With an abundance of oil in Nigeria, oil and gas reserves in Angola, and large quantities of coal in Southern Africa, Africa has rightfully positioned itself on the global energy map for rich power resources.

However, when considering energy projects, Africa needs to choose technologies that are not simply state-of-the-art, but also easy to operate and maintain in the continent’s context. “ All too often developers fail to realise that these [energy] projects will be located in places remote from maintenance facilities, and where there are few people with high levels of technical skills. This may make it both difficult and costly to achieve the levels of performance normally expected from these modern technologies,” explains Statham.

However herein lies the major opportunity for Africa’s energy sector. “Instead of importing unsuitable technology from wealthy countries, the African energy sector should manufacture – or ‘Africanise’ its own technology,” explains Statham. “There is a great need to encourage innovative design, manufacturing and project implementation of this kind so that the continent can serve its own needs.”

The creation of uniquely African technology has the added potential of investment opportunities. “Developing countries such as in Latin America and parts of Asia are also experiencing similar problems as Africa, such as impoverished areas and underdeveloped resources. But by developing technologies suitable for these circumstances, we will create jobs, empower the entrepreneurial spirit and extend the African footprint across the developing world. More importantly, we will move from a condition of dependence to one of independence, able to meet our own needs for energy and unlocking all the social and economic benefits that follow.”

Yet for success in energy to be possible, countries on the continent need to work together. “Instead of a South African or Malawian energy solution, the energy sector in Africa should unite to create a common solution that corresponds to the African environment and its needs,” explains Statham. “Only when Africa and its people start looking after themselves, can we realise the great investment and business potential that lies ahead.”

Statham will be chairing the second Africa ENERGY INDABA 2010 - A Time for Innovation, Solutions and Alternatives, between February 24-26, 2010. The conference and exhibition brings together high-level decision makers from the private sector, government, energy companies, and utilities, to develop a common strategy for Africa’s energy sector.

“By working across national boundaries to find ways to exploit Africa’s physical energy, we will find solutions to unleashing the human potential on this continent,” emphasises Statham.

These numbers clearly show that wind capacity in Europe is double North American capacity and linked to a growing energy demand. China is currently experiencing high growth in wind installations and currently provides 27,000 MW capacity with Germany providing 22,247 MW through some 20,000 installed wind turbines. Global wind capacity is growing and has been doing so for more than a decade.

The rate of growth is projected to change within the short term as a result of re-newed interest in renewable energy sources, policy changes and current political changes, such as the new American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

This particular Act will extend the federal tax credit for the production of electricity from wind facilities to the end of 2012, provide for investment tax credits specific property used in wind energy facilities between 2009 – 2012 and for projects providing service in 2009 and 2010 or after 2010 but before 2013, if construction begins in 2009 or 2010 among other benefits to investors.

With about 43% of all new energy capacity in Europe for 2008, wind accounts for about 4.3% of the total energy demand. In terms of so called 'clean energy' it is the leader.

EWEA estimates that the wind energy sector is employing, on average, 33 new people every day of the week and has done so for the last 5 years across Europe. The geospatial industry, through addressing the spatial, time and network connectivity of downstream wind applications has also seen a rise in employment growth.

This has been exemplified in such areas as,

• the development of digital terrain models and 3D landscape modeling

• improved modeling of wind dynamics, monitoring and assessment

• increased data connectivity to online operating and business systems

• development and design of energy grids, integrated community energy strategies

• environmental analysis

In a 2008 report entitled 'Wind at Work' the EWEA estimates that 154,000 people are employed within the wind energy industry directly and indirectly in 2007. However, most of these people are employed in the three wind dominate countries of Denmark, Germany and Spain – leaving a highly significant number of positions yet to come across the entire territory.

The European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive is designed to focus upon the efficient use of energy, including wind. This directive is interesting because it can lead toward the design of new buildings and infrastructure that are are not only energy efficient, but are also oriented toward community and regional energy grids and patterns through technologies that link them together. Concepts of locally generated wind energy and even structurally generated wind are possibilities for the future.

Sources:

European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD)

Download Wind at Work report (EWEA).

1 - Introduction

Biogas production is already widespread and is continuously growing. The UK and Germany are by far the largest producers of biogas in Europe [1]. As a result, the two countries together represented almost 70 % of the total biogas production in Europe (Table 1). In the agricultural biogas production sector, however, Germany and Austria are currently the European leaders in utilising agricultural wastes for biogas production.

Landfill biogas is still the main source (49.2%of biogas energy) in Europe. “Other sources” (35.7%) come second - these are mainly agricultural biogas units and also biogas from waste treatment plants accounting for 15.0% of biogas energy. The agricultural biogas plants are currently the real driving force in the growth of European biogas production within the European Union. The specific feature of this sector is that it is increasingly based on the development of energy crops (maize, etc.) specifically intended for this use.

Germany in particular has witnessed an impressive biogas development since 2002, largely due to favourable feed-in tariffs paid for the production of electricity from biogas. In general terms it can be said that both biogas production and utilization depends upon the domestic legislation in the European countries.

The countries where the development has been most substantial have also encouraged this development through for example the EEG-law [2] in Germany (the law sets the basic conditions on which the feed-in tariffs for electricity produced from electricity are based) and the ROCs [3] in the UK (ROC is the name of the certificates that the electricity distributors need to acquire, which in turn promotes the production of electricity from RES).

Agricultural biogas production is the driving force of biogas growth in Europe (Tab.1). The market development is related to the use of energy crops that provide the basis for production. Growth potential is very high as a result, particularly in Europe’s leading agricultural countries (notably France, Poland and Hungary). The large-scale use of energy crops, however, also poses the same environmental questions as for biofuel production. The same fundamental necessity remains of striking a balance between the need to produce large quantities of renewable energy and the consideration of environmental constraints. On the other side of the coin, the major increase in agricultural raw materials prices last year could represent a limitation to prospects for growth in agricultural biogas production [1].

