COACH BioEnergy, a project for sustainable biomass utilisation co-financed by the Central Europe programme is ready to enter its last year which will result in a set of freshly developed products and services for potential users of biomass sources.

A network of sixteen organisations from Austria, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary has been working hard to set the basis for a new consultancy service due to start in the second half of 2011.

The essence of the project is to bundle the scientific know-how of university researchers and research institutes in a web-based “virtual net” and to base the work of experienced consultancy bureaus on this knowledge. This ways consultancy services are carried out on the basis of the last scientific results, but – due to a transformation process via the virtual net – the content is easy to understand and suitable to pass on to potential users of biomass sources.

Certain services of COACH BioEnergy are planned to be available to all interested parties via the open space of the virtual net. This will contain a glossary, access to the COACH BioEnergy newsletter, a best practice database and a special Request and Answers Area where posted questions will be answered by the network’s experts within a few days.

The restricted space – accessible by network members – of the virtual net will contain background information on the socio-economic and environmental effects of biomass in forms of technology descriptions, life cycle assessments, cost-benefit analysis tools, etc. These will help the consultancy bureaus in carrying out effective and scientifically solid consultancy to municipalities, companies, farmers and other users and producers of biomass.

The virtual net is currently being filled up with information and in the second half of 2011 COACH BioEnergy will be able to offer the following set of useful services:

• Renewable energy strategy planning (RESP) – a possibility for communities and regions to decrease their dependency on fossil fuels and create new jobs with the help of renewable energy sources

  RESP can be used by municipalities and regions as a kind of energy guide with assistance in questions of energy efficiency and the production and utilisation of renewable energy sources. Based on suggested actions by our experts clients can decide which ways of future developments they choose in the field of renewable energies.

• Best practice examples - Check how your neighbour did it – learn from others’ experiences!

  A user friendly database will be available where descriptions on successful projects can be browsed by technology and by region. Regional Consultancy Bureaus will also be able to find easily data about different aspects of the utilisation of certain biomass technologies in the database.

• Policy assistance – Keeps policy makers well informed

  This service is aimed at providing policy makers with multiple information and advisory services relevant for formulation, justification, and implementation of new or amended policies related to renewable energy utilisation.

• Market development –Find your individual customers and markets

  This service helps clients (mainly enterprises) with assessing the opportunities for the extension of their business activities – intensively (i.e. within the existing market) or extensively (in the fields of new areas and markets, differing either geographically or by type of products and/or services marketed).

• Technology selection – Identify the appropriate way to use biomass for energy production

  Based on the sustainability assessment of technologies COACH BioEnergy provides assistance for finding the most appropriate technologies for local circumstances regarding environmental, economic and social aspects.

Check the www.coach-bioenergy.eu website regularly to keep yourself well informed on the progress of different COACH BioEnergy services in your region!