Committee

ExCo Committee

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

The Core Group: to give executive advice regarding programme topics, organisational aspects, parallel event, final programme.

Nicolae Scarlat

European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Directorate for Energy, Transport and Climate | EUBCE Technical Programme Chair

Nicolae Scarlat is scientific officer in the European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC), Directorate for Energy, Transport and Climate. He joined the JRC in 2006, providing scientific support for the formulation and implementation of the renewable energy legislation focusing on bioenergy and biofuels. He is coordinator of the bioenergy, biofuels, alternative fuels activities, assessing environmental impacts, technological development, greenhouse gas emissions and energy profiles. He contributed to the investigation of the role of biomass and bioenergy in a future bioeconomy, current status and perspectives for development. Other activities included biomass resource assessment, resource mapping and spatial analyses, integrating statistical & spatial data and sustainability constraints. He contributed to the assessment of the key bioenergy technologies, state-of-the-art, anticipated developments, market status and trends. He coordinates key activities, including assessing GHG emission savings of bioenergy and alternative fuels pathways; greenhouse gas emission accounting of innovative, low carbon projects; assessing greenhouse gas emissions from renewable fuels of non-biological origin and recycled carbon fuels and co-processing. He contributes to the activities aiming at decarbonising transport via advanced biofuels and alternative fuels at European scale in different transport modes (aviation, maritime, road transport). He is involved in many strands of work on assessing the sustainability of hydrogen production and greenhouse gas emission accounting. He contributes to several working groups, such as the IWG of SET-Plan on renewable fuels and bioenergy, IEA Bioenergy Task 39 and International Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy.

Guillaume Boissonnet

Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives, DES/I-Tésé | EUBCE Conference General Chair 2024

Guillaume Boissonnet hails from Grenoble, France. He studied science in Grenoble, Pau, Aix-en-Provence and Montpellier. He is a graduate engineer in chemical and process engineering. He holds a PhD from the Scientific University of Montpellier, in physical chemistry and process engineering applied to nuclear decontamination, carried out at CEA Cadarache. He holds a habilitation from the University and Polytechnic Institute of Grenoble, applied to biomass conversion.

After his PhD, he first worked as an engineer in a company specialised in dynamic simulation of petrochemical processes. He then joined the CEA Grenoble in 2000, as a process and modelling engineer, applied to biomass gasification and biofuel production. After having been project leader for CEA, until 2015, in the BioTfuel project, on the industrial feasibility of a BtL chain @15 MW, he was involved in H2020 projects as a partner. In 2016, he chose to focus his expertise on multi-criteria analysis of complex energy systems related to renewable (biomass) and recycled (CO2) carbon uses. This field include simulation, multi-objective process optimisation and economic and environmental assessments.

In France, he is the CEA representative in the biomass group of ANCRE (National Research Alliance on Energy), where he has led several projects contributing to national roadmaps on energy defossilisation (the use of biofuels for aviation and carbon sinks contributing to the French Low Carbon Strategy).

Since 2021, he has joined I’Tésé, the CEA’s energy economics laboratory, where he is the referent for circular carbon economy (biofuels, efuels) and multicriteria analysis applied to energy. He particularly studies the demand and supply of alternative fuels for industry and transport systems (road, aviation, maritime), as well as national and European regulations systems, aimed at achieving carbon neutrality.

David Baxter

Former European Commission, Joint Research Centre

David has been a member of the Sustainable Transport Unit in the Institute for Energy & Transport of the Joint Research Centre (Petten, The Netherlands) until retirement from the European Commission in August 2016.
He was part of a team providing scientific and technical support to the development and maintenance of sustainability schemes for biomass and bioenergy, including biofuels.

In addition, he was a member of the European Bioenergy Industrial Initiative (EIBI) team which is operates within the frame of the Strategic Energy Technologies (SET) Plan. He is also a former leader of the International Energy Agency Bioenergy Biogas Task 37, promoting economically and environmentally sustainable management of biogas production and utilisation from agricultural residues, energy crops and municipal wastes.

David Baxter is a materials engineer who joined the European Commission Joint Research Centre in 1991 after working in an industrial company supplying components for power generation and transport. He also spent 5 years at Argonne National Laboratory in the USA in the 1980s carrying out research into materials for fossil energy technologies.

