Get the Latest News on Short Rotation Plantations – Rokwood Newsletter #2

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Rokwood training workshops

Training workshop 1

Location: Kingston Maurward College, Dorchester DT2 8PYFP7

Date: Wednesday 6th May 2015

Cost: £FREE including lunch

This workshop will focus on the use of woody energy crops grown as short rotation plantations (SRPs) to provide fuel for heating large estates and large off gas properties. There will be presentations by Mike Pearson, the Principal of Gurteen College in Tipperary and the Rokwood team. There will also be a chance to see a 3 hectare field of SRP willows. 

Training workshop 2

Location: To be confirmed – Probably East Midlands

Date: To be confirmed – Probably late May

Cost: £FREE

If you would like to sign up in advance then please email kevin@crops4energy.co.uk.

Rokwood videos

You can find out all about the Rokwood project by watching two videos below. The first provides a general introduction to energy crops grown in short rotation plantations (SRPs) and the second includes interviews with project partners.  In the latter you will get to hear partner’s views on:

  • Why the EU needs SRPs
  • What you need to know before you create an SRP business
  • What are the benefits of SRPs
  • What are the main obstacles to the SRP sector

Case study booklet – watch this space

Mike Pearson and Richard Hamilton with Gurteen Colleges two KWB boilers which run on willow chip.

Mike Pearson and Richard Hamilton with Gurteen College’s two 300 kilowatt KWB boilers which run on willow chip.

In the next edition of this e-newsletter we’ll be releasing a book of 40 SRP case studies from across Europe. This promises to provide a wealth of information and insight from people and organisations that have been there and done it. The case studies will cover all aspects of best practice including production, processing and use. For a sneak preview here’s one we’ve produced on Gurteen College in Tipperary, Ireland.

Rokwood Joint Action Plan

The Joint Action Plan (JAP) is one of the main outputs of the project and is in effect a route map on how to develop the SRP sector. The JAP involves six priority areas and makes 34 recommendations for joint activities. Some of these will be started during the final months of the project whilst others will have a much longer timeframe.  A public version of the JAP will shortly be uploaded onto the Rokwood website. The delivery of the JAP will indicate to the European Commission the sort of research and innovation projects that are required and it is hoped that it will therefore influence the future direction of R&D spending on SRPs.

Sign up to the Rokwood marketplace

Rokwood marketplaceAs part of our International Co-operation Strategy we have set up the Rokwood marketplace which is designed for organisations to showcase their business offers and find partners. By the end of the project our intention is to produce the largest publically available database of SRP businesses in the world.  If your company is involved in the production and use of woody biomass from SRPs, and you are not listed yet, you can register here.  Over the coming months we will also be putting a database of SRP machinery and SRP varieties on the website.  If you would like to provide details of SRP machinery please contact Annika Henriksson and SRP varieties please contact Kevin Lindegaard

UPCOMING EVENTS …

1) LogistEC Workshop: The Integration of Energy Crops in Agriculturelogistec-logo

30th March 2015 (Brussels) | Free

This is a one day workshop will evaluate how energy crops could be integrated into mainstream agriculture.  The findings of this workshop will be reported in a factsheet that will be first circulated to attendees for validation, and then widely disseminated in Europe by all partners, and on the project web site. 

2) LogistEC Workshop on energy crops in Central and Eastern Europe

23-24th April 2015 (Warsaw) | Free

This is a one day conference and supplementary study tour which aims to exchange information and contacts between project partners and Central and Eastern Europe stakeholders. The targeted participants are Polish and other Central and Eastern Europe stakeholders from the agriculture sector and related companies. 

3. Mobilization of woody biomass for energy and industrial use. Smart logistics for forest residues, pruning and dedicated plantations

19 May 2015 (Rome) | Free

This one day conference is a joint venture between three EU funded projects INFRES, LogistEC and EuroPrunning involved in developing technologies and adapting machines, and assessing the environmental, economic and social sustainability of the proposed supply chains, as well as the barriers to innovation in the respective sectors. The conference will showcase key results from the three projects.

4. European Biomass Conference and Exhibition (EUBCE)

1-4 June 2015 (Messe Wien Exhibition & Congress Centre, Vienna)

Europe’s largest international conference focused on biomass. The final conference of the Rokwood project will be a parallel event.

5. International Poplar Committee Working Party 6 Environmental uses of poplars and willows members

October 2015 (Serbia TBC)

Conference and study tour focussing on multifunctional applications of SRPs. Contact Andrej Pilipovic for details 

6. Biomass and Energy Crops V

10-12 November 2015 (Brussels TBC)

This conference will build on the four previous biomass and energy crops conferences hosted by the Association of Applied Biologists that focussed on developing a greater understanding of the potential of biomass and energy crops. The conference is being run in partnership with Rokwood, LogistEC and SUPERGEN.