Energy carriers play a key role in influencing international politics and they also have a significant effect on the competitiveness of national economic systems. Since oil and natural gas prices are continuing to rise, it is now even more important to look for technologies to be implemented for reducing the dependency from traditional carbon fossils. As a result of this situation a growing number of countries are now interested in new applications for the biogas sector, specifically the production of biomethane in order to inject it into their natural gas networks or to use it as fuel for gas-powered vehicles [4]. The conclusive example of the countries of Northern Europe (particularly Sweden), together with increasingly efficient biogas upgrading technology, is encouraging more and more countries to develop these new applications.

Table 1: Primary energy production of biogas in the European Union in 2006 and 2007 (in ktoe) [1]

The table above shows that nations across Europe have already experienced the promise of success in the application of these technologies and expanding markets. On the other hand, the present market volume is still very low in many countries, despite the existence of the resources that are needed. Market growth for biogas applications is severely hampered by the presence of non-technical barriers, including administrative and regulatory barriers as well as financing obstacles. The decentralised access to biogas resources needs a decentralised integration into applications and fit to regional and local market demands. It is at this point that the issue of “acceptance” comes into consideration.

2 - Acceptance for Biogas Utilisation

The notion of “acceptance” covers the demands that occur on different stages of the supply and utilisation chain. Acceptance may be regarded at the level of

• Production of raw materials (animal excreta, energy crops, municipal and industrial wastes)
• Biogas plant operation (agricultural, municipal) within the nearby surrounding
• Intermediate trade and distribution by energy providers and service utilities
• Consumption of heat, electricity, gas out of the grid, vehicle fuels

Acceptance is the positive attitude of a customer to a product or a service. Many current studies are concerned with acceptance, see for example the IFMO Study for acceptance of hydrogen powered vehicles, and important dimensions of acceptance have been derived from studies of this kind [5, 6].

Whilst acceptance is important at all levels of production and utilisation, strong market forces will always arise from the demand side: end-users who are aware of ecological benefits, do not want to rely solely on fossil fuels and have an interest in becoming independent of energy imports, they are interested in a local energy supply, local value creation and value added chains, technology development and employment – moreover they are to some extent willing to pay a price for these benefits. Acceptance along the processing chain will include other factors such as secure incomes; these factors may be met, when the demand side drivers are strong enough. From a systemic point of view, it will be possible to include stakeholders’ and producers’ perspectives in a general acceptance concept.

Biogas projects often lack acceptance in the vicinity. In order to increase acceptance, it should be known which issues are to be addressed. This can be found out by questioning and integrating consumers, neighbours and local politicians, plant operators such as farmers, organic waste management experts, biogas equipment designers and producers and local energy suppliers.

3 An acceptance tool for energy crops

The Austrian Federal Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology (BMVIT) financed a project on the acceptance of agricultural biogas for heating purposes. The project analysed three factors, which are crucial for successful realization of biogas plants: The availability of raw materials, the quality of these materials as a source for biogas production, and the acceptance of the biogas plant in the neighbourhood. With respect to energy crops quality, 14 crops have been studied, as well as crop rotation (environmentally friendly or intense), and criteria like storage, transport, processing and methane yield. The availability issue concentrated on agricultural production regions, the expectations for crop yields and a rivalry assessment (crops used for animal feeding versus energy production).

One of the projects’ core elements has been the construction, testing and on-line implementation of an acceptance tool. Target groups for this tool were farmers and promoters of agricultural biogas plants. The tool helps them to understand, what are critical issues concerning the acceptance of their biogas plant in the near surrounding. As a result, they get recommendations on how to improve the acceptance of their project. These recommendations depend on the acceptance profile being analysed. The tool derives that profile, when it is charged with data, responses to a questionnaire action in the proximity of the proposed plant. The tool is on-line and accessible under www.biogasakzeptanz.at.

The tool was tested in a small community in Upper Austria. A farmer has built a small-scale biogas plant (100 kWel) near the centre of the municipality, and during the phase of construction, he was interested to know the acceptance of the plant by his neighbours. He received 41 (from 60) filled-in questionnaires from the nearest vicinity. The results of this questionnaire were presented in a public presentation on invitation of the mayor at the municipal office (Fig. I).

At this event it was possible to disseminate basic information about biogas technology, the planned project, and results of the local acceptance study. 70 persons attended the evening.

3 - The European project “BiogasAccepted”

The promising results in Austria played their part in encouraging the setup of a European project, focussing on the promotion of regionally produced biogas for local applications. The project “Biogas Accepted” aims to transfer the process that has shown to be useful in Austria into high potential regions of other European countries. The objective of BiogasAccepted is to support biogas applications that are warmly welcomed by regional actors and consumers. The action builds confidence in new market areas and for the diffusion of biogas applications.

In practice, BiogasAccepted creates tools for increasing biogas acceptance for various purposes, such as heating or cooling, providing electricity, fuelling vehicles, introducing biogas into the natural gas grid. An interactive process is being introduced, supported by questionnaires, evaluation, local public presentations and communication. A number of case applications in Austria, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Slovakia and Spain are being supported. Regional round tables derive recommendations for strengthening provincial markets and for creating policies for biogas application.

Key products of BiogasAccepted

• Questionnaire tool, online, with manuals, addressing neighbours of a (prospected) biogas plant
  Use/benefit: Operators may find out weaknesses and strengths of their project acceptance – a transferable tool, which may be used also after project end and / or in other countries
• Application of the tool in 24 cases
  Use/benefit: Giving support to regional biogas promoters in 6 countries
• Local events
  Use/benefit: Spreading information, achieving and increasing acceptance at the end-user
• 12 Round tables
  Use/benefit: Enhancing boundary conditions for biogas applications
• 6 Half-day seminars
  Use/benefit: informing counsellors and biogas lobbyists on features of the tool and the action.

