If you’ve always heard about the big Horizon2020 projects but thought they were distant and inaccessible, it’s time to change your mind.
We have already told you about ProGIreg, but that is not all!
Very close to us-in our countryside and those of 6 other European countries, BioEnergy Farm 2, an interesting Horizon2020 project that combines research and agriculture by promoting sustainable energy production on small livestock farms, is being implemented.
This is an important opportunity for our area, which is characterized by a traditional presence of small farms and the combination of farming and ranching activities. Piedmont alone is home to about 1 million adult cattle, corresponding to 10 percent of the national livestock population.
This operation has theUniversity of Turin(Department of Agricultural, Forestry and Environmental Economics and Engineering) and Coldiretti Piemonte at the forefront, partners in a large European grouping led by the Dutch company Cornelissen Consulting Services.
The project makes a contribution to the ongoing debate regarding the feasibility of biomass and agricultural waste-fueled cogeneration plants. It focuses on small-scale technologies that are suitable for the needs of an individual farm, which can use its waste while reducing its environmental impact and increasing the economic benefits of farming. Seeing is believing!
More specifically, the project aims to assist 700 farmers in preparing feasibility studies and business plans for theinstallation of CHP plants at the individual farm level.
The project website provides various tools for guidance, information and self-assessment (a bit like our guidebook!), supplemented by the possibility of personalized support provided by the project partners.
The example provided by the project should pave the way for a wider and more generalized demand for CHP technologies among farmers, motivating the supply side to adapt with increasingly affordable and effective technologies.
