European Comission Program "Intelligent Energy – Europe" (IEE) project
SRCplus partners are WIP Renewable Energies (leading partner, Germany), Association d'Initiatives Locales pour l'Energie et l'Environment AILE (France), Centre for Renewable Energy Sources and Saving CRES (Grieķija), Ekodoma Ltd.(Latvia), Energy Institute Hrvoje Požar EIHP (Croatia), Energy agency of the Zlín Region EAZK (Czech Republic), LSFRI “Silava”, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences SLU, Secondary School of Agriculture Car Samoil-Resen SSA-Resen (Macedonia) and Biomassehof Achental GmbH & Co. KG (BAT, Germany).
The overall objective of SRCplus is to support and speed-up the development of local supply chains of Short Rotation Woody Crops (SRC) by implementing various capacity building measures and regional mobilization actions for the key actors in local supply chains. Target regions: Upper Bavaria region/Achental (Germany), Osječko-Baranjska and Vinkovačko-Srijemska counties in Eastern Croatia (Croatia), Vidzeme (Latvia), Rhone-Alps (France), Zlin (Czech Republic), Kentriki Makedonia (Greece) and Prespa (Macedonia). Sweden will transfer its best-practice know-how and experience to the target regions. Dedicated capacity building measures for target groups (farmers, public land owners and small and medium users of woodchips) will be implemented in order to mobilize the regional potential. The project starts with an analysis of sustainable SRC local supply chains and identification of best practises. In the next step the results will be integrated into 3 work packages on capacity building focussing on the target groups. In addition to the capacity building activities, mobilization actions will be implemented at regional level. The results achieved in the target countries will be promoted.
Results:
- Knowledge transfer on SRC supply chains between 7 target countries (DE, CZ, EL, FR, HR, LV and MK), Sweden and other European countries (handbook, good practices, information on markets) as well as in selected regions of these countries.
- 68 capacity building events for the main target groups in the SRC supply chains: 14 training courses for farmers, 14 seminars for public land owners, 7 information days and 14 workshops for small and medium users of woodchips, as well as 10 local site visits, 1 international study tour, 7 national workshops to involve further regions, 1 European Workshop at the end of the project enabling these target groups to start sustainable SRC production in 7 target regions and beyond.
- Regional mobilization actions to stimulate the implementation of SRC supply chains in the target countries and regions and beyond.
- Dedicated cooperation activities with the industry involved (seedling providers, agricultural equipment suppliers, boiler manufacturers) in the supply chains in order to disseminate practical experiences to the target groups.
- Promoted sustainable practices in the SRC supply chains in order to create and highlight especially the environmental benefits of SRC in comparison to other (annual) crops. Thereby, the project cooperates with environmental protection associations (beekeepers, hunters, ornithologists nature conservation, water supply, fire protection), to exploit synergies with other agricultural uses and ecosystem services.
