Colophon This is a publication of the Energy Valley Foundation, Groningen June, Concept, design and production: Strawberry Fields Groningen

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1 CURRENT ACTIVITIES

2 Colophon This is a publication of the Energy Valley Foundation, Groningen June, 2013 Concept, design and production: Strawberry Fields Groningen Print: Drukkerij Volharding Groningen This brochure was printed on FSC certified paper from mixed sources.

3 Energy Valley: Energy for life, Energy for Business Energy Valley is the energy region of the Netherlands and North-Western Europe. The region: Noord-Holland North, Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe, is alive with renewable energy activities. Stichting Energy Valley is a joint venture of governments, the business sector and knowledge institutes with the purpose of driving the renewable energy economy. Our aim is to encourage employment and substantially support the Dutch objectives with regard to renewable energy. And this has been a success. In the past 10 years, employment in the energy sector in the region has increased twice as much as elsewhere in the Netherlands. The number of companies in the energy sector in the North has surged by no less than 83% between 2000 and Virtually the entire Dutch gas production on land takes place in the Energy Valley area. At a European level only Russia and Norway produce more gas. In addition, 20% of the Dutch central electricity production is located in the North. Apart from being the preferred supplier of conventional energy, the Energy Valley region also produces over a quarter of all renewable energy in the Netherlands. In the field of wind energy and green gas / biogas, the North can be relied on for over a third of the national production, contributing substantially to achieving the Dutch climate objectives.

4 Power Production & Balancing Energiedijken (Delta Energy Concept) The Energiedijken project combines water safety and water management with sustainable energy generation into an innovative export product. Three companies (Tocardo, Redstack and Strukton) are closely collaborating with four research organisations (Deltares, ECN, EUR and De Ruimte Advies) to gain knowledge about optimising energy production while minimising environmental impact. The Afsluitdijk, the Brouwersdam, the Grevelingendam and the Oosterscheldekering are water defences in which this innovative energy-from-water technology will be applied. By constructing tidal energy (energy from tidal flows with water turbines) and blue energy (osmosis energy from fresh and salt water) systems in levees, dams, storm surge barriers this significantly contributes to sustainable energy production. In this project Energy Valley helps the stakeholders to gain access to the export market and strengthen the competitive power.

5 Smart Energy Systems PowerMatching City PowerMatching City is a future infrastructure demonstration project involving 25 households in Hoogkerk (Groningen). In PowerMatching City the households have smart appliances that can fine-tune their energy demand to the availability of solar and wind energy, or generate their own electricity if these sustainable sources are temporarily not available. This is done, for instance, by turning on a dishwasher when the radiation of the sun on the solar panels is at its brightest. By doing so, available renewable energy consumption is maximised and the energy grid is prepared for a sustainable future. The first phase was finished at the end of The results were so promising that the programme was continued at thrice the scale at the end of Offshore wind-hub During the last few years the Eemshaven and the port of Den Helder have been the background of large-scale activities in the field of the assembly and shipping of wind turbines. The Eemshaven has been used, among other things, for the logistic activities of the Bard 1 wind farm and the Alpha Ventus wind farm, the first operational farm in German waters. In the next few years dozens of new wind farms are planned in the North Sea. The Eemshaven and the port of Den Helder offer all facilities for an offshore wind facility and the distance of the ports to the wind farms that are planned or under construction is short - only 23 nautical miles from the Eemshaven to the nearest wind farm.

6 Green gas Roundabout In the Energy Valley region there are several Green gas-hubs. Omrin Oudehaske, Attero, locations in Groningen and Wijster, and Green gas producer Suiker Unie. Green gas producer Suiker Unie Suiker Unie Vierverlaten officially started using its biomass digester and green gas reprocessor in November The sugar producer will add an annual supply of 10 million cubic metres of green gas to the Northern Netherlands grid. The byproducts from the sugar plant are useful for the digestive process. The biogas reprocessed to green gas by Suiker Unie Vierverlaten will be injected directly in the 8 bar grid of Enexis and transported to Groningen. Part of the citydwellers will physically buy green gas in this way. 10 million cubic metres of green gas means energy for seven thousand households. The fermentation installations four digesters and a post-digester are located within a stone s throw from the Suiker Unie plant in Vierverlaten in Groningen, where sugar is generated from sugar beets. The biogas installations work on the organic by-products from the production process bits of beets, leaf waste and press pulp. The bacteria in the digesters have to deal with an annual 100,000 tonnes of these organic by-products.

7 Biobased Energy Energy Transition Park Midden-Drenthe In Wijster (Drenthe) the development of an innovative business park is in full swing; the integrated waste energy power plant, the GAVI of Attero is its beating heart. This park, called the Energie Transition Park Midden- Drenthe, aspires to become one of the most environmentally friendly business parks in the country. Optimum use At the Energy Transition Park (ETP), businesses use heat and steam released by the waste incineration of Attero. They also use each other s heat, water, steam and other services. Emissions or by-products of one company can often be exploited in clever ways in the production process of another company. Energy and raw materials are thus used in optimum, sustainable ways. Because they are reused no heat or energy will be lost. In addition, the use and purification of water is a cyclic process, and the business cluster also produces renewable energy in the form of green gas. This green gas will be transported through a pipeline directly to Green Planet, a sustainable fuel-station for transport in Pesse. Energy Valley has supported this product by way of advice, supplying the network, supporting grant applications and linking a number of initiatives such as the development of Green Planet. Biomass gasification in Alkmaar ECN (the largest energy research centre in the Netherlands) and HVC, a waste processer in Alkmaar, have developed a technology for the gasification of dry biomass. Gasification is a promising technique converting dry biomass with a relatively high yield into energy. The technology consists of a new type of gasification reactor in combination with an advanced tar remover. The tar remover is required for the production of clean and methane-rich gas, which after further reprocessing has the same quality as natural gas. In Alkmaar a test set-up is constructed to further develop the so-called MILENA-OLGA technology.

8 Research & Education Energy Academy Europe The Energy Academy Europe provides education, conducts research and fosters innovation in the field of energy while working towards the transition to a sustainable energy future. The cooperation with top quality educational and research institutes and the vast network within the energy industry ensure that all EAE programmes are relevant to the energy sector and at the cutting edge of energy technology. By joining the forces of the Energy College (vocational education), the Hanze University of Applied Sciences, the University of Groningen and the Energy Delta Institute (international energy business school), the Energy Academy Europe is able to provide a wide variety of courses at different educational levels. The links with high quality research institutes will give students the opportunity to take on the challenge of the energy transition. Active collaboration with these institutes and with industry means students will be able to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and its practical application. Energy Valley, in cooperation with the knowledge institutes and the Energy sector, founded Energy Academy Europe. Energy vision North Sea Region Using Interreg IVB funds, the Energy Vision North Sea Region cluster-project aims to identify good practices from existing Interreg projects, to speed up the use of sustainable energy sources around North Sea. The partners involved in this project cover 6 energy intensive regions with experience and energy knowhow, required to tackle the climate and energy goals and take steps that go beyond the targets, based on complementary experience and knowledge already delivering fruitful results around the North Sea. ENSEA The European North Sea Energy Alliance (ENSEA) aims to develop a network to bring together energy knowhow and align research programmes through better coordination and exploitation of research. To achieve the European Union s climate and energy goals as well as sustainable growth, the European energy system has to change rapidly to accommodate more renewable energy. The project will capitalise on existing successful collaboration between the Northern Netherlands and North Western Germany, extending this approach to Scotland and Norway.

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