IFEU news

Wood cascades – regional strategies for an extension of the use of wood for energy

28.03.2013 Using life cycle assessment, IFEU investigated the environmental impacts of the cascaded use of wood (e.g. used furniture converted to particle boards which after their use are incinerated). The project "Wood cascades – regional strategies for an extension of the use of wood for energy" was funded by the German Federal Ministry for Environment. The environmental impacts of wood cascades show to be lower in most cases with respect to non-wood products and direct energy use of wood.

The final report (in German) can be downloaded here.

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Action plan for the implementation of climate friendly waste management in the State of Berlin

20.03.2013 By appointment of the Environmental Administration Berlin, IFEU Heidelberg and ICU Berlin compared the management and disposal of the 36 most relevant types of waste with respect to their effects on climate change. The 2010 inventory showed that the disposal of 6.7 Mio. Mg waste in the State of Berlin produced a considerable reduction of greenhouse gas emissions of –900,000 Mg CO2 equivalents. An additional reduction of –240,000 Mg CO2 equivalents could be achieved by optimising existing waste disposal practices for half of the types of waste under study, as well as an improved capture of dry recyclable and organic materials. Based on these results, a catalogue of measures was compiled that included valuable input from the relevant stakeholders.

More information ... (in German)

Sustainable Biofuel Production in Developing Countries - Positive Feedback for Guideline at UN Conference

18.03.2013 More than 50 participants from 23 countries provided overall positive feedback on the Biofuels Screening Toolkit at an international conference sponsored by UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization) to discuss the outcome of the research project Global Assessments and Guidelines for Sustainable Liquid Biofuel Production in Developing Countries. The toolkit was prepared as part of the research project funded by Global Environment Facility (GEF) that was carried out by IFEU together with other research organizations.

IFEU’s scientific director Bernd Franke was in charge of the project’s scientific coordination and explains: "The project’s Biofuels Screening Toolkit assists in setting clear policies and priorities for future work and investments by the GEF in biofuel related projects. We are confident that the countries submitting proposals and the GEF both find it a useful tool based on sound science." The core of the toolkit is a GEF greenhouse gas calculator for 74 different scenarios developed by IFEU and presented at the conference by Susanne Köppen.

For details and downloads go to the project website ...

ENZO2 – Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE) approves greenhouse gas calculation tool

14.03.2013 It is essential that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions arising from the production of biofuels and bioliquids are calculated in a standardised way. This is a requirement under the current biofuels sustainability ordinance. For that purpose, the IFEU developed the ENZO2 tool funded by the German Ministry for the Environment (BMU). This tool was recently approved and officially recognised as a standard calculation for certification by the German Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE).

ENZO2 may be employed to calculate actual emission values for vegetable oils, biodiesel and ethanol derived from cereals, palm oil, sugar beet and sugar cane. It allows the calculation from the perspective of the individual stakeholder, the accumulation over the entire production chain as well as the combination of individual data with standardised reference values. The tool is designed to comply with the EU-funded BioGrace project.

To the calculator and for more information ...

Heidelberg Master Plan "100% Climate Change Mitigation" – First Citizen Conference

24.02.2013 The City of Heidelberg is committed to reduce the levels of greenhouse gas emissions by at least 95 % by the year 2050. This highly ambitious and technically challenging initiative of the City of Heidelberg is being supported through "The Climate Initiative" of the Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMU). The IFEU is guiding the proposed scheme with scientific expertise, as well as engaging and liaising with stakeholders and local citizens.

At the "1st Citizen Conference" on climate change mitigation in Heidelberg, both the mayor of Heidelberg, Eckart Würzner, and the Minister of the Environment of Baden-Württemberg, Franz Untersteller, strongly emphasised the importance of individual initiatives supporting climate change mitigation measures both at the municipal and the state level. Martin Pehnt (see photo) elaborated on the concepts that form the scientific basis of the Master Plan. Following this plenary presentation, more than 100 participants met in discussion groups to develop their vision and individual ideas of local climate change mitigation.

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Minister of the Environment Franz Untersteller visits the IFEU

22.02.2013 How to further increase energy retrofitting of existing building stock in Baden-Württemberg? Which new concepts and ideas are being developed to advance the sustainability strategy and the resource governance of the state? Moreover, how to structure waste management in order to best support existing resource governance? These issues were on the agenda when Franz Untersteller, Minister of the Environment, Climate Protection and the Energy Sector of Baden-Württemberg visited the IFEU on 22 February 2013. He participated in a discussion group with IFEU experts focusing on the development of climate change mitigation measures at the municipal level. There, he emphasised the strategic importance of the individual municipalities within the overall environmental policy framework of the State of Baden-Württemberg. Minister Untersteller then proceeded to open the first citizen conference under the Master Plan "100 % Climate Change Mitigation for the City of Heidelberg" at the town hall.

