Citizenergy Platform

A greener Europe depends on us

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Today and tomorrow Ateknea Solutions is attending the conference on technology challenges and regional approaches for integrating renewables and energy security. The #EUTechRES Conference has been organised by the EU’s Directorate-General for Energy in Brussels.

To accomplish its transition to a low-carbon society by 2050, the EU has adopted a set of intermediate climate and energy targets for the following decades. The energy sector and especially the Renewable Energy Sources (RES) are now facing an ambitious transformation process. As contributors to this transition, RES are able to mitigate emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), replace fossil fuels as the main energy source and lower other environmental pressures associated with conventional energy production.

As part of our commitment to a greener Europe, Ateknea Solutions has launched a new research project to create a new, smart, on-line platform for citizens’ investment in renewable energy: Citizenergy.

Since March 2014, our engineers and project managers have been working together with 13 other European bodies to develop this initiative that will let individuals support and invest in renewable energy projects and share in the benefits of producing clean energy. This project has received the support of Intelligent Energy Europe (IEE).

The beta version is already available and a lot of effort has been put in to promoting the projects potential, citizen engagement and new RES activities. For further information,

  • watch our latest video:

  • Visit the Citizenergy Platform beta version here.
  • Read the lastest RES report by the European Environment Agency, “Renewable energy in Europe – approximated recent growth and knock-on effects”, download it here.
TU Wien Phenolive

Olives to heat rooms

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Ateknea’s experts have visited the facilities of the Vienna University of Technology and Repotec –a leading company specialised in gasification– to see the advancements on the production of thermal energy and electricity from biomass.

Engineers in Austrian capital have been testing the suitability of exhausted olive pomace as fuel for gasification under the Phenolive initiative coordinated by Ateknea. At this stage the research is focused on the gasification of residues from the olive-pressing to be recovered and converted into electricity and heat.

This environmental friendly way to use natural waste has been studied by Dr. Hofbauer from the Vienna University of Technology and his team. The institution has developed a successful gasification process, which has been tested both in the University facilities as well as further improved in the large pilot plants located in Oberwart and Güssing.

Ateknea’s Dr. Montras, added that “eight millions tonnes of pomace by-product are generated every year by the olive oil industry in Europe”. Through Phenolive –a European partnership– academic research and private companies get together again to make the olive sector more competitive through technological innovation.

The Phenolive reseach will be runnig until 2016 with the aim of the fully revalorisation of the olive waste from the oil industry by obtaining high added-value products –antioxidants mainly–, heat and electricity. This will not be possible without the support and involvement of other four participating organisations; Amarante Process, Effitech, Hakki Usta, Laboratoire Phenobio and Mora Industrial.

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Divineverse Ateknea Lisbon 2015

Ateknea in global genetics scheme for winegrowers

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Today, Ateknea Solutions is at the heart of cutting-edge genetics for food and agriculture. Our representative Dr. Encarnação is attending the first DI(VINE)VERSE International Meeting in Lisbon. This initiative –including a professional seminar with the vitiviniculture and biotechnology communities– has the support of a network of multidisciplinary EU and US organisations covering the entire value chain of wine production.

DI(VINE)VERSE has the ambitious objective of creating and organising a network of on-farm conservation vineyards for intravarietal populations of Vitis vinifera landraces, to be used and explored by breeders and farmers. This network will provide full access to this set of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (PGRFA), complying with international directives under the International Treaty on PGRFA and the Nagoya Protocol.

This week, Dr. Encarnação is kick-offing Ateknea’s activities with stakeholders at different sites throughout Portugal. Like Ateknea, each partner involved will start working under the common criteria based on the international skills of outstanding academia, technology transfer associations, breeders, nurseries, farmers’ associations, SMEs and large wine-producing enterprises.

Throughout the next couple of months, we will be contributing to the development of DNA-based diagnostic technologies applied for variety identification and to the definition of exploitation routes for the potential results.

Stay tuned for more information on DI(VINE)VERSE here at our News Channel!

New Innovation Union Scoreboard presented today

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Today the European Commission has launched the 2015 comparative assessment of the research and innovation performance of EU Member States and the relative strengths and weaknesses of their R&D systems.

Despite the positive trends in 2014 that showed more doctorate graduates, more international scientific co-publications and more community designs, there were also negative issues on the list. The Scoreboard draws a negative trend in innovation in SMEs and European innovations up to the market.

With more jobs in fast-growing companies, such as start-ups, spin-offs and other SMEs competing in innovative sectors, Ateknea Solutions will continue aiming to guide those companies towards a fruitful innovation environment throughout continental Europe.

Sweden continues to be the most innovative Member State, coupled with Denmark, Germany and Finland. On the bottom list, there is Romania, Bulgaria and Latvia. However, both Bulgaria and Latvia are leaders in innovation performance growth. Coupled with the United Kingdom and Ireland, Poland and Malta are also two of our targeted markets which are growing fast and we have strong performance under our Krakow and Valletta Offices.

Globally the EU’s innovation position compared to US and Japan is improving. South Korean power remains as the worldwide leader while China continues to close the innovation gap with the EU. Brazil, Russia and India showed a stagnant position.

Official infographic on ‘Innovation Union Scoreboard’ 2015 here