COP26, not a great finish line but a great starting point

Insufficient results, but still unthinkable until recently

Rome, November 16, 2021 “The Glasgow Climate Pact is insufficient given the severity and speed of the climate emergency,” says Agostino Re Rebaudengo, President of Elettricità Futura. But it would be a mistake not to also consider the positive steps; the path toward renewables is increasingly clear.

Markets and finance are now oriented toward a green transition. For the first time, fossil fuels are no longer taboo in the climate dialogue. The progressive reduction of coal has finally been put down in black and white; never before had such a resolution been adopted following the UN climate negotiations, and it wasn’t a given that it would happen this time either.

Only a few years ago, it would have been unthinkable to see China and the United States open a discussion to strengthen cooperation on emissions reduction. There is no shortage of reason to assume that China and India, despite their declarations, could accelerate decarbonization. It’s a matter of business. A delayed reduction in fossil fuel use would weaken countries’ competitiveness, since half of global fossil fuel assets could lose value by 2036, replaced by investments in renewables,” argues Agostino Re Rebaudengo.

At COP26, 194 states agreed to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C by mid-century and reduce CO2 emissions by 45% by 2030 compared to 2010 levels.

Looking at less developed countries, the history of technological innovation teaches us that we could witness a “technological leap,” that is, growth paths for their economies compatible with climate targets. For this to happen, it will be crucial for the richest economies to honor their commitment to contribute funds for the global transition, providing the €100 billion a year to the poorest countries promised in 2009.

Certainly, in Italy, reducing CO2 emissions in line with the European target of -55% by 2030 is an extraordinary opportunity for the economy and employment, enabling the activation of €1.1 trillion in investments and the creation of 250,000 net new jobs in Italy.

For more information:

Electricity Future: comunicazione@elettricitafutura.it

Message to the government: “Plan and enhance the contribution of woody biomass by 2030”

The trade associations Aiel, Ebs, Elettricità Futura, and Fiper have issued a document calling on the government to take urgent new measures to ensure biomass’s contribution to the energy mix over the next decade.

Quotidiano Energia – July 28, 2020 – The biomass associations have presented a joint document/manifesto urging the government to put the bioenergy sector back at the center of the political agenda.

A sector, they explain in the note accompanying the document (attached below), which produces renewable energy and, above all, promotes local development and territorial protection in so-called “internal and marginal” areas.

Current data show that woody biomass generates approximately 86 TWh of thermal energy and 4 TWh of electricity annually. In Italy, withdrawals are at 0.71 m3/ha, compared to the European average of 2.39 m3/ha.

Associations express strong concern for the future of the sector.

According to AIEL (Italian Agroforestry Energy Association), EBS (Italian Association of Solid Biomass Energy Producers), Elettricità Futura, the leading Italian electricity association, and FIPER (Italian Federation of Renewable Energy Producers), intervention to maintain current generation capacity and develop new biomass capacity is a priority.

This intervention is crucial for renewable energy planning through 2030 and achieving the targets outlined by the Government in the National Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC) submitted to Brussels.

In the Manifesto “Proposals for the Continuity and Development of Woody Biomass Plants,” the Associations call for concrete actions, starting with the issuance of the long-awaited “DM FER2,” but more generally for measures related to the implementation of the Italian National Energy Strategy (PNIEC) and the European Green Deal, which recognize the necessary support for a sector experiencing significant difficulties, both for small and large plants.
It should be noted that France, Spain, and Germany forecast a 68% increase in bioenergy by 2030, compared to the 30% forecast in Italy.

In the absence of measures, the associations say, the current difficulties in implementing new initiatives, as well as the progressive decommissioning of a still-performing plant fleet, will make it even more difficult to achieve the established objectives.

In this delicate phase of recovery for our country, biomass energy production (thermal, electrical, and air conditioning) ensures the development of local supply chains, with environmental, social, and economic benefits: from the management and maintenance of forestry assets to the valorization of marginal lands and the use of by-products, all the way to the redistribution of income throughout the region.

For associations, the traceability of biomass (and documentation that it originates no further than 70 km away), compliance with dust emission limits (limit value: 30 mg/Nm3 at 6% O2), and the maintenance of installed capacity and the scrapping of obsolete plants are important.

Furthermore, the national industry is a dynamic and innovative player in the production of technologies and services for the biomass sector.

Finally, the programmability characteristic of this source and the possibility of using it for all energy uses, both in utility-scale and residential applications, make it particularly useful in the transition towards a model characterised by the diffusion of intermittent sources and distributed generation solutions based on the interaction between producers-distributors-consumers (energy communities).

Renewables: Antonio Di Cosimo is the new president of EBS.

Rome, May 20, 2020 – The board of directors of EBS, the Solid Biomass Energy Association, has unanimously elected its new president. Antonio Di Cosimo, CEO of Bonollo Energia Spa and a founding member of the association, will succeed Simone Tonon.

