1st South East European Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems

The local organizing committee wishes to thank all participants for a very successfull conference!

You can find some of the images in the gallery. Additionally, you can also download plenary lectures' presentations as well as all the presentations from the panels.

Please beware of invitations for publishing from journals not related to the conference! Official invitation will be distributed only from the sdewes conference email, and will have a conference header and an option to accept or decline the invitation.

For all attendees who have submitted a full paper which is included in the proceedings, please cite it as follows:

N1. Surname1, N2. Surname2, other authors, Title, Proceedings of the 1st South East Europe Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems, SEESDEWES2014.nnnn, 1-m (2014)
(where "nnnn" is your submission code and "m" is the page count of your submission)

If you attended the conference, make sure you log in into the conference system and fill our post-conference survey.

SPECIAL SESSIONS

SPECIAL SESSION: Integrated sustainability assessment in the energy sector in the context of the UN Green Economy approach

Session resume:

The International Energy Agency (IEA) stated in the World Energy Outlook 2012 that while “taking all new developments and policies into account, the world is still failing to put the global energy system onto a more sustainable path [1].” The United Nations responded to this development and at the Rio+20 Conference in 2012 declared that the green economy should take place “in the institutional framework of sustainable development [2],” and “is an approach to achieving sustainable development [3].” The green economy is now seen as a process for achieving sustainable socio-economic development. The German Institute for International and Security Affairs interprets the green economy as a global concept that “has the potential to function as a central implementation strategy of the guiding principle of sustainable development [4].” And the energy sector is at the centre of this technological transition process [5, 6], as Rifkin argued by supporting the view of UNEP and IEA: “Our industrial civilization is at a crossroads. Oil and the other fossil fuel energies that make up the industrial way of life are sunsetting [5].” Against this background, the integrated assessment (IA) approach is a suitable method for social learning and a tool for supporting the political decision-making process towards a green economy and a sustainable energy system. The IA approach enables us to frame, study and solve issues such as: transformation of the energy system, climate change, water and air quality, land and public health.

To accomplish these targets, in the last decades a wide array of assessment tools has been developed [7-13] and de Ridder et al. have identified seven assessment groups [14]:

Assessment framework [15]
Participatory tools [16]
Scenario analysis tools [17]
Multi criteria analysis tools [18]
Cost benefit analysis [19]
Accounting tools, indicator sets [20]
Model tools (climate models, socio-economic models)

In the special session different integrated assessment methods will be discussed against the background of the UN Green Economy approach and the UN Sustainability approach confirmed at the Rio+20 Conference.

[1] IEA. World Energy Outlook 2012. Paris: IEA; 2012.

[2] United Nations. Report of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: UN; 2012.

[3] United Nations. Working towards a balanced and inclusive green economy. New York: United Nations Environment Management Group; 2011.

[4] Simon N, Dröge S. Green economy: Connecting the dots. Berlin: German institute for international and security affairs; 2011.

[5] Rifkin J. The Third Industrial Revolution: How the Internet, Green Electricity, and 3-D Printing are Ushering in a Sustainable Era of Distributed Capitalism. World Financial Review. 2012;2012.

[6] UNEP. Towards a Green Economy: Pathways to Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication. Nairobi: UNEP; 2011.

[7] GUTHRIE P, HACKING T. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES IN IMPACT ASSESSMENT: WHY ARE THEY NEEDED AND WHERE DO THEY COME FROM? Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management. 2006;08:341-71.

[8] GIBSON RB. BEYOND THE PILLARS: SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT AS A FRAMEWORK FOR EFFECTIVE INTEGRATION OF SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND ECOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS IN SIGNIFICANT DECISION-MAKING. Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management. 2006;08:259-80.

[9] GRACE W, POPE J. SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT IN CONTEXT: ISSUES OF PROCESS, POLICY AND GOVERNANCE. Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management. 2006;08:373-98.

[10] KNIPPENBERG L, HERMANS F. A PRINCIPLE-BASED APPROACH FOR THE EVALUATION OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management. 2006;08:299-319.

[11] POPE J. EDITORIAL: WHAT'S SO SPECIAL ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT? Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management. 2006;08:v-x.

[12] THERIVEL R, MORRISON-SAUNDERS A. SUSTAINABILITY INTEGRATION AND ASSESSMENT. Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management. 2006;08:281-98.

[13] WEAVER A, GOVENDER K, HOUNSOME R. SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT: DRESSING UP SEA? — EXPERIENCES FROM SOUTH AFRICA. Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management. 2006;08:321-40.

[14] VON RAGGAMBY A, TURNPENNY J, NILSSON M, DE RIDDER W. A FRAMEWORK FOR TOOL SELECTION AND USE IN INTEGRATED ASSESSMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management. 2007;09:423-41.

[15] CEC (Commission of the European Communities). Impact Assessment: Next Steps - In Support of Competitiveness and Sustainable Development. Brussel, Belgium.2004.

[16] van Asselt Marjolein BA, Rijkens-Klomp N. A look in the mirror: reflection on participation in Integrated Assessment from a methodological perspective. Global Environmental Change. 2002;12:167-84.