   

Biogas Accepted Project Profile

Since this is an ongoing project, only parts of the work have so far been performed and completed. At the current stage, application regions and cases of concrete biogas projects have been selected. These biogas projects are either prospected, in planning or under (re-)construction, and they are interested in promoting their acceptance. In order to adapt the acceptance tool to regional needs, demands for application have been identified, comprising both technical as well as socio-economic features. E.g., the countries differ in technical requirements for biogas in gas grid applications, they differ in market penetration of gas driven vehicles and service stations, and they differ in many socio-economic issues like farm sizes and location, demands for local supply and knowledge concerning biogas applications.

A questionnaire tool has been created, supporting three application types: “biogas in grid”, “biogas for combined heat and power supply”, and “biogas for vehicle fuelling”. The tool is already online, and available in the languages English, German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Slovakian and Spanish. Tests with the tool have been performed in regard to the vehicle fuelling issue; nearly 400 car drivers have been surveyed for their acceptance of biogas. The test phase is still ongoing.

The first round of round tables has been performed and shown, that there is a high demand for enhancement of boundary conditions for biogas applications in the countries.

Conclusion:

Biogas production and utilization is already established in several European countries and best practices have now also been identified. A powerful effort to promote knowledge about biogas production or uses and transferring such best practices across the EU Member Countries, however, still needs to be made.

The future biogas production and usage will most likely be influenced to a considerable extent by policies. A number of driving forces have been identified for the production of biogas, such as climate change and fuel security. Biogas projects can further boost the local rural economy through creating jobs in the development and operation of anaerobic digestion plant. Promotion of renewable energy applications is therefore a major element in regional policy and can bring employment to regions which are otherwise deprived in terms of industrial development. These issues have to be implemented in policies and targets for the use of renewable energy sources.

On a regional and local scale, acceptance is most hindered by a lack of information about biogas applications and their benefits. Biogas project promoters need help not only in technical and economical concerns, but also in communication of the benefits of their activities to the public.

Acknowledgements and Disclaimer

The project is being co-funded by the European Union, under the Vertical Key Actions 7 and 8 of the Intelligent Energy Europe Agency (IEEA) Work programme 2006: “Small scale RES applications” & “Alternative vehicle propulsion”. The sole responsibility for the content of this publication lies with the authors. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Communities. The European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.

References

1 EurObserv'ER (2008): Biogas Barometer 2008, http://www.eurobserv-er.org/downloads.asp

2 EEG (2004): Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz, Bundesgesetzblatt Jahrgang 2004, Teil I, S. 1918 ff

3 ROC: A Renewables Obligation Certificate (ROC) is a green certificate issued to an accredited generator for eligible renewable electricity generated within the United Kingdom and supplied to customers within the United Kingdom by a licensed electricity supplier. One ROC is issued for each megawatt hour (MWh) of eligible renewable output generated. http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Sustainability/Environment/RenewablObl/Pages/RenewablObl.aspx

4 PHILIP ERIKSSON and MARTIN OLSSON (2007): The Potential of Biogas as Vehicle Fuel in Europe – A Technological Innovation Systems Analysis of the Emerging Bio-Methane Technology, Chalmers University of Technology, Report No. 2007:6, ISSN: 1404-8167

5 Doris Lucke, Michael Hasse (Hrsg.), Annahme verweigert – Beiträge zur soziologischen Akzeptanzforschung, Leske, Budrich, Opladen 1998.

6 Gundi Dinse, Akzeptanz von wasserstoffbetriebenen Fahrzeugen, Institut für Mobilitätsforschung, Berlin 2003.

Authors and contact details:

Wolfgang E. Baaske, Marianne Haberbauer

Wolfgang E. Baaske

E-Mail: baaske@studia-austria.com

STUDIA, Panoramaweg 1, 4553 Schlierbach, Austria

Tel +43(0)7582 / 819 81-95

Fax +43(0)7582 / 819 81-94

Marianne Haberbauer

E-Mail: marianne.haberbauer@profactor.at

PROFACTOR GmbH

Im Stadtgut A2, 4407 Steyr-Gleink, Austria

Tel +43(0)7252 / 885 417

Fax +43(0)7252 / 885 101

The building, based on the Advanced Manufacturing Park in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, is designed to BREAAM excellent standards, the world’s leading system for assessing buildings and their environmental impacts. It has its own Hydrogen mini-grid and presents a vision of how commercial buildings could be powered in the future.

Dr Jason Stoyel of TNEI outlines the scope of the project and its impact on the industry. Generating energy close to where it is needed and the intelligent management of that energy is critical to the UK’s energy mix, now and in the future. Rising energy costs and the Government’s challenging target of 20% of all energy being delivered from renewable sources by 2010 – highlight the pressure the renewable energy industry is under to develop innovative solutions for sustainable energy generation.

These two factors coupled with concerns over the security of the west’s energy supply are leading the UK to pursue one energy route known as the Hydrogen Economy.

Problems surrounding fossil fuels are many and well charted and the environmental advantages of hydrogen are so significant, that the move toward a hydrogen economy is very strong.

• Currently, 80% of the energy consumed in the EU is derived from fossil fuels, oil, natural gas and coal. A significant and increasing proportion of this comes from outside the EU.

• This dependence on imported oil and gas, which is currently 50%, could rise to 70% by 2030.

• This will increase the EU’s energy insecurity with the threat of supply cuts or higher prices resulting from international crisis.