“First of all, I would like to thank Simone Tonon for his work over the years. In the coming months, in full continuity with his work, we will continue to work to promote our sector,” said Di Cosimo. “In recent years, the association has grown significantly, both in Italy, thanks to constant dialogue with institutions, and at the European level, through its affiliation with Bionenergy Europe.”

“This particular historical context also presents us with a challenge,” he continues, “namely, converting a difficult moment into a great opportunity to revitalize the production system and its current energy models. We find ourselves, now more than ever, obliged to safeguard the viability of our plants to ensure the achievement of the objectives of the National Energy Strategy (Pniec).”

EBS will continue its commitment by calling for a clear regulatory framework that will allow the sector to continue operating and, consequently, support all related industries, ranging from the agricultural sector—agri-energy production, the development of marginal lands, the use of agro-industrial by-products—to the entire biomass logistics sector.

The use of residual biomass in member plants also triggers a virtuous cycle that helps ensure regular maintenance of forestry assets and avoids uncontrolled burning, which would otherwise be destined for landfill. All this while maintaining a high level of environmental awareness, monitoring its plants through sophisticated emission control systems.

New National Energy Strategy – Comments from the EBS Association

Tonon: “The principles and general approach are good, but we must not penalize existing initiatives.”

Rome, September 13, 2017. The proposals were put forward by the Solid Biomass Energy Association (EBS) in a document submitted to the Ministries of Economic Development and the Environment and Land and Sea Protection, following the publication of the National Energy Strategy (SEN) following the public consultation phase that concluded last week.

EBS—which represents more than half of the sector’s operators, with a total installed capacity of over 280 MW and the annual use of nearly 3 million tons of solid biomass—shares the objectives, overall approach, and principles of the SEN, particularly regarding the role of renewable energy sources in Italy. However, while appreciating many of the elements contained in the consultation document, he highlighted the need to strengthen the role of biomass for electricity and heat production in the SEN, given its unique contribution among all renewables in socio-economic, environmental, and synergistic integration with the agricultural and forestry sectors.
“We believe it is essential that the national energy policy being defined with the SEN consider the added value that the solid biomass energy production sector brings to the Italian system,” emphasizes Simone Tonon, president of the EBS Association, who adds, “we believe that the SEN, whose clear objective for the solid biomass energy sector is to maintain the current production share, has the task of strengthening this sector’s contribution, also given the significant quantity of biomass available in Italy.”
“Therefore, the SEN’s implementation tools,” Tonon continues, “must be consistent with the objectives and role of this sector.” In this context, the EBS association believes that policies promoting energy production from solid biomass must include measures to maintain current installed electricity generation capacity by maintaining incentives and creating conditions to promote investments aimed at further improving environmental performance. Furthermore, tools must be identified to enhance the value of solid biomass produced in Italy, especially if residual and sourced from the forestry sector.

According to EBS, it is also essential that the NES implementation tool include—as essential requirements—a clear, secure, and stable regulatory framework, in order to rekindle investor confidence in a sector like electricity generation from solid biomass, which has already been subject to inconsistent measures in the past.
“The government’s initiative to define the NES, aimed at supporting the energy transition process,” adds Tonon, “is undoubtedly a unique opportunity to foster a comprehensive and comprehensive debate on future policy plans. Therefore, we hope our considerations will be accepted and we are available for discussions with the relevant ministries to enhance the role of solid biomass in Italy.”

The Solid Biomass Energy Association (EBS) includes among its founders the leading national operators in the sector—Biolevano, Biomasse Italia, Biomasse Crotone, Bonollo Energia, C&T, Fusine Energia, Ital Green Energy, San Marco Bioenergie, Serravalle Energy, SardiniaBio Energy, Tampieri Energie, Triera Power, and Zignago Power—each owning at least one significant production facility. With a total installed electrical capacity of over 280 MW, these plants are present in several Italian regions (from Calabria to Lombardy, from Sardinia to Veneto) and generate a direct and indirect employment of over 5,000 people, primarily related to the procurement and management of approximately 2.8 million tons of woody biomass per year, almost all of which is harvested in Italy.

www.biomasseenergia.it

Energy from solid biomass: a key tool for the circular economy

The contribution of electricity generation from solid biomass is not only a fundamental tool for implementing the principles of the circular economy, but also an important element for environmental protection, as well as for reducing social costs and the economic development of the agricultural sector and local communities.

This is what emerged during the roundtable discussion “Solid Biomass, Pillar of the Circular Economy,” promoted by the Solid Biomass Energy Association (EBS), which brings together more than half of the sector’s operators, with a total installed capacity of approximately 265 MW and the use of nearly 3 million tons of biomass annually.

