by Dr. Matthew Aylott

A significant amount of research has been done on algae in countries like the US, where policies and the climate are helping algae bioenergy and biofuels to blossom, but there remains a lack of information concerning the performance of algae in Europe.

This was the conclusion of the European INTERREG Programme, which identified a need for further research in this area. This led to the development of the Energetic Algae (EnAlgae) project.

EnAlgae is a four-year initiative of the INTERREG IVB North West Europe Programme, which receives funding through the European Regional Development Fund. It will involve 19 partners and 14 observers from a wide variety of organisations across 7 EU member states.

The project covers North West Europe (Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Switzerland and the UK), which is an area characterised by distinct industrialised zones, interwoven within a large rural landscape containing active agriculture, fishing and tourism, each of which employ a large workforce.

As a result of the high density of people and the activities undertaken within these sectors, the environment and energy resources are placed under considerable pressure. So much so, that in 2008, the region is said to have produced over 40 per cent of total EU27 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

The EnAlgae project aims to reduce GHG emissions and dependency on unsustainable energy sources in North West Europe. This will be achieved through the accelerated development of sustainable technologies for algal biomass production, bioenergy and GHG mitigation, from pilot phase to application and marketable products, processes and services.

EnAlgae will share 9 pilot-scale facilities across the region, allowing cost and access barriers to be overcome and the full range of physical parameters encountered within the region to be investigated.

Project participants will also benefit from financial and political support, and through the exchange of expertise and experiences, can jointly devise best-practice models which may then influence their respective national, regional or local policies.

The project will also produce a tool that will be used provide investors and policy-makers with the necessary means to tailor algal-based energy solutions to particular physical and social conditions within North West Europe.

EnAlgae will hold regular meetings to communicate activities and share progress, this will include a launch event on Brussels on the 1st of December, regional stakeholder events and technical workshops based around the pilot facilities. The project will officially end on 30th June 2015.

By Dr Matthew Aylott, NNFCC – The UK’s National Centre for Biorenewable Energy, Fuels and Materials

Tags: EnAlgae, Matthew Aylott