[17] Börjeson L, Höjer M, Dreborg K, Ekvall T, Finnveden G. Scenario types and techniques: Towards a user's guide. Futures. 2006;38:732-9.

[18] Nzila C, Dewulf J, Spanjers H, Tuigong D, Kiriamiti H, van Langenhove H. Multi criteria sustainability assessment of biogas production in Kenya. Applied Energy. 2012.

[19] Pearce D, Atkinson G, Mourat S. Cost-benefit analysis and the environment. Recent developments. . Paris: Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development; 2006.

[20] Nordhaus W, Tobin J. Is growth obsolete? In: Moss M, editor. The Measurement of Economic and Social Performance Studies in Income and Wealth. New York, London: Columbia University Press; 1973. p. 509 - 64.

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Dr. Holger Schlör
Forschungszentrum Jülich (Research Centre Jülich)
Jülich, Germany

Holger Schlör studied economics at the University of Heidelberg and went on to complete his PhD in Economics at the Free University in Berlin. His interest in economics and the idea of sustainable development has remained with him throughout his career. He has conducted research at several institutions and is currently working at Forschungszentrum Jülich in the Institute of Energy Research -- Systems Analysis and Technology Evaluation (IEF-STE). His research here focuses on the fields of sustainable development, economics and energy systems analysis.
He was member of the Scientific Committee for Social Sciences and Humanities of the Croatian Science Foundation. He was an invited speaker at the Food-Energy-Water Nexus Conference 2016 of the National Council for Science and the Environment in Washington.
He is a member of the “Sustainable Management” and “Sustainable Assessment” Committees of the Association of German Engineers (VDI) and supporting member of the International Centre for Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems (SDEWES Centre).

Invited papers (6)

SPECIAL SESSION: Sustainable supply and delivery of non - food biomass to support a “resource- efficient” Bioeconomy (S2Biom)

Session resume:

The biobased economy is considered as one of the key elements to achieve a smart and green Europe (EU 2020 Strategy; Bioeconomy Strategy to 2030, etc.). To develop a bioeconomy for energy, fuels and biobased products a number of challenges need to be addressed, e.g. the competing uses of biomass, and securing a reliable and sustainable supply of biomass feedstock. Over the last decade, various policies and economic frameworks have been put in place to tackle some of these challenges. But we also have to consider that various policies on EU, national and regional level exist (e.g. in relation to agriculture, forestry, waste, environment, energy, trade) and are playing a role in the bioeconomy. Some may be contradictory and cause confusion and market barriers, thereby prohibiting the efficient development of the bioeconomy. The sustainability of bioenergy has been legally addressed in the EU Renewable Energy Directive 2009/28/EC (RED)[1] and Fuel Quality Directive (FQD)[2] by establishing mandatory criteria, especially for GHG emissions and carbon stocks, but these regulations are restricted to biofuels and liquid bioenergy carriers.

The setting up of a Vision for the uptake of biomass in EU has primarily taken place within the respective Technology Platforms (European Biofuels Technology Platform/ EBTP, Renewable Heating and Cooling Platform/ RHCP) and the most recent E Bioeconomy Strategy and Action Plan (2012) (http://ec.europa.eu/research/bioeconomy /pdf/201202_ innovating_sustainable_growth.pdf ) and industrial initiatives for the Biobased economy (http://www.cepi.org/node/653 )

Though the abovementioned initiatives have successfully set the path towards suggesting indicative shares for energy, fuels and biobased products in Europe up to 2030, it is widely understood that the wide variety of supply & logistics value chains, the complex interactions of the key market sectors involved - especially expanding from bioenergy and biofuels to the bio-based economy- and the expectations from the advanced pathways, which when fully commercial will facilitate the success of achieving the policy targets, fully justifies the development of a new, coherent and technically substantiated Vision.

S2Biom contribution to policy for the bioeconomy: Within the EU28 Member States there is a clear need to give a structured overview of which regulatory and economic frameworks exist at different levels, to benchmark the effectiveness of different approaches and develop coherent policy guidelines to support the sustainable development of the biobased economy.

S2Biom contribution to strategy and implementation plans:The project will build on the above initiatives; and develop coherent and technically substantiated Vision with a respective R&D roadmap for the delivery of non-food sustainable biomass supply in Europe to meet demand for 2030.

[1] Directive 2009/28/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources.

[2] Directive 2009/30/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009 amending Directive 98/70/EC as regards the specification of petrol, diesel and gas-oil and introducing a mechanism to monitor and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and amending Council Directive 1999/32/EC as regards the specification of fuel used by inland waterway vessels and repealing Directive 93/12/EEC.