If some predictions are to be believed, over the next few decades there will be a major shift away from the dependence on fossil fuels towards a cleaner, hydrogen future. One of the biggest challenges facing the industry in the commercial use of hydrogen is its storage and on site generation and the race is on to develop viable and cost effective applications that resolve these issues.

To have a truly “green” hydrogen economy, the hydrogen must first be derived from renewable sources and not fossil fuels that would continue to release CO2. Leading the quest to find these solutions are TNEI Services Ltd, a leading renewable energy consultancy and the Pure Energy Centre, PEC, experts in hydrogen technology. Their efforts were galvanised by a commission from regional development agency, Yorkshire Forward to make history with its Environmental Energy Technology Centre, EETC building.

After a four way pitch, TNEI and PEC were awarded the £2.3 million project because of their existing skills base and corporate experience coupled with their dynamic approach to championing innovative projects.

From Yorkshire Forward’s vision to create a building of international, national and regional significance, the UK’s first hydrogen mini-grid was born. The building, the EETC in Rotherham, aims to place Yorkshire at the centre of the global drive to create a low carbon economy. Housed on the Advanced Manufacturing Park in Rotherham, the EETC forms the nucleus of Yorkshire’s plans to create a hub for the renewable and emerging energy industries. A world class office and workshop facility, the building will aim to attract companies working in the renewable or emerging energy industries and offer them the business and technical support they need to become established.

The building will be a beacon of energy innovation – from the energy that fuels it, to the companies working within, an international example of a low carbon, sustainable and high energy efficiency. Built to future building standards of “iconic” design, the building will have a very low environmental footprint and low energy life cycle costs.

At the heart of the building’s design is its innovative power system. Designed and currently under construction, the Hydrogen Mini-grid, based on a hydrogen fuel cell, will be the most technically advanced commercial fusion of renewable energy and state of the art hydrogen technology in Europe.

The energy generated by this installation will make the EETC one of the first truly Carbon negative, fully operational commercial developments in the world and demonstrate the important role Hydrogen has to play in providing a secure, reliable and renewable energy supply for the UK.

Carbon neutrality, an increasingly important business goal, will be achieved by the EETC as soon as it is launched, with surplus energy in the form of hydrogen being made available for a range of uses including storage, transport fuel, or for use in research and development by companies occupying the centre.

It is estimated that the Hydrogen mini-grid system will generate over 364MWh of electrical energy per annum from an onsite VESTAS wind turbine. This electrical energy will be used to provide power to the EETC building and displace the use of electricity supplied by the local network operator. This will potentially save around 130 tonnes of CO2 every year.

Excess electricity generated during periods of low demand will be used to produce hydrogen using a state-of-the-art high pressure alkaline electrolyser. This element of the design has been created by Pure Energy Centre specifically for use with renewably generated electricity and has a significantly longer lifespan than alternative, commercially available, electrolysers. This is due to the innovative electrolyser construction that minimises electrode degradation caused by the high fluctuations in power supplied by a renewable energy device.

Once generated, the hydrogen from the electrolyser will be compressed from 30 bar to 420 bar for storage at high pressure in state-of-the-art cylinders. This high pressure storage will allow the hydrogen to be used on site or easily sold or transported for use elsewhere.

Another commercial first will be this storage of large quantities of high pressure hydrogen on site, with over 200kg stored in purpose built cylinders, creating the biggest single store of “Green” hydrogen in the UK.

Once the storage capacity is full any further excess electricity generated will be fed directly to the existing distribution network as “green” electricity.

The project is being delivered in three key stages, the first design stage has been completed and the programme is gaining pace with phase two, the build stage well underway and scheduled for completion early in 2009. For the third and final stage, TNEI and PEC have enlisted the help of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Leeds. Together, they will carry out a structured and comprehensive knowledge transfer programme – designed to build expertise within the Yorkshire region.

The focus of this knowledge transfer is to develop a pioneering Control System specifically for this project which will be implemented alongside the Hydrogen Mini-Grid. The knowledge transfer programme will last between 12 and 16 months with the aim being to develop a detailed working Control System that will optimise the whole system and enable Yorkshire Forward to derive maximum benefit from the renewable energy being generated on site.

All round control and simulation skills will be acquired through the Control programme – monitoring and controlling all energy input and output. This will enable the system to be used to its maximum potential whilst minimising energy losses. One interesting corporate development the Hydrogen Mini-grid has delivered to both TNEI and PEC is the job opportunities and career development the programme has created.

In addition to strengthening the skills set of existing staff members through their work with the University of Leeds, the project has also resulted in the potential for job creation now and into the future. Plans for phase 3 and beyond are currently being considered including the opportunities the Hydrogen Mini-grid could offer to TNEI and PEC and the wider community of Yorkshire when complete.

Once TNEI and PEC has delivered against the brief set by Yorkshire Forward, the team will explore the development potential and strategic opportunities for the business partnership in hydrogen economy into the future. The wider opportunities for hydrogen power are vast, but they have yet to be realized or pinned down. Currently no hydrogen infrastructure exists within the UK to support pioneering developments like the Yorkshire Forward project, which is and will continue to stall the development of the hydrogen economy.

TNEI and PEC are hopeful that when the Yorkshire Forward project is up and running, visionaries in Government and industry will recognise its ground breaking potential and start to invest and champion the developments that are so desperately needed to support what could be a burgeoning Hydrogen economy.

TNEI Services Ltd is an energy consultancy with offices in Newcastle, Manchester and Woking, United Kingdom. The Pure Energy Centre specialises in the delivery of renewable hydrogen systems. For more information: sara.ragan@tnei.co.uk

Basics of the DATAMINE Project
The Root Idea:  Take advantage from large scale EP Certificate data collection in Europe. The starting point of the Data from Energy Certification to Monitor Performance Indicators for New and Existing Buildings (DATAMINE) project was the fact that the current state of the European building stock and the on-going retrofit processes are not very well known. This information gap can be seen as a great obstacle for taking well-tailored measures to reduce the buildings’ energy consumption.

