FOREST – FOstering Efficient long term Supply partnerships
Aim of the project
The Aim of the project is to work directly with bio-businesses in the bio-energy/wood energy supply chain in the Mid West Region of Ireland to develop and consolidate long term supply chain partnerships that will give the end user confidence in the total bio-heat system and encourage investment from larger non-domestic heat users.
Important updates
- The FOREST website now features the completed training tool where you can learn all about wood heat and biomass and test yourself click here
- The Tipperary Energy Agency have produced a Wood for heat info sheet 2011/2012 to show the massive savings to be made by switching to wood heat
Newsletters
FOREST 3rd newsletter September 2011 is available here.
FOREST 2nd newsletter May 2011 is available here.
FOREST 1st newsletter January 2011 is available here.
FOREST – FOstering Efficient long term Supply partnerships
The project will be carried out by business support agencies from 7 regions in Austria, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. This will allow the exchange of experience from businesses in more developed markets to those in less developed markets. It aims to work across the whole supply chain covering everything from the supply of the fuel to the installation and maintenance of the boiler systems. The focus is on non-domestic applications from 100 kW to 1 MW as well as small to medium scale CHP and district heating up to 10MW. The biomass fuels covered will be pellet and wood chip from all sources including forestry, arboricultural arisings, waste wood and energy crops.
The work to develop the supply chains will consist of three main types of activities:
- The development of a best practice toolkit focused on supply chain business models. It will also cover efficient and effective specification and design of bio-heat systems including both plant and fuel supply.
- Business to Business networking across a wide range of businesses to allow the exchange of knowledge between businesses in the supply chain and their clients. This will facilitate the development of new and more integrated supply chain partnerships.
- Building capacity in the supply chain directly through tailored advice to individual businesses. The aim is to develop new supply chain partnerships, consolidate existing partnerships and to improve reliability and confidence across the whole supply chain.
These main tasks will be supported by a comprehensive communication strategy, including a project website providing on-line access to all the tools and services developed.
FOREST Outputs for Mid West Region of Ireland
Guides on:
- Partnerships / contracts between stakeholders (e.g. Fuel / Heat supply)
- Standards (boilers, equipment and fuel)
- Bio-heat Specification for designers, architects and specifying clients (of complete and practical systems)
Online training tool:
- Intro to energy and where energy fits
- Overview of biomass
- Overview of fuel production and supply
Website:
- The FOREST website is www.forestprogramme.com it is being updated continuously so keep checking for updates.
- The Website contains all the guides and the training tools
- Bio-heat business directory
Business to Business Networking:
- Trade fairs in: Italy, Poland & UK
- Business exchange training
- Development of regional bio-heat business association
Bio-heat supply chain long term capacity building:
- Technical seminars (for bio-heat businesses) on the best practice tools and models developed
- Online supplier database
For further information and materials please don’t hesitate to contact us:
Michael Bell email
+353(0)52 74 43090
FOREST in the Mid West Region of Ireland
- Subsidised Training Opportunities – Apply Now
- FOREST Training Overview
Tipperary Energy Agency was recently host to the European partners of the FOREST project. The consortium meeting was attended by biomass experts from the UK, Austria, Sweden, Italy, Spain and Poland. The attendees were highly impressed with the innovative and professional manner in which small to medium size businesses in the region are forming networks and working together to provide the end user with a guaranteed supply of low cost, zero carbon heat. The meeting took place in Tipperary Institute, Thurles and it is significant that within a 20km radius the group could be shown Tipp Wood Chip Ltd’s facility, Rockwell College’s wood chip boiler, which is operated by Ecocell Energy Ltd. Also the Anner hotel in which the group stayed is heated by wood chip and Tipperary Institute is currently in the process of converting their heating to wood chip.- The FOREST local management group was formed, has met and given feedback to the FOREST process in producing the training, specification and standards guides.
- The barriers and suggested policy measures to development of the wood energy sector in Ireland identified by the FOREST local management group were collated and submitted to IrBEA’s wood energy chairman to inform their policy submissions to government departments.
- The FOREST project’s aims and findings to date were presented at the 2011 IrBEA annual conference.
- The Tipperary Energy Agency through FOREST have been working with Tipperary and Limerick farm forestry groups to explore the need for wood energy training.
- FOREST has conducted market research into the mid west region’s wood energy market.
- Results from the above activities can all be seen on the www.forestprogramme.com
Funding
Funding is provided by the EU Commission – Intelligent Energy Europe.
Duration
The project will run for a period of 30 months from June 2010 to November 2012
Partners
- University of Exeter (UK),
- Regen South West (UK),
- Severn Wye Energy Agency (UK),
- Energikontor Sydost (Sweeden),
- Baltycka Agencia Poszanowania Energii SA (Poland),
- O.Ö. Energiesparverband (Austria),
- Comitato Termotecnico Italiano (Italy),
- Tipperary Energy Agency (Ireland),
- Agencia de Provincial de la Energia de Burgos (Spain)
The FOREST project is supported by the Intelligent Energy Europe program:
