LIFE & Energy Sustainability

The EU LIFE Programme

The LIFE Programme is the EUs funding instrument for the environment. Since 1992 it has co-financed innovative pilot and
demonstration projects - with European added value - to improve the implementation and ongoing development of EU environment policy and legislation. Of the 3 956 initiatives supported by LIFE to date, over 130 projects - with a total allocation
of 176 million euros - have been exclusively on energy sustainability. Through these, LIFE has supported progress on the
supply and demand sides of the energy equation, making a significant contribution to the fight against climate change.
Regarding energy supply, LIFE has focused on the further development of green energy sources such as hydropower, solar, wind and geothermal. LIFE has made a particular contribution to the development of the biomass energy sector, notably through new approaches and
technologies for exploiting waste biomass.
LIFE projects have targeted improved energy efficiency, especially in construction, transport and housing. Positive results have included:
developing energy efficient products; improving energy transport and storage; raising public awareness on efficient usage; and supporting
implementation of environmental management tools.
Two good practice LIFE projects are profiled below, followed by a list of 14 other notable energy sustainability projects. Further details about
all the LIFE energy sustainability projects can be found in the LIFE project database: ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/.

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Title: Moveable HEPP - Demonstration Plant in the

Kinzig River: Moveable Hydroelectric Power Plant for
Ecological River Improvements and Fish Migration
Reestablishment

Title: Green Bearings - Demonstrating innovative

technologies that significantly improve the environmental performance of bearings

Project number: LIFE06 ENV/D/000485

Website: www.skf.com/group/index.html

Project number: LIFE06 ENV/NL/000176

Website: www.moveable-hepp.com/

Moveable HEPP

Green Bearings

Hydroelectric power accounts for 10% of EU electric power production.

However, despite being a renewable source of energy, its generation can
still cause significant negative environmental impacts, especially in the
case of large dams. Meanwhile, the significant number of relatively small
hydro-power weirs in Europes rivers are characterised by a low turbine
head whose energy output is inefficient. Furthermore, fish are unable to
pass through these constructions.

Bearings are an essential component of practically any technology or

application involving moving elements. Environmental problems exist at
each step of the lifecycle of the 50 billion bearings currently in use worldwide - these include energy consumption during production and use, and
end-of-life waste of both bearings and lubricant.

With these challenges in mind, MOVEABLE HEPP developed a more efficient hydroelectric power plant that works in river weirs without hindering
the natural ecosystem functions of river habitats.
This new technology operates with moveable components that are able
to work at different heights and allow fish to swim freely - even through
the turbine, since it operates at a low rotation speed. It also reduces the
flood risk and the transfer of river bed matter, along with the associated
economic costs of mitigating these threats.
The two pilot plants, built in Gengenbach and Offenburg (Germany), also
showed more efficient energy generation than conventional hydropower,
resulting in cost savings of 16% and 11% higher returns. Technological
advantages of the new system include the lack of a frequency converter,
combining the turbine and generator on a single shaft, and the use of a
permanent magnet for the stator.
This technology has a great transferability potential, as it can be replicated on most of the several hundred river weirs currently found in the EU.

GREEN BEARINGS developed a new and more environmentally-friendly

range of bearings by using newly-developed technologies: new sealing technologies based on hard seal coatings, counterface coatings and
surface design; polymers as lighter production materials; and new lubrication technologies based on thin film and lub-for-life, which avoid
re-lubrication.
The new bearings cut energy consumption by 30-70%, reduced lubricant
consumption by avoiding the need for re-lubrification, and increased the
lifespan of the overall product, bringing both economic and environmental
benefits. With low investment costs in the new technologies there is also
a strong cost benefit.
The transferability of the technologies is high because the energy-efficient bearings can be used in almost all processes and products where
bearings are required. The beneficiary (which has 20% market share in
Europe) calculated that if 50% of its customers switched to the new bearings, in the short-to-medium term (< 5 years) the project technologies
would reduce energy consumption by 4 000 GWh/yr; and lubricant disposal by 400 000 tonnes/yr.

Environment

Factsheet-LIFE-Energy-final.indd 1

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Visit the LIFE website: ec.europa.eu/life

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SELECTIVE LIST ENERGY SUSTAINABILITY

EFFERNERGY

INSU-SHELL

Energy Efficient Building Systems

Environmentally Friendly Facade Elements made of thermal

insulated Textile Reinforced Concrete

Beneficiary: Du Pont

Beneficiary: Rheinisch - Westfaelische Technische

Hochschule Aachen

www.eenergy.dupont.com

LIFE06 ENV/L/000121

www.life-insushell.de/

LIFE06 ENV/D/000471

BIOAGRO

Seq-Cure

Innovative method for reduction of emissions of green

house gases and waste from the agriculture sector

Integrated systems to enhance sequestration of carbon,

producing energy crops by using organic residues

Beneficiary: Sknefr AB

Beneficiary: Centro Ricerche Produzioni Animali CRPA S.p.A.

LIFE06 ENV/S/000517

www.bioagroenergy.com/

http://www.crpa.it/nqcontent.
cfm?a_id=3995

LIFE06 ENV/IT/000266

SLUDGE2ENERGY

INTEGRAL-B

Waste prevention through sewage sludge reuse for

efficient energy generation at waste water treatment
sites

Demonstration of a multi-feedstock sustainable biodiesel production scheme integrating an on-site by-products energy valorisation system

Beneficiary: Huber SE

Beneficiary: Asociacin de Investigacin de la Industria

Agroalimentaria

www.sludge2energy.de/

LIFE06 ENV/D/000460

www.integral-b.com/

LIFE07 ENV/E/000820

WINTECC

OIL PRODIESEL

Demonstration of an innovative wind propulsion technology for cargo vessels

Integrated Waste Management System for the Reuse

of Used Frying Oils to Produce Biodiesel for Municipality
Fleet of Oeiras

Beneficiary: Beluga Fleet Management GmbH & Co. KG

Beneficiary: Instituto de Soldadura e Qualidade

www.wintecc.de

LIFE05 ENV/P/000369

LIFE06 ENV/D/000479

DEMO SOFC

GREEN PELLETS

Development and demonstration of Manufacturing

and Operation of clean and efficient power generation
based on Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

Best sustainable life-cycle fittings for mixed herbaceous

solid biofuels for heating to reduce GHG emissions

Beneficiary: Haldor Topsoe A/S

www.demo-sofc.eu/

Beneficiary: Association dInitiatives Locales pour

lEnergie et lEnvironnement

LIFE06 ENV/DK/000226

LIFE07 ENV/F/000178

BIOFUELS-2G

ZEM/SHIPS

Demonstration of a Sustainable & Effective 2nd Generation Biofuels Application in an Urban Environment

Zero.Emission.Ships

Beneficiary: Centre for Research & Technology Hellas

(CERTH)
www.biofuels2g.gr/

Beneficiary: State Ministry of Urban Development

and the Environment of the Free and Hanseatic City
of Hamburg

LIFE08 ENV/GR/000569

LIFE06 ENV/D/000465

EDEA

ET IDEA

Efficient Development of Eco-Architecture: Methods

and Technologies for Public Social Housing Building in
Extremadura

Environmental TRY for Innovative Dynamic Environmental

and energetic Analyses

Beneficiary: Junta de Extremadura (Regional Government of Extremadura)

www.proyectoedea.com/

LIFE07 ENV/E/000805

Beneficiary: NIER Ingegneria S.p.a.

www.itmeteodata.com/

LIFE09 ENV/IT/000124

The LIFE Project database: ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/

Visit the LIFE website: ec.europa.eu/life

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