The idea of DATAMINE is to use Energy Performance (EP) Certificates as a data source for monitoring purposes. Given the great variety of buildings as well as certificate types in Europe and the very different status of national European Parliament Directive implementation efforts, a general monitoring system can only be implemented in the long run. Thus the objective of DATAMINE is to make basic experiences in data collection and analysis on a practical level and to draw conclusions for establishing harmonised monitoring systems.

The Benefits of a Common Language:
Compare Data from Different Countries by use of a Harmonised Data Structure
Given that the 12 projects were simultaneously carried out in 12 EU countries raised an issue of whether there is a way for a common analysis of the collected data or at least for a common understanding of the data from different projects. To handle this issue a harmonised data structure with 255 data fields was defined. The “philosophy” of this approach was as follows: Each project partner could use his own data structure (for example specified by the applied software) and carry out his analysis on an individual basis according to the objectives and conditions of the individual Model Project.

At the end the national data base was translated to the harmonised data structure that was then delivered to the project coordinator IWU who collected all data in a common evaluation data base. This made possible a comprehensive analysis during which a number of energy performance indicators from different countries could be compared. Since the harmonisation of definitions enabled each partner to gain an easy understanding of the data from other countries, the DATAMINE Data Structure can be seen as a simplified “common language” that facilitates an understanding of data bases from different projects.

The Conclusions:
How to Extend Energy Performance Monitoring Activities in the European Building Sector
The DATAMINE project partners also draw general conclusions concerning monitoring with the help of energy certificates. Based on the experiences with data collection during the Model Projects and with cross-country comparison, concrete recommendations are given for future steps. The problem of answering the basic questions about energy performance of the national building stocks is addressed as well as specific monitoring aims and the harmonisation and international comparability of the results.

Results from the Model Projects

Model Project 1: Germany (IWU)
The German project had a very specific aim: The carbon dioxide emission reduction of the measures which were supported by an energy saving support programme in the region of Hannover had to be estimated. There were good basic conditions for applying the DATAMINE approach because the issuing of an energy certificate was a prerequisite for getting support from the programme. So by analysing the data of more than 500 energy certificates (asset rating, reflecting the state of the buildings before modernisation) and the programme statistics (number and type of supported energy saving measures) the carbon dioxide emission reduction in 2005 and 2006 could be calculated. Apart from that a survey of the energy performance of the supported buildings before modernisation was given. A DATAMINE interface was developed and implemented in an energy certificate software tool which is very common in Hanover.

Model Project 2: Poland (NAPE)
In the Polish project a sample of 130 energy audits (mainly asset rating) was used to get an overview of the energy properties of residential buildings in Poland. Inter alia the U-values of walls, roofs, windows and basement areas were examined in relation to the construction period of the buildings. The analysis was concentrated on large buildings with a living space of more than 1000 m².

Model Project 3: UK (ESD)
The project was dealing with operational rating of different types of non-residential buildings. The building data were collected by an existing internet tool (EPLabel) and transferred to the DATAMINE data structure by a new software application. EPLabel is working on international level, so that building data from different countries can be collected. Circa 300 data sets were available, the analysis was concentrated on buildings from UK, for the most part office buildings.

Model Project 4: Netherlands (BuildDesk)
The main aim of the Dutch project was to improve the portfolio management of two big housing companies in Tilburg. The data bases included altogether more than 10.000 data sets (mostly apartments). Energy data were analysed in combination with cost data. Inter alia social aspects were considered: It was pointed out that especially low-rent apartments (usually inhabited by low-income renters) have a relatively high energy consumption and relatively high energy costs. The analysis also showed that a good overall energy performance may often be caused by energy-efficient district heating – but nevertheless the heat demand of the buildings and the heating costs may be considerably high.

Model Project 5: Italy (POLITO)
Two different samples were analysed: Data from 138 buildings in the Province of Torino – most of them higher education schools – gave an overview of the energy consumption depending on the used energy carrier, the size of the buildings and the climate data (which may considerably differ within the province). A second sample of 50 asset and operational rating data sets from social multi-family buildings of a social housing company in the city of Torino did not only provide an overview of the energy performance of the buildings stock but was also used for a comparison of the measured and the calculated energy consumption as well as for a comparison of five different regional Italian energy balance calculation methods.

Model Project 6: Greece (NOA)
The Hellenic model project was based on a sample of 250 buildings from different regions in Greece available from pilot energy audits performed in the framework of European projects for the development of audit methodologies and software (40% of available data), and other short energy audit campaigns using standard questionnaires and energy audit reports (60% of available data). NOA performed data quality checks and implemented in the evaluation data base (EDB). In total, 70% of the available data are residential buildings, and the rest different end-uses of non-residential buildings (offices, hospitals, hotels, sports centers, airports, and schools). About 40% of the available data (72 buildings) were for asset rating, while for the remaining 178 buildings with operational rating there was often additional available data on energy performance and thermal envelope characteristics. A detailed analysis of the energy related building properties of the sample was carried out including the U-values of the different building elements, the different types of heat supply systems and the energy balance – including measured and calculated energy consumption.

Model Project 7: Belgium (Vito)
The project made use of an auditing procedure for single family houses with official audits being uploaded to a central server of the Flemish Region. A number of 113 data sets were analysed (asset rating). The main target was the making of a “typology” of building elements in order to simplify energy auditing that means to save time and costs. For example a procedure for the estimation of the U-value of a wall depending on the type of the wall, the year of erection and the insulation layer thickness was developed.

