[en] The objective of the Sustainable Energy Technologies Reference and Information System (SETRIS) of the Directorate-General Joint Research Centre - European Commission is to collect, harmonise and validate information on sustainable energy technologies and perform related techno-economic assessments to establish, in collaboration with all relevant national partners, scientific and technical reference information required for the debate on a sustainable energy strategy in an enlarged EU, and in the context of global sustainable development. This study has been executed in the context of SETRIS and aims at performing a techno-economic analysis of various bioenergy applications for heat generation in the EU in the near-to medium-term, concentrating on the 2010 time horizon. This includes a critical review of a large number of literature sources on the subject, complemented by the author's analysis

[en] The study establishes the link between the growing wind market and the emerging hydrogen market of the European Union, in a so-called 'wind-hydrogen strategy'. It considers specifically the diversion of wind electricity, as a wind power control mechanism in high wind penetration situations, for the production of renewable electrolytic hydrogen - a potentially important component of a renewable hydrogen-inclusive economy. The analysis examines the long-term competitiveness of a wind-hydrogen strategy via cost-benefit assessment. It indicates the duration and extent to which (financial) support, if any, would need to be provided in support of such a strategy, and the influence over time of certain key factors on the outcome

[en] The aim of the title Workshop was to: (a) provide information on the related Commission actions and policies, (b) assess key technological developments and describe the state of the art of alternative fuel technologies, and, (c) identify the techno-economic barriers associated with the introduction of alternative fuels in the EU energy system and more specifically, in its new Member States and Candidate Countries. The Workshop attracted a specialised audience of delegates from most of the New Member States and the Candidate Countries, who are directly involved with the preparation, development, implementation and monitoring of policies relevant to alternative fuels, as well as with related applied research and development. The Workshop facilitated the exchange of experiences and views among the participants on the optimal approaches that could lead to the successful introduction of alternative fuels in the energy system of each country. To this end, short informal presentations were solicited from each participating country about the prospective introduction of alternative fuels in their national energy system. These presentations were coupled by longer presentations made by experts on the following topics: The European Commission perspective on alternative fuels; A well-to-wheels assessment of alternative fuels; The European biomass potential, the prospects for biogas, and a review of advanced production methods for biofuels; An assessment of the European natural gas market, and a description of the state-of-the-art of natural gas vehicle technology. This report summarises the main points made by the participants, the outcome of the discussions and some thoughts on future actions that may be implemented by the JRC in support of initiatives taken by the New Member States and Candidate Countries concerning alternative fuels

[en] The EU aims at establishing a sustainable energy supply, able to provide affordable and clean energy without increasing green house gas emissions. Hydrogen and fuel cells are seen by many as key energy system solutions for the 21. century, enabling clean and efficient production of power and heat from a broad range of primary energy sources. To be effective, there is a crucial need for well-coordinated research, development and deployment at European Level. The particular segment of hydrogen storage is one key element of the full hydrogen chain and it must meet a number of challenges before it is introduced into the global energy system. Regarding its energy characteristics, the gravimetric energy density of hydrogen is about three times higher than gasoline, but its energy content per volume is about a quarter. Therefore, the most significant problem for hydrogen (in particular for on-board vehicles) is to store sufficient -amounts of hydrogen. The volumetric energy density of hydrogen can be increased by compression or liquefaction which are both the most mature technologies. Still the energy required for both compression and liquefaction is one element to be properly assessed in considering the different pathways in particular for distribution. As far as on-board vehicle storage is concerned all possible options (compressed, liquid, metal hydrides and porous structures) have their own advantages and disadvantages with respect to weight, volume, energy efficiency, refuelling times, cost and safety aspects. To address these problems, long-term commitments to scientific excellence in research, coupled with co-ordination between the many different stakeholders, is required. In the current state-of-the-art in hydrogen storage, no single technology satisfies all of the criteria required by manufacturers and end-users, and a large number of obstacles have to be overcome. The current hydrogen storage technologies and their associated limitations/needs for improvement are: compressed hydrogen; liquid hydrogen; metal hydrides; carbon-based materials/porous structures

[en] This Note is the proceedings of a workshop dedicated to the studies 'The future of coal' (EUR 222744 EN) and 'Coal of the future' (EUR 22644 EN). More specifically, the goal of the workshop was to present and discuss the findings of the studies with a limited number of distinguished experts in the field and concerned Commission services, in order to validate the reported findings and to identify areas where further research and investigation is needed

[en] Modelling, but more importantly, measurements of residual stresses are needed to guide the design and development of high integrity ceramic/metal joints. This study evaluates the influence of the metal workpiece on the residual stress state present in the ceramic part of the joint. Si₃N₄ was directly bonded via the active metal brazing route to several metals Cu, Mo, W, Ta, Nb, Zr, Ti, and AISI 316, selected to cover an extended range of thermomechanical properties. The residual strains in the joints were measured using an x-ray diffraction technique. The results indicate that the maximum residual stresses scale with the thermal mismatch for metals with low coefficients of thermal expansion. The experimental results are compared with analytical calculations of the residual stresses. copyright 1996 Materials Research Society

[en] The modifications of the surface mechanical properties of ceramic materials by energetic ion bombardment are summarized. By reviewing selected experiments the relationships between these property alterations and the ion beam modified microstructure and the generated surface stresses are discussed. Conclusions concerning the possible mechanisms underlying the change of the mechanical properties during ion implantation are presented. (orig.)

[en] The ion beam mixing of Cr-, Cr/Si- and Cr₂O₃-coated Si₃N₄ ceramics was investigated. All systems exhibit a linear relationship of the mixing rate with the damage energy deposition at the interface, indicating a ballistic mixing mechanism. Nevertheless, the mixing efficiencies depend on the materials forming the interface; the more negative the reaction enthalpy of the most probable reaction products is, the higher the mixing efficiencies are. (orig.)

[en] The microstructural and mechanical properties of hot-pressed Si₃N₄ ceramics after Si⁺ ion bombardent and annealing in N₂ atmosphere have been investigated as a function of the ion fluence and the annealing temperature. The irradiations were carried out at target temperatures of about 80 K and 450 K with ion energies of 0.5 MeV and 1.0 MeV. In all cases the fluence range was subdivided into two regimes: a low-fluence regime with improved microhardness and fracture toughness, and a high-fluence regime with an absolute degradation of these properties. The transition fluence was found to strongly depend on the ion energy and implantation temperature. This property transition coincides with a microstructural transition from a highly damaged, but still crystalline material, to the formation of a buried amorphous layer. The amorphization results in a strong volume swelling which causes a closure of surface flaws. The latter process significantly enhances the fracture strength of the implanted material. Thermal relaxation of the modified mechanical properties was found to occur at temperatures above 800 C. The relationships between the ion-induced changes of the mechanical properties and the microstructural modifications will be discussed. (orig.)