“Despite the fact that national forests account for 36% of the country’s total surface area,” emphasized Luca Sani, Chair of the Chamber of Deputies’ Agriculture Committee, “Italy is the world’s leading importer of firewood, the third-largest buyer of wood residues and waste, and the twelfth-largest buyer of conifer wood chips. The causes of this situation lie in the lack of clear regulations for the effective use of forest resources, the partial implementation of relevant European legislation, and the inconsistencies in regional regulations.

For these reasons, a new national forestry policy is needed, one that promotes and encourages the use of local wood and waste while simultaneously enabling the maintenance and protection of forests.”

According to Simone Tonon, president of the EBS Association: “It is essential to fully leverage the potential of the agroenergy sector. Suffice it to say that ENEA estimates the actual availability of residual biomass for energy use at 13.2 million tons annually.

Furthermore, proper and sustainable management of Italy’s 11 million hectares of forested area—which has been steadily increasing over the past few decades—would significantly reduce the burden on the country in dealing with hydrogeological instability and forest fires.”

“Solid biomass,” observed Stefano Saglia, coordinator of the activities of the Association of Parliamentarians for Sustainable Development, “can fully contribute to achieving the renewable energy sector targets set by the European Commission through 2030. The government must establish the criteria and incentives, in compliance with the State Aid Directive, starting January 1, 2017, and then ending the incentives in 2020. Businesses need certainty and regulatory stability to plan investments, so competitive auctions and technological neutrality are welcome, as long as they are implemented quickly.”

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Solid Biomass Energy: Committee Becomes Association

Rome, March 11 (askanews) – “Less than a year after its inception, the Solid Biomass Energy Committee—formed to address the new Renewable Energy Sources (FER) Decree, which would have severely impacted the sector, and still awaiting publication by the Ministry of Economic Development—is consolidating its path and becoming an Association.” The Committee announced this in a statement. The new statute was signed in Rome in the presence of the founding members: Biolevano, Biomasse Italia, Biomasse Crotone, Bonollo Energia, C&T, Fusine Energia, San Marco Bioenergie, Serravalle Energy, Sardinia Bio Energy, and Zignago Power.

Simone Tonon, former spokesperson for the Committee, was unanimously elected President of the EBS Association. Also joining him on the Board of Directors are Bruno Fisi, elected Vice President, Andrea Bigai, Secretary and Treasurer, Luigi Galloppa, and Antonio Di Cosimo.

The purpose of the EBS Association is “to represent, even more effectively, a true industrial sector that generates multiple benefits for the Italian economy and does not compete with the food sector.” “Not only from an environmental perspective, thanks to sophisticated emission control systems, ensuring regular maintenance of forests and preventing uncontrolled combustion, but also from an economic perspective, especially for the agricultural sector, through agro-energy production, the valorization of marginal lands, the use of by-products, and the entire biomass logistics sector,” the newly formed Association continues. Companies in the sector also represent “a point of reference for the development of a national technology for the construction and maintenance of energy plants.” Furthermore, the Association will be responsible for overseeing the protection and development of all companies and associations operating in the renewable energy production sector, the study and research related to solid woody biomass, and especially the related industrial supply chain.

“We are convinced,” declared the new President, Simone Tonon, “that the sector’s role in Italy can be further strengthened thanks to the contribution of this Association. Sustainability, environmental impact reduction, employment, regional development, technology, and the pursuit of efficiency are all principles the biomass sector has been working toward for years, with the goal of consolidating them in the long term.”

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Businesses don’t like the decree on solid biomass energy

The government is considering a bridging decree that will modify the incentive rules, but companies are protesting.

The ministerial decree, which regulates incentives for “green” installations—excluding photovoltaic—has been signed by the relevant ministries (Environment, Economic Development, and Agricultural Policies). It now awaits the opinion of the Unified Conference, expected by the end of October. Then the ball will be passed to the Energy Authority, and a request for some changes has already been made. If the new decree were to come into force, the old incentive aid regime (dating back to 2012) would be extended through 2016, pending the implementation of the European Directive on State Aid for the Energy Sector the following year, with the resulting change in subsidies for renewables.

However, as was easily predictable, this bridging decree is not everyone’s cup of tea. The first to raise their voices were solid biomass energy producers, who gathered together experts and politicians in Rome’s Sala degli Atti Parlamentari (Parliamentary Acts Room) to discuss the future of this industrial sector, which is threatened by the potential approval of the new FER decree. The alarm was raised by the newly formed Solid Biomass Energy Committee, which comprises 17 operators with a total of 24 active plants throughout Italy and a total capacity of approximately 350 MW. Aldo Di Biagio, vice-chair of the Senate Environment Committee, also expressed his concern. He issued a statement saying he was “aware of the critical issues that arise following the implementation of the new tariff system” and was committed to “preparing intervention, including regulatory measures, to introduce measures that will rebalance the sector’s profitability margins and avoid jeopardizing employment.”