Model Project 8: Austria (AEA)
n Austria there is already a software tool to collect the information of all leading energy performance certificate programmes in  regional data bases (Salzburg, Styria and Carinthia) .  Since the good experiences during the DATAMINE project, the Austrian Energy Agency forced to create one national database. So  now  there are  even better conditions for systematic and large-scale approaches to collect and analyse data from energy performance certificates.

During the model project an interface was defined and programmed to transfer the data of the existing data base into the DATAMINE format. Moreover an analysis of more than 7,000 energy performance certificate data sets from the Austrian province Carinthia was carried out. Most of them (more than 5,200) were from new buildings which were erected between 2003 and 2007. So a special emphasis of the analysis was put on new buildings. But there was also a large number of energy certificate data from older buildings (almost 1,500 cases) so that also the existing building stock could be examined.

Model Project 9: Slovenia (ZRMK)
A number of 100 data sets were considered. The analysis was concentrated on big residential buildings which were erected in the 1960s and 1970s and which are now due for modernisation measures. The results show that the energy efficiency of those houses is quite low compared to buildings from other erection periods so that the energy saving potentials should be considerably high.

During the project a data preprocessor software tool was developed which will also in the future make possible the automatic creation of DATAMINE data sets from the existing energy certificate scheme. For the future the chances of an application of the DATAMINE approach in Slovenia are also seen in the quality control of energy certificates.

Model Project 10: Spain (Ecofys)
In the Spanish model project 50 energy certificate data sets, most of them from residential houses, were analysed to obtain an overview of the energy performance of the buildings. In order to prepare future monitoring approaches and make possible the analysis of a larger number of certificates a software tool for the data transfer from the files of a common energy certificate programme to a DATAMINE data base was developed.

Model Project 11: Ireland (Energy Action)
There were 126 asset rating data sets of residential buildings available. Besides attaining an overview of the energy performance of the sample a main goal of the project was to compare the “old” Irish energy rating method which was applied in the past with the “new” method according to EPBD which is currently introduced. The results show that altogether there is a reasonably close correlation of the methods and only in the case of the hot water energy values there seem to be considerable deviations.

Model Project 12: Bulgaria (SOFENA)
The results of operational rating of 493 non-residential buildings were available. Most of them (428) are municipal buildings from Sofia so that the analysis could in the first place deliver a detailed overview of the measured energy performance of the different segments of the capital’s buildings stock (schools, kindergartens, hospitals, administrative buildings).

The DATAMINE Data Structure
The DATAMINE Data Structure provided a framework for the data to be collected during the monitoring process. A total of 255 parameters were defined of which a suitable sample could be selected to describe the building’s energy performance, depending on the concrete case and the type of energy certificate. The following groups of quantities were considered in the Data Structure:

A.     Energy Certificate Data
Basic data of the energy certificate, e.g. certification date, classification of the building according to the national indicators which are used in the energy certificates
B.     General data of the building
Basic data of the type and size of the building: e.g. location (city), building utilisation, conditioned floor area
C.     Building envelope data
Data describing the thermal performance of the building envelope (enclosing the heated part of the building): U-values and area of the elements, window properties
D.     System Data
Data describing the building energy supply systems, e.g. type of heat generation systems, type of heat distribution systems, information on air conditioning systems
E.     Calc. Energy Demand (Asset Rating)
Quantitative results of asset rating e.g. heat demand, hot water demand, energy input and output of heat generators and air conditioning equipment, boundary conditions of asset rating
F.     Basic Parameters of Operational Rating
Information on the basic conditions of operational rating, the outcome (measured energy consumption) is indicated in the following chapter G
G.     Summary of Energy Consumption and Energy Generation
Summary of end energy consumption and energy generation, in the first place for operational rating, but also for asset rating.
H.     Primary Energy, CO2 Emissions and benchmarks
Primary energy demand and CO2 emissions for both operational and asset rating

The Data Structure accounts for different types of energy certificates in the EU countries and in the project partners’ Model Projects,  as well as the different monitoring aims: For example, the data to be delivered from asset rating (calculation of the energy demand of the building) and from operational rating (measured energy consumption) are very different. The same applies to different types of buildings (certificates of residential and non-residential buildings with or without air-conditioning and lighting).

Against that background the Data Structure neither aims at collecting all available data of a certain type of energy certificates nor will it be necessary (or in many cases even possible) to fill in all of its data fields during a certain application: The basic idea of the Data Structure is to provide a “common language” for the monitoring of energy certificate data: It aims at making possible the documentation of all relevant (not the complete) energy certificate data of a certain monitoring project in a way that it can be clearly understood by others and compared with other projects which are documented in the same way. For this purpose it may be applied on national as well as on international level.

Cross-Country Comparison of the collected data
During the above described Model Projects more than 19,000 datasets were collected in the 12 different countries. The below shown table () gives a break down for certificate types, rating types, energy uses, utilisation types and building age classes.

Since the data structure was the same for all databases a comprehensive analysis and cross-country comparison could easily be performed. This was done by use of an MS Excel Workbook, the “DATAMINE Analysis Tool”, which was created during the project.

The following quantities were compared:
U-values of walls, windows, roofs and floors: average values for different building age classes (see example in Fig. 5) and frequency distributions;
envelope areas (specific window, façade, roof and floor areas): frequency distributions;
calculated heat demand for space heating: average values for different building age classes (see example in Fig. 6), dependence of the thermal transmittance;
energy carrier types and heat generator types: frequency distributions;
measured consumption: average values for different utilisation types, correlation with calculated consumption.

