Over 1500 delegates from 72 countries attended the 18th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition which took place at in Lyon, France, from 3 May to 7 May 2010. A wide range of topics along the biomass value chain was covered in about 1000 individual plenary, oral and visual presentations. One of the most important topics was the introduction of second generation biofuels. Others included the availability of resources, conversion technologies, biomass projects, integration of biomass and derived products in the energy system, environmental impact, market deployment, policy and strategy actions.
Delegates at the opening session heard the views of international experts in the biomass sector on the role of biomass both in Europe and internationally. Other highlights included a debate on the status of progress of European industrial initiatives within the framework of the European Commission's Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan), a symposium on the results of the French national biomass for energy programme REGIX, and the 4th Biomass Industry Day attended by over 150 participants. The Johannes Linneborn Prize for achievements in biomass development was awarded to Kyriakos Maniatis, Principal Administrator, Directorate General for Energy, European Commission. Awards for outstanding visual presentations were made to the authors of six of the 440 scientific posters.
Speaking during the closing session, the chairman of the International Energy Agency (IEA), Professor Josef Spitzer, stated that: 'The expectations of the participants – to learn about the status of bioenergy development and implementation and to discuss the challenges to be tackled – have been fulfilled. The results will be referred to in future work and contribute to the advancement of bioenergy.'
The annual European Biomass Conference and Exhibition is held at different venues throughout Europe and is one of top of world's leading events in the biomass sector. This year's event was supported by the European Commission, ADEME (French Environment and Energy Management Agency), UNESCO, the World Council for Renewable Energy (WCRE) and the European Biomass Industry Association (EUBIA).
* Visit www.conference-biomass.com for more information.