Blog "Nachhaltige Wissenschaft" on sustainability in sciences

19.02.2013 As of mid-February 2013, the blog "Nachhaltige Wissenschaft" reporting on sustainability in sciences is being jointly published by the Ecornet network and the Organisation for Sustainability in Sciences (Verbund für nachhaltige Wissenschaft NaWis). The blog provides an overview over the activities endorsed by both networks, as well as initiatives and current projects promoting sustainability in sciences on a national and international level. IFEU is a member of the Ecological Research Network"‘Ecornet", an association of independent environmental and sustainability research institutes, and supports the blog’s objectives, such as stimulating a reorganisation of academia to improve methods in sustainability research, teaching and training.

Pedelec - Field Test: Participants Wanted!

08.02.2013 Electric two-wheelers in the fast lane: While the number of electric cars is growing only slowly, e-bikes (pedelec: pedal electric cycle) are enjoying a rising acceptance and are already common sights in our streets. 400.000 pedelecs have been sold in Germany alone during the last year. Therefore, the spectrum of two-wheeler concepts and potential mobility patterns has been significantly broadened, which also leads to new questions for mobility research. The German Federal Ministry for the Environment funds the project "Pedelection" which is conducted by the Institute for Transportation Design (University of Fine Arts Braunschweig) and IFEU. The research objective is to analyse potential modal shifts and associated environmental impacts.

Are you already owner of a pedelec or are you planning to purchase one in the near future? Are you interested in researching a new and exciting mobility phenomenon? If so, you are welcome to participate in our Pedelection research team. You will find all the relevant information here.

International Workshop on GHG Emission Quantification in Transport – IFEU presents new study

12.12.2012 Motorized traffic has been increasing strongly in Chinese cities. Therefore, GIZ - Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit works together with Chinese partners on the development of measures to affect travel behaviour and in consequence reduce transport energy consumption and GHG emissions. Basis for the analysis of the starting situation and potentials of measures are valid GHG emission inventories for a city. For local transport activities, this can be a quite complex task. In a workshop in Beijing with inter­national experts, IFEU scientists presented a new study, which has analysed GHG emission quantification for the transport sector in German major cities.

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German Energy Transition

06.12.2012 Germany has drawn a lot of international attention for its aim to switch to a renewable energy economy and leave nuclear and fossil energy behind. A lot of the international reporting about the German Energy Transition, or Energiewende, has, however, been misleading – for instance, when it comes to the role of coal power, energy price trends, and carbon emissions.
The website energytransition.de developed by IFEU on behalf of Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung aims to explain what the German Energy Transition is, how it works, and what challenges lay ahead. It is intended to provide facts and explain the politics and policies to an international audience. The website highlights the effects of the Energiewende on the German economy, environment and society and addresses the most important questions.
All the texts and graphs are under Creative Commons License with the aim to make this information available to the public. We encourage you to use the materials in your work.

www.energytransition.de

Environmental Impact of Packaging from Bioplastics

12.10.2012 IFEU has completed a study on the environmental impacts of packaging from bioplastics on behalf of the Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt). The basis for this study is the 5th amendment of the German Packaging Ordinance (VerpackV), which includes a special regulation for biologically degradable plastics until the 31st of December 2012. The study is based on an extensive literature research and self-conducted assessments based on LCA approach. Additionally it includes market research, an analysis of the opinion of the relevant actors and a brief discussion on land use.
In recent years, there has been a considerable trend in Germany to utilize bio-based plastics which are not necessarily bio-degradable. For this reason the study focuses on packaging from bio-degradable plastics as well as on bio-based plastics.

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Aachen wins first prize for the local authority energy efficiency concept

24.09.12 Four outstanding local authority energy efficiency projects were awarded by the Deutsche Energie-Agentur GmbH (dena – German Energy Agency) after taking part in the competition entitled "Energy Efficiency in Local Authorities – Good Examples 2012". The exemplary energy efficiency concept by the city of Aachen that was developed by IFEU together with the city’s department of works and the city council over several years received first prize. Project leader Hans Hertle: “Many of the suggested measures have already been implemented and are saving energy every day – I’m particularly pleased about that.”

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Optimisation of organic waste management

13.07.2012 A new study of IFEU and ahu AG Aachen integrated data on effects of agricultural compost application that had not been quantified thus far into an ecobalance for subsequent evaluation. Based on soil science methods the increase in soil organic matter (humus reproduction and increase of humus content) was determined. Additional criteria (usable field capacity to reduce irrigation and the supply of mineral mass for erosion prevention) are included for the first time; other criteria were significantly modified (e.g. the calculation of mineral fertiliser equivalents).