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Mr. Boris Ćosić
University of Zagreb, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture
Zagreb, Croatia

Boris Cosic, dipl. Ing., is a researcher at the university of Zagreb, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture (UniZG-FSB) and member of the SDEWES Centre. He graduated at UniZG-FSB in 2008 and he works on European and National projects: IPA CBC Adriatic project - ADRIACOLD: Diffusion of Cooling and Refreshing Technologies using the Solar Energy Resource in the Adriatic Regions; FP7 project - S2Biom: Sustainable supply and delivery of non - food biomass to support a “resource-efficient” Bioeconomy in Europe; National project – MICROGRID: Optimization of renewable electricity generation systems connected in a microgrid. He was EU Erasmus PhD scholar at Mechanical Engineering Faculty of the University of Nis in Serbia. His research covers areas of energy planning of energy systems with high penetration of renewables, sustainable communities, energy policy, energy economics, renewable energy sources (especially biomass and biofuels) and 100% renewable energy systems. (http://powerlab.fsb.hr/bcosic/)

Invited papers (3)

SPECIAL SESSION: Low Carbon Development Strategies: Where we are and where we can go? (sponsored by LOCSEE project, http://www.locsee.eu/)

Session resume:

The ultimate goal of a Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) is to catalyze concrete actions that support development with lower emissions. It should bring stakeholders from government, the private sector and civil society on the same side and eventually lead to greenhouse gas emissions that are lower compared to the situation in which the LCDS process had not been undertaken.

The aim of this Special Session is to help move forward the discussion on LCDS towards a useful climate policy instrument, and attract scientific works that would help addressing the following questions:

What the countries can expect in terms of possible greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions limitation/reduction targets in view of the ongoing UNFCCC negotiations about future climate regime and of the EU candidate status;
What measures/activities can be undertaken in order to achieve the GHG emissions limitation/reduction;
How costly would be the different levels of ambition for GHG emissions limitation/reduction;
What is the mitigation potential of various sectors;
How to involve as many as possible relevant stakeholders and set the priorities applying participatory approach;
How to diffuse the climate change mitigation in the relevant sectoral policies and ensure joint and cooperative action.

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Prof. Neven Duić
University of Zagreb
Zagreb, Croatia

Neven Duic is a Professor in Energy Planning, Policy and Economics since 2001, at Power Engineering and Energy Management Chair, Department of Energy, Power Engineering and Environment, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Zagreb. He is vice-president of Croatian Academy of Engineering and Chair of organising Committee of CAETS 2023. He is member of International Scientific Committee of Dubrovnik Conference on Energy, Water and Environment Systems since 2003 and chair of its Local Organising Committee since 2007. He is co-Editor of Energy Conversion and Management, subject Editor of Energy, Editorial Board member of Applied Energy, member of regional editorial board of Thermal Science Journal and Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems. His research covers areas of energy planning of energy systems with high penetration of renewables, sustainable communities, energy policy, energy economics, mitigation of climate change, energy efficiency and combustion engineering.

Prof. Natasha Markovska
Research Center for Energy and Sustainable Development - Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Skopje, North Macedonia

Natasa Markovska holds DSc degree from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Skopje, with thesis on solar energy technologies. At present she is a Senior Researcher at the Research Centre for Energy and Sustainable Development of MANU and Professor of the subject Energy and Climate Change at two master programs and a doctoral program of Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technologies, UKIM. Also, she serves as a National Focal Point of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and a Member of the International Scientific Committee of the Conferences on Sustainable Development of Energy Water and Environmental Systems (SDEWES Conferences). She has been participating in 111 international and national projects related to climate change mitigation, sustainable development, renewable energy sources and energy efficiency and energy strategic planning, for clients such as UNDP, USAID, WB, European Commission, GIZ, Macedonian and other governments. In these fields, Dr Markovska co-authored 191 published contributions (49 in high impact journals, Scopus h-index = 20). She serves as a Subject Editor – Elsevier’s Energy, (EGY), Section Chief Editor (Environment, Energy Economics, Policies) – Elsevier’s Energy Reports (EGYR) and Associate Editor – Elsevier’s Smart Energy (SEGY). She served as an editor of the Second National Communication under UNFCCC and as a guest editor of 22 special issues of international journals (incl. 11 of Energy and 8 of Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews) dedicated to SDEWES Conferences.

Prof. Goran Krajačić
University of Zagreb
Zagreb, Croatia

Goran Krajacic, Ph.D., (http://powerlab.fsb.hr/gkrajacic/) is working as associate professor at DEPEE (UZ FSB) and head of Power Engineering and Energy Management Chair. His field of work includes energy markets, research in energy planning, energy system optimization; island energy system modelling and optimization, development of models for simulation of energy systems, renewable energy sources, energy storage, energy economics and policy. Since his employment at DEPEE he has been working on the many international and EU projects as well as on national project Smart Energy Storage for Sustainable Development of Energy Systems. He worked on development of SEAPs for local communities on the islands and development of financial mechanisms for support of the energy storage technologies. He was also involved in development of Strategy for self-sufficient island Unije as well as several other strategies for achieving 100% RES energy systems on the islands. Currently he is coordinating FSB participation in the project H2020-LC-SC3-2018-ES-SCC- INSULAE- Maximizing the impact of innovative energy approaches in the EU islands. Since 2002 he has been a member of Local organising committee of Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems Conference (SDEWES). He is also SDEWES Centre Secretary since 2009. The results of his scientific work were published in the more than 80 papers, according SCOPUS database his h index is 32.

Invited papers (6)