TESLA - Transfering Energy Save Laid on Agroindustry

DESCRIPCIÓN
TESLA will achieve the goals set by means of:
- Improving the accessibility of agro-food cooperative SMEs to energy efficiency assessment
- Delivering a comprehensive methodology on energy management, adapted to European agro-food industries special characteristics
- Boosting energy efficiency and renewable energies investments in agro-food SMEs
In order to do so, the project will carry out the execution of 110 energy audits in the same number of agro-cooperatives of France, Spain, Italy and Portugal, belonging to these sectors.
To achieve this task, a team specialized in agro-food industry and energy efficiency audits will be trained. This team will be composed by associations of cooperatives’ staff with technical experience in the agro-food industry sub-sectors involved in the project, and will be supported by the partners specialized in energy efficiency services.
The audit methodology will be standardized, following the most updated standard for Energy Auditing – EN 16247:2012.
Overall the audits will identify around 1000 energy specific efficiency measures, and it is foreseen that around 300 of which will be implemented with the support of the partners within the project lifetime.
All the lessons learned from the auditing and implementation of energy efficiency measures will be gathered to publish four handbooks on energy efficiency for SMEs of each sector, as well as detailed technical guides for Energy Efficiency aimed at professionals involved in the design and management of agro-food facilities.
OBJECTIVES
The main objective of the project is to extend the best available practices for the evaluation of the energy situation and for the adoption of improving measures amongst the European SMEs on the agro-food sector. The challenge is maintaining or increasing its competitiveness through extending the adequate and accurate use of energy in its facilities.
Within this sector, TESLA project will focus on the agro-industry cooperatives of wineries, olive oil mills, animal feed factories, and fruits and vegetables processing plants. In these agro-industrial processes the main input, besides the raw material, is energy consumption.
By means of the activities developed at Tesla, it is expected that:
- At least the 50% of agro-food SMEs in Europe will have received energy advice by 2020.
- Specific measures related to energy efficiency and renewable investments will be included in the Common Agricultural Policy (European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, EAFRD)
- At least a 20% emissions reduction linked to energy in agro-food products.
CIRCE'S ROLE
CIRCE will be the coordinator of the training activities in auditing and energy efficiency assessment. Hence, will be in charge of the definition of the training scheme, the logistic and organization of the courses, and the implementation of the theoretical and practical stages.
Besides training the staff of the project, CIRCE will perform the role of Energy Efficiency expert, supporting the specialized team in the execution of the energy audits. In addition will test and adapt the pre-existing software tools for that execution and will design and develop an energy self-assessment tool.