunities for multinational cooperation and create added value for all participants. Proposals could be handed in in one out of four areas:

1. Combustion control and fuel input/supply in small-scale combustion
2. Clean combustion and emission control
3. Test methods for non-wood small-scale combustion plants
4. Small-scale CHP (combined heat and power production)

All proposals were evaluated by an international jury, and 5 (out of 18) were recommended for funding.

On 23^rd and 24^th May 2007, a joint kick-off meeting for all selected proposals was held in Jyväskylä, Finland. The goals of the meeting were to give researchers the opportunity to present their organisations and proposed research, to have any questions about administrative procedures answered by the funding organisations involved, and of course to network. The funding organisations, on the other hand, received some first feedback on the call.

The 5 projects ended in summer 2008. Following a request from researchers, ERA-NET Bioenergy organised a small, public end conference during which the consortia were able to present and discuss their results, as well as future research needs. The ERA-NET partners were provided with further valuable feedback from the participants in the pilot call.

The end presentations of the projects are now available

• “Small scale biomass-fired CHP systems” - University of Nottingham (UK), University of Duisberg (Germany)
• “Development of test methods for non wood small-scale combustion plants” - Austrian Bioenergy Centre GmbH (Austria), Institute for Energy and Environment (Germany), SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden (Sweden), Technology and Support Centre of Renewable Raw Materials TFZ (Germany), HBLFA Francisco Josephinum, Biomass Logistics Technology (Austria), VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland (Finland)
• “Clean biomass combustion in residential heating: particulate measurements, sampling and physicochemical and toxicological characterisation” - University of Kuopio (Finland), National Public Health Institute (Finland), Finnish Meteorological Institute (Finland), Graz University of Technology (Austria), Technology and Support Centre of Renewable Raw Materials TFZ (Germany), Fraunhofer Institute of Toxicology and Experimental Medicine FHG (Germany), Umeå University UUE (Sweden), Energy Technology Centre (Sweden), Umeå University Hospital UUH (Sweden), Umeå University UUP (Sweden)
• “Combustion characteristics of ash rich pellets presentation 1 (Örberg), presentation 2 (Quicker) and presentation 3 (Rönnbäck)” - SLU Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (Sweden), SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden (Sweden), ATZ Development Centre (Germany), VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland (Finland), University of Applied Sciences Amberg-Weiden (Germany), Öko Therm Bioenergy Technology GmbH (Germany), Fritz Grimm&Co GmbH (Germany), Herding Filter Technology GmbH (Germany)
• “Control potential of different operating methods in small-scale wood pellet combustion” - Tampere University of Technology (Finland), University of Oulu (Finland), Växjö University (Sweden)