Of course, it cannot be assumed that the determined average values are representative for the respective national building stocks. Each Model Project had a different collection scheme and monitoring target, often a certain region was considered, therefore the datasets are more or less a limited case study. The objective of this analysis was not to provide a survey of national building stock properties but to show the benefits resulting from data harmonisation: the possibility of comparing energy-related building data by using a simplified international “language”.

Comparing of Energy Performance
Certificate data from different countries:
Lessons learnt
An important precondition for comprehensive comparisons like the one used in the analyses mentioned above is that the entire databases are available for all considered countries. Since this may cause problems during future activities (e.g. data privacy) an alternative way for comparison was shown during the evaluation: Subsets of the databases are aggregated in form of building types.

Each building type is represented by an “average building”, a dataset determined by averaging the specific envelope areas, the U-values and the energy need for heating. If this aggregation is performed using the same method for each database, cross-country comparisons of the buildings’ energy performance can be performed in a similar way. As a result a simple typology for residential buildings was created for 8 Model Project databases as a showcase for such a procedure.

Apart from comparing the energy-related features of buildings from different countries building typologies can also be used for calculating the energy saving potential for a distinct regional or national building stock (as has been done e.g. in Model Project 1). In consequence one of the conclusions of the DATAMINE project is to set up activities for the design of harmonised National Building Typologies.

In summary the DATAMINE data structure proved to be a suitable approach for information exchange between countries and for harmonised monitoring activities on EU level. The showcase analysis shows that proper information about trends and characteristics in the building sector can in principle be attained by the proposed indicators and by the data analysis concept.

General Experiences and Recommendations
The DATAMINE project is characterised by its bottom-up approach: In the 12 Model Projects a large variety of experiences was made with data collection and analysis. Different types of buildings (residential and non-residential) were analysed using different types of energy certificates and energy audits (asset rating as well as operational rating). Different methods of data collection were applied: Existing databases were used but there was also data transfer from single energy certificates or building energy audit reports – carried out by hand or by a new developed interface for energy certificate software. Also data collection via internet was realised.

Even the monitoring aims were very different: Of course, there was always a general motivation to learn more about the energy performance of the building stock, but the specific questions to be answered were very different: For Example, the carbon dioxide savings by refurbishment subsidies of a grant programme were calculated, portfolio analysis of housing companies was supported, energy balance calculation methods were compared.

The variety of conditions and approaches in the 12 Model Projects can be studied in detail in the respective reports (see Overview of DATAMINE re­ports). However, DATAMINE also intended to make the results comparable and to draw general conclusions. One aspect is the comparability of the different data sets which was made possible by the common Data Structure and which was demonstrated by the cross-country comparison described above. Apart from this remains the basic questions which formed the starting point of DATAMINE: How can we pro­ceed with monitoring the energy performance of the building stock? What can be learned from the DATAMINE project? Which are the next steps?

Certainly we can not give final answers in this complex issue. But on basis of our experiences during the project (also including dissemination activities and the exchange of opinion with representatives of key actors and target groups such as national experts on energy saving and monitoring) we would like to give the following recommendations:

1.     Use the DATAMINE Data Structure to make monitoring data bases comparable
The DATAMINE Data Structure has demonstrated its ability to serve as a “common language” that can make data from different projects comparable, also on an international (European) level. So it would surely be useful for the understanding and comparability of monitoring results if this data structure would be more and more used in projects dealing with data collection about the energy performance of buildings. Of course this does not mean that the DATAMINE Data Structure was the one and only concept for systemising the collected data. Such a harmonised structure is necessarily simplified and will not be able to meet the specific needs of every monitoring approach.

This was even not the case within the DATAMINE model projects. But a translation will usually be possible: The DATAMINE Data Structure was designed to include the most relevant results of different types of energy certificates issued for different types of buildings in different European countries. Accordingly, what we will usually only need are interfaces which export (“translate”) the existing data to the harmonised structure.

Of course the DATAMINE Data Structure is just a first approach. If it was successfully disseminated in the future, it would certainly be advanced and improved, maybe a bit like a ‘living language’. But care should be taken with creating dialects which might finally result in a ‘Babel of languages’.

2.     Use national energy certificate data bases for making statistical analysis
In the course of the implementation of the European directive on the energy performance of buildings (EPBD) some European countries are currently establishing national data bases including information on all officially issued energy certificates. The information is either directly collected via energy certification internet tools or data files that are submitted to the central data base for every certified building by the energy consultants or other persons / institutions who issued the certificate.

Certainly this is a very good opportunity to attain statistical information on the national building stock, but this task often appears to play only a minor role during the establishment of these data bases. So it can be recommended to check the opportunities and elaborate concepts for getting statistical information on the building stock by analysing the delivered data. Within this it should be checked if all information that would be valuable is actually collected. Generally it can be expected that energy certificates which are based on asset rating will provide more detailed information than those based on operational rating. Of course here – as in all other monitoring approaches – data protection needs must always be kept in mind and cared for.

National energy certificate databases do not exist in every country but often there are other centralised data collection schemes (e.g. collection of samples of energy certificates, data bases on regional level or in the framework of subsidy programmes) which may as well be used for monitoring purposes.

3.     Provide the house owners with the complete information about their buildings
Even if there are no national or other energy certificate databases the chances of using energy certificate data for statistical analysis is not completely lost: If the useful data which are collected and calculated during the making of the certificate are transferred to the house owner they will be available in case of future information demand, e.g. when the house owner is asked to fill in a questionnaire of a large-scale survey for monitoring purposes.

But it will also be useful for him when the energy certificate is to be updated or in case that refurbishment measures are planned for the building some years after issuing. The information is not necessarily to be provided as an electronic data file but could also be printed on paper. In this case, of course, not all information should be given directly in the Energy Certificate but in a special appendix with standardised structure.

