New BTEC Webcast on Successful European Biomass Policies and the Implications for the U.S.

 Imagine the impact on U.S. jobs and local economies if 95% of new domestic heating appliances used renewable fuels and avoided costly oil imports. In several European countries, renewable heating is fast becoming a reality, and other nations are taking note of these examples to successfully displace fossil fuel use.

This free webinar will connect attendees with their European counterparts to learn the successes and failures of 20+ years of renewable heating policy. Attend and learn:

• Why countries like Austria and Britain have recognized the potential of renewable heating
• How the European Union has taken action to encourage renewable heating policies in the member states
• How strong, consistent public policy supportive of renewable heat can change energy consumption in a region
• Which challenges these countries had to overcome and how
• What incentives have proven highly successful and could be implemented in the U.S

This is the sixth webinar in a series funded in part by the USDA's Wood Education and Resource Center (WERC).  

Registration Details

• Advance registration is required, click here to sign-up>> 
• This webinar is free of charge
• You only need a computer, internet access, and at least one hour of your time
• Time and Date: Wednesday, June 15 at 12PM ET

Speakers

Günter Hörmandinger, First Counselor – Environment, Delegation of the European Union to the United States of America

Günter Hörmandinger is the Environment Counselor at the EU Delegation to the United States in Washington.  Prior to his appointment in April 2010 he was an official at the European Commission's Directorate-General for Environment, where since 2005 he was heading the team in charge of road vehicle emissions (both air pollutants and greenhouse gases) and EU legislation on the CO2 emissions from passenger cars.

Earlier appointments with the European Commission since 1997 included work on trans-European energy networks and on the environmental impacts of transport policy.  Before joining the European Commission he worked as a researcher in physics and as an independent consultant on the environmental and economic aspects of new technologies in energy and transport.  

His original qualifications are a Ph.D. in physics at the Technical University of Vienna and a M.Sc. in environmental technology at Imperial College, London.

 

Andrej Miller, Policy Manager, Renewable Heat Incentive, U.K. Department of Energy and Climate Change

Andrej Miller is a policy manager in the Renewable Financial Incentives team at the Department of Energy and Climate Change.  His role is policy development of the Renewable Heat Incentive and he is specifically responsible for scheme criteria above household scale.

He has worked in energy for over 5 years in posts which included working on the Feed-in Tariffs for small scale electricity, the Energy Act 2008 and the Energy White Paper 2007.

Christiane Egger, Deputy Director, Upper Austrian Renewable Energy Agency

Christiane Egger is the Deputy Director of the Upper Austrian Renewable Energy Agency and the manager of the Ökoenergie-Cluster, a network of 150 companies active in renewable energy and energy efficiency. Christiane is also the Vice-President of FEDARENE, the European network of regional energy and environment agencies.

She is also the conference director of the World Sustainable Energy Days, one of the largest annual conferences in Europe on energy efficiency and renewable energy sources. Christiane is an expert in energy efficiency in buildings, in solar and biomass heating and in dissemination and promotion of sustainable energy production and use.

She holds a law degree and a post-graduate degree in environmental engineering.

Joseph Seymour, Program Coordinator - Policy and Government Affairs, Biomass Thermal Energy Council (BTEC)

Joseph Seymour is coordinating the policy and regulatory activities of the Biomass thermal Energy Council since 2010. In this time, he has been responsible for the coordination of regulatory responses to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on various issues, including biomass boiler emissions limits and non-hazardous solid waste definitions; congressional hearings through structured statements, including the continuation of the Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit of U.S.C 48(C).

He has also developed a series of legislative factsheets to inform constituents and industry stakeholders on pending federal biomass regulations and legislation, and led the production of numerous webinars on pertinent biomass issues, such as emissions regulation, policy developments, and residential and commercial technology applications.

Joe holds a degree in Political Science and Psychology at Hope College, Holland, MI.

Emanuel Wagner, Moderator, Outreach, Program Coordinator - Education and External Affairs, Biomass Thermal Energy Council (BTEC)

Emanuel Wagner is a Project Coordinator at for Technology Transitions Corporation (TTC), the association management company of the Biomass Thermal Energy Council (BTEC). For BTEC, Emanuel’s focus is the coordination and facilitation of various education and outreach activities. He is also responsible for membership communication and development.

Within TTC, Emanuel is engaged in business development, and multiple projects related to electric energy storage for the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). He also supports TTC’s international activities in hydrogen and fuel cells.