Ten major research institutions in Europe, including Risø DTU, decided eighteen months ago to enter into formalized cooperation on the development of sustainable energy technologies and, at a conference on June 3-4 in Madrid, the first joint research programs are being launched by the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA). In connection with the conference, Henrik Bindslev, Director of Risø DTU, has been elected new Chairman of EERA.
The EU has committed to ambitious targets for reducing CO2 emissions by 2050, and has therefore laid down a strategic plan for developing and implementing cost-effective and low-carbon technologies (“Strategic Energy Technology”, or simply the “SET plan”). The EERA cooperation is one of the instruments which will contribute to achieving the SET targets.
EERA’s objective is thus to build strategic long-term R&D collaboration for sustainable energy technologies in Europe via thematically founded joint programs. EERA was launched in October 2008 by ten leading energy technology research institutions. Today, EERA consists of fifteen Partners who are responsible, at an overall level, for developing the alliance, as well as a number of other leading European research institutions which take part in the joint research programs with the Partners.
Henrik Bindslev new Chairman of EERA
The first twelve months of EERA’s existence have been spent reaching agreement on a vision for the research alliance, its organizational set-up and fundamental set of rules. Also, the content of the joint research programs has been described in greater detail. Now the first four programs are being launched within the areas of Wind Energy, Photovoltaics, Smart Grids (intelligent energy systems) and Geothermal Energy. This is happening at a SET plan conference in Madrid on 3-4 June 2010.
At the first day of the conference, Henrik Bindslev, Director of Risø DTU, was elected new Chairman of EERA and will be taking over from Ton Hoff, the Managing Director of ECN, the Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands.
“The EERA cooperation holds considerable promise,” says Henrik Bindslev. “With the joint research programs, the EERA members have committed themselves to long-term collaboration aimed at ensuring the optimum utilization of their combined competencies, resources and facilities. This avoids unnecessary double work, and highly specialized research groups can focus even more as the mutually binding collaboration ensures the coherence of the group’s research activities.”
“EERA has attracted considerable interest in the USA and Japan where it is seen as an attractive and strong collaboration partner which is providing Europe with a large and coherent research organization. And the fifteen Partners represented on the EERA Executive Committee are not the only participants. In fact, a total of 46 of Europe’s leading research units are involved in the four newly launched joint programs, and even more will be joining future programs. Combining the influences of many members with the efficient management of the joint programs has been a crucial element in organizing EERA. I think we have got off to a good start – now we need to realize the potential.”
Risø DTU joins three of the first four programs
Risø is coordinating the Wind Energy program and is heading parts of the Photovoltaics and Smart Grids programs. Several other programs are in the pipeline, including Bioenergy, Carbon Capture and Storage (capture and geological storage of carbon dioxide) and Basic Science for Energy (materials research).
The high level of commitment of the EERA institutions to the collaboration is reflected in the fact that more than 300 man-years a year have been allocated to the newly launched joint research programs, with 125 man-years a year alone being allocated to the field of wind energy.
EERA’s objective is thus to build strategic long-term R&D collaboration for sustainable energy technologies in Europe via thematically founded joint programs. EERA was launched in October 2008 by ten leading energy technology research institutions. Today, EERA consists of fifteen Partners who are responsible, at an overall level, for developing the alliance, as well as a number of other leading European research institutions which take part in the joint research programs with the Partners.
Henrik Bindslev new Chairman of EERA
The first twelve months of EERA’s existence have been spent reaching agreement on a vision for the research alliance, its organizational set-up and fundamental set of rules. Also, the content of the joint research programs has been described in greater detail. Now the first four programs are being launched within the areas of Wind Energy, Photovoltaics, Smart Grids (intelligent energy systems) and Geothermal Energy. This is happening at a SET plan conference in Madrid on 3-4 June 2010.
At the first day of the conference, Henrik Bindslev, Director of Risø DTU, was elected new Chairman of EERA and will be taking over from Ton Hoff, the Managing Director of ECN, the Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands.
“The EERA cooperation holds considerable promise,” says Henrik Bindslev. “With the joint research programs, the EERA members have committed themselves to long-term collaboration aimed at ensuring the optimum utilization of their combined competencies, resources and facilities. This avoids unnecessary double work, and highly specialized research groups can focus even more as the mutually binding collaboration ensures the coherence of the group’s research activities.”
“EERA has attracted considerable interest in the USA and Japan where it is seen as an attractive and strong collaboration partner which is providing Europe with a large and coherent research organization. And the fifteen Partners represented on the EERA Executive Committee are not the only participants. In fact, a total of 46 of Europe’s leading research units are involved in the four newly launched joint programs, and even more will be joining future programs. Combining the influences of many members with the efficient management of the joint programs has been a crucial element in organizing EERA. I think we have got off to a good start – now we need to realize the potential.”
Risø DTU joins three of the first four programs
Risø is coordinating the Wind Energy program and is heading parts of the Photovoltaics and Smart Grids programs. Several other programs are in the pipeline, including Bioenergy, Carbon Capture and Storage (capture and geological storage of carbon dioxide) and Basic Science for Energy (materials research).
The high level of commitment of the EERA institutions to the collaboration is reflected in the fact that more than 300 man-years a year have been allocated to the newly launched joint research programs, with 125 man-years a year alone being allocated to the field of wind energy.
Sources and contacts:
EERA Partners
Austrian Institute of Technology, AIT (AT) Commissariat à l’énergie et aux énergies alternatives, CEA (FR)
Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas, CIEMAT (ES)
Centre for Renewable Resources, CRES (GR)
Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands, ECN (NL)
Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, ENEA ( IT)
Helmholz Association, HZ, (GE)
Institute of Power Engineering, IEN (PL)
Laboratorio Nacional de Energia e Geologia, LNEG (PT)
Paul Scherrer Institute, PSI (CH)
National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy, Risø DTU (DK)
Foundation for Scientific and Industrial Research, SINTEF (NO)
UK Energy Research Centre, UKERC (UK)
Technical Research Centre of Finland, VTT (FI)
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