Skip to main content

KEP AUSTRIA: RESEnviro project obtains LCA software GaBi for modelling agricultural biogas plants in Serbia

Following the launch of the KEP AUSTRIA project on  “LCA – GHG emissions of RES production and utilization in Serbia – RESEnviro”, in February, the representatives from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences – BOKU, Austrian know-how provider and the Serbian recipient institution, the Faculty of Technical Sciences of the University of Novi Sad  are successfully carrying out activities as planned.

The Austrian know-how provider organised a training course for the Serbian recipient institution in Vienna on 6-18 March. The activities focused in particular on transferring sufficient knowledge for conducting life cycle analysis (LCA) in the field of renewable energy sources such as biogas plants. Training paid particular attention to using appropriate LCA software, data collection, uncertainty analysis and to the evaluation of obtained results.

One of the results of the course was the decision by the recipient institution to purchase appropriate LCA software called GaBi from the manufacturer thinkstep. GaBi aims at enabling LCA modelling of agricultural biogas plants in Serbia through a two-step procedure. The first step implemented from 14 march 2016 to 4 June 2016 was considered as the extension of training for team members from the know-how recipient institution. It involved initial modelling of Serbian biogas plants’ life cycles and their environmental impacts in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and other impact categories. Initial data were collected in cooperation with biogas plants’ operators and it was decided that data collection should be formalised through a unique questionnaire to be used during the second stage of the project in order to collect a much broader set of data.

The second stage of the project will involve field research, by combined teams from two institutions who will collect and analyse the necessary data for carrying out complete LCA of agricultural biogas plants in Serbia.

A visit of representatives from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences is taking place in mid-August, while the final meetings and presentation of the project results before a broader public are planned for mid-November.

The 10-month project is co-financed through a KEP AUSTRIA grant amounting to 20,000 EUR. 
  ***  
The KEP AUSTRIA - part of CEI Know-how Exchange Programme - is financed by Austria, with funding provided by the Austrian Development Cooperation (based on an agreement between the Central European Initiative and Austrian Development Agency). The Programme aims at promoting capacity building and technical assistance through know-how transfer from CEI EU to CEI non-EU Member States.
 
Example of initial LCA results for one biogas plant in Serbia



Visits to agricultural biogas plants in Serbia:





 

Subscribe to CEI Newsletter

Keep up-to-date with the latest news and highlights from the Central European Initiative.