2017: Easy to install and efficient geothermal systems for retrofitting

Specific Challenge: Cost-effectiveness and efficiency of geothermal systems for heating and cooling in individual installations can be improved demonstrating solutions for existing systems.

Scope: To demonstrate easy to install and efficient underground coupling systems for retrofitting existing types of buildings or adaptable to existing types of buildings, including historical buildings, to increase the penetration of Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHPs) technologies and make geothermal energy a standard source of heat and cold in building renovation. TRL 7 shall be achieved at the end of project activities. The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 7 to 10 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected impact: increased attractiveness of geothermal systems for retrofitting.

HORIZON 2020 – WORK PROGRAMME 2016-2017

Secure, clean and efficient energy

LCE 18 – 2017: EGS in different geological situations and up-scaling of existing plants

Specific Challenge: Geothermal resources at medium-high temperature can produce at competitive costs electricity, heat or a combination of both. In order to harness geothermal resources when no hydrothermal reservoirs are naturally occurring, enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) have to be demonstrated as cost-competitive.

Scope: routinely created enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) offer the opportunity to produce geothermal energy throughout Europe, including in locations where natural reservoirs are not available to be directly harnessed. Testing is needed to ensure reservoir productivity in different geological settings and to upscale existing EGS systems to ensure energy production at competitive costs. TRL 7 shall be achieved at the end of project activities. The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 15 to 20 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts

Expected impact: increased attractiveness of geothermal sources for electricity and heat production

Type of action: Innovation Actions (IA)

LCE 19 – 2016/2017: Demonstration of the most promising advanced biofuel pathways

Specific challenge: In the short-term and medium-term perspective, due to different issues (such as the limited distribution infrastructure of the electrification option, or the unsuitability of such option for certain transport modes), biofuels are expected to be increasing contributors to the de-carbonisation of the transport sector. In order to achieve the EU targets regarding renewable energy in transport and CO2 abatement (set out in the RES and Fuel Quality Directives), new and advanced biofuels using sustainable feedstock need to reach the market at viable costs. Therefore, it is essential to diversify the technology portfolio and feedstock basis to allow competitive production of transport fuels. The following sub-challenges should be addressed:

a) improving the technical and economic feasibility of the production of liquid biofuels b) demonstrating the feasibility of using feedstock particularly suitable for transport

energy purposes

Scope: Proposals should address the medium-term perspective for competitive production of advanced biofuels for transport as presented above, by bringing technology solutions to a higher TRL level (please see part G of the General Annexes), Proposals shall aim at moving technologies that reached already TRL 5-6 to TRL 6-7 through industrial demonstration projects in line with the Implementation Plan of the European Industrial Bioenergy Initiative (EIBI)25. Demonstration projects should target the most promising advanced biofuel pathways incorporating new or improved biochemical/thermochemical/chemical conversion together with upgrading technologies and valorisation of co-products that improve the economic viability of the fuel production. In each case, proposals should address both sub-challenges

25

http://setis.ec.europa.eu/set-plan-implementation/european-industrial-initiatives-eiis/eii-implementation-plans. Note that an eligibility criterion of the EIBI Implementation Plan sets a minimum bioenergy content: at least

70% of the bioproducts produced by the plant shall be bioenergy (biofuels, heat, power) calculated on energy basis.

HORIZON 2020 – WORK PROGRAMME 2016-2017

Secure, clean and efficient energy

described above, while the main effort in 2016 should be in addressing sub-challenge a) and in 2017 sub-challenge b). Where intermediate energy carriers are produced, their final use for production of advanced biofuels for transport must be demonstrated.

Environment, economic and social issues including health and safety should be considered in the whole life cycle and appropriately addressed. A methodology that permits robust and reliable assessment of the environmental (notably in terms of GHG performance), economic and social benefits with respect to current technologies should be included.

Biofuels produced from starch, sugar and oil fractions of food/feed crops are excluded.

Proposals shall address one of the following pathways that enable competitive production of transport liquid fuels:

2016:

• Biomass gasification to synthesis gas;

• Biomass pyrolysis and torrefaction to intermediate bioenergy carriers (pyrolysis oils and torrefied biomass);

• Biochemical conversion of lignocellulosic biomass sugars to hydrocarbons for diesel and jet engines;

2017:

• Biofuels from the carbon content in flue gases of industrial wastes through biochemical and/or biological conversion;

• Biofuels from aquatic biomass;

• Liquid biofuels from wastes and residues (forest, agricultural, the organic fraction of municipal and industrial wastes).

An important element will be an increased understanding of risks (whether technological, in business processes, for particular business cases, or otherwise in each area), risk ownership, and possible risk mitigation. Proposals shall therefore include appropriate work packages on this matter.

Proposals shall explicitly address performance and cost targets together with relevant key performance indicators and the expected impacts. Industrial involvement in the consortium and explicit exploitation plans are a prerequisite.

All proposals have to include a work package on the business case of the technology solution being addressed. This work package has to demonstrate the business case of the technology and identify potential issues of public acceptance, market and regulatory barriers, including standardisation needs. It should also address, where appropriate, synergies between new and existing technologies and other socio-economic and environmental aspects from a life-cycle perspective.

Proposals should also indicate the current Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL, see Annex to this work programme) and the activities needed to keep the MRL aligned with the advances in the TRL that will be undertaken in the proposal to ensure the potential for exploitation. The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 10 to 20 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

HORIZON 2020 – WORK PROGRAMME 2016-2017

Secure, clean and efficient energy

Expected impact:

Demonstrating advanced biofuel technologies at large industrial scale reduces the technological risks and paves the way for subsequent first-of-a-kind industrial projects. For this purpose, the scale of the proposals should permit obtaining the data and experience required so that up-scaling to a first-of-a-kind, industrial project can be envisaged as a next step. Favourable energy and GHG balances are expected. The demonstrated industrial concepts should ensure the techno-economic feasibility of the entire value chain and have the potential for a significant social and economic impact, notably in terms of job creation, economic growth and safe and affordable energy supply.

Type of action: Innovation Actions (IA)

Supporting the market uptake of renewable energy technologies