Employment is a significant area, especially considering that the Committee alone represents a network of approximately 5,000 direct and indirect employees. Furthermore, Simone Tonon, spokesperson for the delegation, emphasizes: “An adaptation of the biomass supply chain, 90% of which is Italian, is also necessary.” In Italy, electricity generation from this source represents a total installed capacity of approximately 590 MW (GSE, 2012 data) and—the EBS Committee emphasizes—it is the only source capable of guaranteeing regular and continuous operation for over 8,000 hours per year, with constant and programmable production, since, unlike other renewables such as wind or photovoltaic, it is not dependent on climatic and environmental factors.

An important industrial reality, according to Giuseppe Castiglione, Undersecretary of State for Agricultural, Food, and Forestry Policies, who, at the conference’s closing, declared: “This issue cannot be dismissed with a tweet. A strong policy to protect a supply chain that generates economic activity is desirable. We must give the decree a broader scope and make careful choices. At a time when all the Regions are launching their new planning, we should have made political rather than bureaucratic choices. Today, there is a real problem of politics and choices, and cross-party support is needed, including at the parliamentary level. I am available, and my commitment today is to continue working at this table.”

SOURCE: La Stampa

The first committee of producers of Energy from Solid Biomass (EBS) has finally been born!

Rome, July 21 – More than 15 operators, with over 17 plants fueled by over 3.5 million tons of solid biomass annually and 3,000 employees (direct and indirect), represent 60% of the electricity generated in Italy from this renewable source. These are just some of the numbers characterizing the new “Energy from Solid Biomass” Committee, established with the aim of protecting the sector, seriously threatened by the change in tariff regime that will replace Green Certificates. “We have decided to give a name and a face to the efforts made over all these years,” explains Simone Tonon, spokesperson for the Committee, “especially in light of the launch of the new tariff system that will replace Green Certificates from January 1, 2016. This system, due to the failure to adjust incentive tariffs to current energy prices, will lead to an unfair penalty only for solid biomass—unlike other renewable sources—with the consequent collapse of the sector. Ours is a sector that generates multiple benefits for the country. In addition to protecting the environment, thanks to controlled combustion and regular use of residual biomass, otherwise destined for landfill or, worse, inappropriately burned, this sector contributes to the proper maintenance of forestry, allowing selective and sustainable cutting as well as the recovery of raw materials, which would otherwise be the responsibility of the State and public bodies. Furthermore, 90% of the biomass used is of Italian origin, with a positive return also on the agricultural sector, thanks to the production of biomass. agro-energy, the valorization of marginal lands and the use of by-products and the numerous supply chain agreements signed with the Ministry of Agricultural and Forestry Policies”. This is what Utopia – Institutional Relations and Media Relations Ebs Committee said in a press release. It is also important to remember that clean energy produced by this source, unlike other renewables such as wind or photovoltaic, does not depend on environmental factors and therefore ensures a regular and stable electricity supply for over 8,000 hours a year. Tonon concludes: “The incentive for this sector covers the operating and ongoing management costs of the plants, similar to an industrial sector, and over 20% of the latter therefore goes to the state coffers in the form of taxes, fiscal charges, and social security contributions. Given a change to the current version of the decree, which would entail an outlay of approximately 50 million euros, the Government risks losing next year a sector capable of guaranteeing a woody biomass supply market worth approximately 250-300 million euros/year, not to mention the social costs resulting from the closure of the plants, the redundancy payments for workers, and the economic repercussions on a nationally significant supply chain.” This request was already forcefully expressed in the joint communication of July 15, 2015, by Assoelettrica and Assorinnovabili—sent to Minister Guidi (Mise) and Minister Galletti (Mattm)—highlighting how the solid biomass sector generates tax revenue comparable to the impact of the incentive stabilization measures, which are necessary to prevent the collapse of the sector and are essential to its survival. Already active for two years, the EBS Committee brings together the most important companies producing electricity from renewable sources, through the exclusive use of solid biomass: Biolevano, Biomasse Crotone, Biomasse Italia, Bonollo energia, C&T, Enomondo, Serravalle Energy, Ital Green Energy, San Marco Bioenergie, Sardinia Bio Energy, Sicet, Sper, Tampieri Energie, Zignago Power,” concludes Utopia – Institutional Relations and Media Relations EBS Committee.

SOURCE: EBS

Interview with one of our collaborators regarding a recently purchased machine.

“The creation of a new supply chain in the region,” explains Walter Pichiri, head of biomass procurement, “created the need to source specialized machinery that wasn’t already available on the regional market. Among the various machines purchased is the TG5000 shredder, specifically chosen to exploit waste that had previously been a problem and is now being transformed into an energy resource.”

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