A second goal of the project was to reassess organic waste management based on the new findings. From an ecological point of view separate collection and use of organic waste is still recommended. The waste management system should target at the optimal valorization of the compost components and ensure high standards for emission reductions.

More information (in German) …

What is the view of immigrants on climate protection?

26.06.2012 How committed are immigrants to engage themselves in climate protection? Are there differences to Germans without immigration background? Does the level of integration matter? The ENIGMA team presented answers to those and other questions at press conferences in Berlin on 26 June 2012 and in Dortmund on 28 June 2012.

A representative survey was carried out by the Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts (Department of Applied Social Sciences) and IFEU. For each person surveyed, the greenhouse gas emissions were calculated based on behavior patterns. For this, a greenhouse gas calculator co-developed by IFEU was used.

Press release of FH Dortmund summarizing the results (in German) ... (EMIGMA-website)

For more information (in German) …

Further development of a European key indicator for consumption of resources

21.06.2012 The "Resource Efficiency Roadmap" of the European Commission identifies Domestic Material Consumption (DMC) as the preliminary key indicator of European Resource Policy. This indicator is composed by the weight of all raw materials extracted domestically from the environment as well as the weight of all imported and exported goods.

Hence, this indicator includes the weight of domestic extraction of metal ores as well as the weight of imports and exports of the final products (for example a mobile phone containing metal). The effects from a shift of domestic to foreign production are ignored. IFEU in collaboration with Sustainable Solutions Germany (SSG) and the Environment Centre of Charles University in Prague (CUEC) developed a method to overcome this severe shortcoming, combining methods for national accounting and life cycle analysis. The research project was commissioned by Eurostat.

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Ecological Research Network - Ecornet now online

21.06.2012 Seven leading research institutes in Germany playing a pioneering role in research on sustainability have founded the Ecological Research Network (Ecornet) . Ecornet's mission is to further develop the scientific foundation for the transformation of societies to sustainable ones. Member institutes conduct applied and interdisciplinary research paving the way to a post-fossil and post-nuclear society. Ecornet is online now.

More information (in German) ...

Groundbreaking for the First Passive House in West China

03.05.2012 Urumqi, Xinjiang Province/China. The groundbreaking ceremony for the first passive house in Xingfu Lu (Happiness Rd.) in Urumqi was attended by the minister of construction of Xinjiang province and the vice-mayor of Urumqi (pop. 3.1 million). The investor, Mr. Tang from Dacheng International and the Urumqi Construction Committee have committed to the goal of realizing a passive house with a heat demand of less than 15 kWh/m2*a. The design was prepared jointly by Culturebridge Architects Grünstadt/Beijing and the Xinjiang Architectural Design Institute; the Passive House Institute in Darmstadt/Germany provided ongoing review. The demands on building quality are high. The Technical University of Berlin is expected to conduct training measures at the construction site, because the Urumqi Construction Committee has the goal to increase skills of construction workers in the long-term. IFEUs work was sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as part of the Future Megacities research programme.
IFEU project director Bernd Franke declared: "There are still some problems to solve to ensure that this passive house will become a lighthouse for China: it should use less than 15% of the heat demand required by the current standard for new buildings in Urumqi. The technical and economic challenges are great. Currently, highly efficient passive house windows are not produced in China; that will change with this project. It demonstrates the opportunities for energy efficient products made in Germany."

More information … (Website RECAST Urumqi)

photo: Mahrin, TU Berlin

Research for Sustainability: Baden-Wuerttemberg’s Sience Minister visits Heidelberg

National Top Runner

20.03.2012 In order to achieve German government’s goal to save 20 % of the energy demand by 2020, great efforts are needed in the area of efficiency. One important element: national instruments to add to the European “Top Runner”. For further details, please read the IFEU report “With National Top Runner instruments towards the electricity saving goal of the Federal government ” (in German). The study was funded by BUND (Friends of the Earth).

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Second Project Newsletter SUPRABIO

20.03.2012 On the road to a bio-based economy, it is widely held that biorefineries are a sustainable use of biomass producing a wide range of material and energy products from renewable raw materials. Currently, the European Commission is funding three major research projects on this topic, one of which - named SUPRABIO - is coordinated by the University of Brunel. Since February 2010, project partners from eight European countries are involved in research, development and demonstration of biorefinery concepts. These are focused on innovative biochemical and thermochemical conversion processes, process integration, as well as issues of sustainability. The work on the latter subject is lead by IFEU.

Here, you can find the 2nd project newsletter ... (pdf 1.35 MB)

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