Maria Georgiadou

European Commission, DG Research and Innovation, Senior Expert – Renewable energy R&I policy

Dr Maria Georgiadou works in the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation since 2003.

She heads the strategic orientation for research and innovation in Renewable Fuels, Biofuels and Bioenergy and the development and implementation of relevant programs and policies under the European Union’s Framework programs. Maria holds PhD and MSc degrees in Chemical Engineering (UIUC, USA), Master in Business Administration and B.S in Chemical Engineering (AUTH, Greece).

Kyriakos Maniatis

Former European Commission, DG ENERGY | EUBCE Industry Coordinator

Kyriakos Maniatis till his retirement was Principal Administrator in Unit C2 – Directorate General for Energy, European Commission. In that role he was responsible for technical issues related to biofuels and managed the DG ENER demonstration component on advanced biofuels in the Commission’s the 7th Framework Programme. He contributed accordingly to the legislative actions of the EC and to the European Industrial Bioenergy Initiative of the SET Plan and he was involved in the CEN standardisation work on liquid and gaseous biofuels. He coordinated the team that launched in June 2011 the Biofuels FlightPath for Aviation in close cooperation with the aviation and biofuels sectors. Kyriakos also represented the European Commission in the Executive Committee of IEA Bioenergy Implementing Agreement and served as the ExCo Chairman in 2002, 2005-2007. He regularly organized workshops and conferences on these subjects.

Heinz Ossenbrink

Former European Commission, Joint Research Centre

Dr. Heinz Ossenbrink, has a PhD in Physics from Hahn Meitner Institute, Berlin, and joined the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre in 1982. He built up the JRC’s activity on Photovoltaics when Europe started its research and pilot programme for Photovoltaic systems. In 1995 he became Head of the Unit for Renewable Energy, and expanded research and support activities to Energy Efficiency and Bio-Energy, notably Biofuels. His work was dedicated to the scientific support of EU legislation for Renewable Energies and Energy Efficiency. More  recently, he developed the unit’s portfolio to support Africa’s efforts for a renewable energy supply.

Since 1982 he contributed to the standards work of the IEC TC82, Solar Photovoltaic Systems, in particular regarding calibration of reference cells and lifetime testing of PV modules. His many publications cover measurement and testing methods for photovoltaic generators, economic assessment of renewable energy and global environmental impacts of extended bio-fuel use.

Heinz Ossenbrink has been serving in the Scientific Committees and in Chair person functions of leading scientific conferences, such as the prestigious series of European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conferences and the European Biomass Conferences.

Angela Grassi

ETA-Florence Renewable Energies, Managing Director | EUBCE ORGANISER & EXCO Chair

Angela Grassi is ETA-Florence Managing Director. Project management based on Economics and Political Science background and experience. Over 20 years organisation and management of high level international Conferences and Exhibitions in the field of Renewable Energies. Executive Committee Member of international conferences. Since 2000 organisation and management of the annual European Biomass Conference and Exhibition. Coordinator of international projects on renewable energies. Responsibilities include project definition, setting up of international teams, guidance and follow-up of project work, reporting, budgeting, project results assessment and dissemination of results. Author and co-author of papers published in proceedings of national and international conferences; contributions to specialised books. Preparation of final project reports for the European Commission. Managing editor of brochures, publications, scientific proceedings.

Stefano Capaccioli

EXCO SECRETARY AND ETA FLORENCE RENEWABLE ENERGIES SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER

Stefano is a Senior Technical Expert working as an Environmental Engineer and Project Manager for EU-funded projects. He has extensive experience working in different aspects of national and international projects including data collection and analysis, feasibility studies, resource, and market assessment.

He is well versed in all aspects of project management from proposal stage through to project completion. Skills include creating, prioritising, managing and documenting assigned tasks throughout the project. Recording of project details such as task progress, resources costs and allotted budgets to analyse performance, generate performance reports and implement corrective measures. Organising and facilitating meetings with key leaders and collaborating with project teams to ensure timely decision-making and effective communication between project stakeholders at all levels.

Stefano has been part of the EUBCE’s organisation team since 2005 and is responsible for the execution of the conference scientific and technical programmes.