4.     Develop concepts for the monitoring of the national building stocks
The collecting, analysing and comparing of data from energy certificates is not an end in itself. What we really need is better information about the energy performance of the building stock so that we can answer questions like: What are the energy saving potentials in the building stock? How much CO2 do we save in the building stock every year? Is this sufficient to reach the climate protection goals?

To be more precise we can identify three tasks:
At first we have to get an idea of the structure of the building stock (which types of buildings are there depending on the year of erection? How are they constructed, e.g. which types of walls were built how often in the respective erection period?).
Secondly we have to know their current state (How many walls, roofs, heating systems et cetera have already been insulated / modernised in the past?).

And thirdly we have to know the current trends (How many energy saving measures are carried out every year at the walls, roofs, heating systems et cetera?).

To provide this information is no simple task and it will demand for well-tailored statistical concepts. For example it must be assured that the analysis really leads to representative results for the observed building stock. In the next points 5, 6 and 7 we will examine possible approaches in more detail.

5.     Develop building typologies
A first step towards monitoring the energy performance of the building stock is to get a systematic overview of its structure: Different types of buildings were erected in different periods, the used building materials and structures also depend on the size (single or multi-family house) and often on the region. The making of a building typology means to classify the building stock in a systematic way: The typology consists of a set of model buildings with characteristic energy related properties (envelope areas, U-values, supply system efficiencies).

Each model building represents a certain construction period and a specific building type and size. The number of buildings or the overall living area per type can usually be derived from national statistics so that with the help of the typology a detailed picture of the building stock can be drawn reflecting the different erection periods. Energy certificate data appear as a well suited information source for the definition of building types for example to identify mean values per building type, e.g. the mean wall area per building or mean U-values of buildings in their original state.

Building typologies already exist in some countries (e.g. in Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany) but even in such cases there might be a need for further development e.g. to define the representative model buildings on a better statistical basis. In other countries building typologies would have to be new developed and here we see good perspectives for harmonised approaches on international / European level: If national and regional typologies were structured in a similar way this would be a good basis for comparison and for getting a detailed overview of the building stock in Europe.

6.     Carry out representative surveys
The second and third step of monitoring (quantifying the current state and the current trends of building energy performance) will need special attention and well-tailored methods. For example this task can not automatically be solved by collecting and analysing energy performance data of buildings. It must be assured that the analysis really leads to representative results.

This is even the case if national data bases for energy certificate data exist, because as long as there is not an up-to-date energy certificate for every building in the country mean values of the collected data do not necessarily reflect the average state of the whole building stock. So one can expect that energy certificates are often issued for buildings which were recently modernised so that those buildings might be over-represented in the data base3. 

Thus, if there are large energy certificate data bases the question has to be answered, if and how representative results can be attained to certain questions, e.g. by sub-sampling and stratification. Maybe it will turn out that additional surveys are necessary which will anyway be the case if no such national data base exists. Because in the short run not every building will be provided with an energy certificate (and even if: it might not contain all relevant data, see point 3) the certificates hold by the house owners can not serve as the only data source in the survey so that suitable questionnaires might be needed.

7.     Monitor the sectors “new buildings” and “rented houses”
Even if apparently not every question can directly be answered by collecting and analysing energy certificate data, there are sub-samples of buildings which are better suited than others: These appear to be the new buildings and the rented houses.
According to EPBD every new building in the EU will be provided with an energy certificate. So here we have a complete covering of the new buildings sector with asset rating data. Collection of this data by central data bases or with the help of representative samples could lead to clear picture of the new buildings sector.

Sometimes the new buildings are estimated to be much less relevant for climate protection and energy saving than the existing building stock with its large unused energy saving potentials. But this is not the case if one considers that the existing buildings can not all be modernised overnight. This will take a long time and during this period also the new buildings will accumulate and altogether have a considerable impact to the carbon dioxide emissions. So it will be very important to know how many buildings only keep the national energy saving regulations and how many have a better quality.

As pointed out the analysis of energy certificate data in the existing building stock could be more difficult because energy certificates are not issued for all buildings in the next years. This applies in the first place to owner-occupied houses, mostly single-family houses where energy certificates only need to be issued in case there is a new owner. In the sector of rented buildings the situation is different because the EPBD requires the issuing of certificates in every case of a new rented apartment. So it can be at least assumed that the sector of rented houses (especially larger multi-family houses)  will be provided with energy certificates very much quicker than the owner-occupied houses so there might be better conditions for a comprehensive monitoring on basis of energy certificates.

8.     Use the opportunity to answer specific questions by monitoring
The previous recommendations concentrated on the monitoring of the complete (e.g. national) building stock. This is of course a central question but there are many others to be faced. The DATAMINE Model Projects showed many exemplary applications of energy certificate monitoring against the background of specific monitoring aims.

Here we give some examples of questions which can be answered, there may be others:

-portfolio analysis (e.g. of the building stock of Housing Companies or municipalities);
-monitoring of energy saving support programmes;
-improvement of energy balance methods used for energy certification
comparing the calculated energy demand with the measured energy consumption,
-comparing different methods,
-aiming at an improvement or simplification (and easier application) of the methods;
-quality assurance of energy certificates (applying plausibility tests to the certificates by making use of input and output data, monitoring of energy certificate quality);

Tobias Loga and Nikolaus Diefenbach are located at the IWU - Institut Wohnen und Umwelt (Institute for Housing and Environment) in Darmstadt / Germany.

Contact Address:
Tobias Loga / Nikolaus Diefenbach (t.loga@iwu.de / n.diefenbach@iwu.de)
IWU - Institut Wohnen und Umwelt  (Institute for Housing and Environment)
Annastraße 15
D-64285 Darmstadt
Germany

For more information consider the DATAMINE website:
www.meteo.noa.gr/datamine