Two new Topic Sheets available

We regularly publish  “Topic Sheets”, i.e.  2-4 page documents – based on e.g. a report from workshop or part of an Annex – presenting a specific subject in a concise way.  Now, two new ones have been published. All Topic Sheets, reports etc. are available from the Publications section here at the website.

Topic Sheet no 9: A review of energy efficiency policies for manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises from around the world

In most countries, manufacturing (industrial) small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) represent more than 99% of the number of companies and 60% of the employment. Thus, the sector is – apart from using energy – a major driver in the economy with regard to innovations, GDP, investments and export. Despite the importance of SMEs in the economy, they have not received much attention in most countries’ energy policy activities.

This topic sheet, based on the result from Annex XVI, provides an international overview of some existing energy efficiency policies with a focus on energy management practices in selected EU member states as well as Norway and Japan.

Topic Sheet no 10: Decision Support Tools and Ex-Ante Research for Evaluating Bioeconomy Transformation Strategies

The robustness of new biorefinery concepts depends on their ability to survive under uncertain future conditions, for example, biomass/feedstock prices, energy prices, bioproduct prices, policy instruments, changes in grid power production, and performance characteristics of novel processes (yields, efficiencies, etc.). Assessments and evaluations, economically and in terms of GHG mitigation typically consider today’s conditions, resulting in non-optimal decision-making. Decision support models and tools using Ex-Ante Evaluation that address future scenarios in order to identify robust biorefinery strategies analysis are needed.

This topic sheet is based on the proposal for a new task in Annex XI – Industry-based Biorefineries.