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World
Sustainable
Energy Days 2026

24 - 27 February 2026
in Wels

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European Pellet Conference

Date:
 

Venue:

24 - 25 February 2016

Stadthalle, Pollheimerstrasse 1,
4600 Wels/Austria

Conference fees:
  • 290 Euro for the European Pellet Conference with Site Visits (includes the Young Researchers Conference: Biomass), (23 - 25 Feb. 2016)
  • 200 Euro for the European Pellet Conference (includes the Young Researchers Conference: Biomass), (24 - 25 Feb. 2016)


All fees include an entrance ticket to the tradeshow and conference documentation. All fees plus 10 % VAT

 

Conference languages:

German, English

Organisation and conference office:

OÖ Energiesparverband
Landstraße 45, 4020 Linz, Austria
Tel. +43/732/7720-14386
  With more than 600 participants every year, the European Pellet Conference held in Wels is the largest annual pellet event in the world.

Includes
  • World Pellet Business & Technology Forum
  • Pellet Market News Worldwide
  • Pellet Technology Outlook
  • Pellet Business Cooperation Platform
  • Technical Site Visits: Pellets & Wood Chips
  • Poster Presentation

PROGRAMME


Tuesday, 23 February 2016

08.30 - 18.00: Site Visit "Pellets & Wood Chips"
A full-day trip by bus including technical Site Visits on the production of fuels & equipment and innovative applications for heating and electricity production

 

Wednesday, 24 February 2016

09.00 Pellet policies and markets

  • Opening & welcome
    Michael Strugl, Regional Minister for Energy, Upper Austria
    Gerhard Dell, OÖ Energiesparverband, Austria
     
  • The role of bioenergy in the Energy Union
    Giulio Volpi, European Commission, DG Energy
     
  • EU bioenergy - market trends and policies
    Fanny-Pomme Langue, AEBIOM
     
  • Ecodesign requirements and labelling for biomass heating
    Alexander Weissinger, Bioenergy 2020+, Austria

     

The role of bioenergy in the bioeconomy

  • Global potentials and developments
    Hubert Röder, Wissenschaftszentrum Straubing, Germany
     
  • From innovation to market - biomass in Upper Austria
    Christiane Egger, OÖ Energiesparverband, Austria
     
  • An effective strategy for regional economic development
    Adam Sherman, Biomass Energy Resource Center, USA
     

Lunch break

Panel discussion:
Pellets - facts vs. fiction

  • Chairperson: Tim Portz, BBI International
     
  • Gordon Murray, Wood Pellet Association, Canada
  • Hans Martin Behr, Deutsches Pelletinstitut, Germany
  • Stefan Ortner, ÖkoFEN, Austria
  • Francisco Puente, ESCAN, Spain

Successful business models

  • How to improve the profitability of a pellet business
    Henrik Arfwidsson, Agroenergi Neova Pellets, Sweden
     
  • Financing and operating pellet facilities in Europe and the US
    José Ignacio Pedrajas, Prodesa North America, USA
     
  • Risk management with wood pellet future contracts
    Ulrich von Fürstenberg, Euronext, France

     

World Pellet Technology Forum

  • Technology outlook: pellet heating of the future
    Ingwald Obernberger, Bios Bioenergiesysteme, Austria
     
  • Comparison of soft and hard wood pellet production
    Peter Lange, CPM Europe, NL
     
  • "New" pellet fibers require new technologies
    Gregor Rinke, Rinke Engineering, Germany
     
  • Reducing ash content in pellet production
    Ivan Lipovec, PAL, Italy
     

19.00 Evening programme

Thursday, 25 February 2016

09.30 Session: Pellet Technology Outlook - a research update (in English only)
09.30 Session: Pellet Market News Worldwide (in English only)

09.30 Pellet Technology Outlook - a research update (in English only)

  • Optimisation of cereal straw torrefaction and pelletisation
    Javier Gil Barnó, CENER, Spain
     
  • BRISK: combustion characteristics of "HTC pellets" and "vineyard pruning pellets"
    Stefan Retschitzegger, Bioenergy 2020+, Austria
     
  • BeReal: a test method for pellet stoves reflecting real life operation
    Hans Hartmann, TFZ Bayern, Germany
     
  • EMPYRO: energy and materials from pyrolysis
    Gerhard Muggen, BTG-BTL, NL
     
  • ENERCOM: polygenerating energy, fuels and fertiliser
    Thorsten Kläs, Soil-Concept, Luxembourg
     
  • LogisTEC: innovation in biomass supply chains
    Michiel C. Carbo, ECN, NL
     
  • SECTOR: final results and torrefaction outlook
    Kay Schaubach, DBFZ, Germany


12.30 End of the session

09.30 Pellet Market News Worldwide (in English only)

  • Chairperson: Gordon Murray, Wood Pellet Association of Canada
     
  • Opening
    Gilles Gauthier, European Pellet Council
  • Price differences and international trade with household pellets
    Lukas Kranzl, Energy Economics Group, Vienna University of Technology, Austria
  • Canada: wood pellet industry update
    Michele Rebiere, Viridis Energy
  • US: old challenges, new opportunities
    Ben Bell-Walker, Biomass Thermal Energy Council
     
  • India: increasing opportunities in emerging markets
    Suhas Patel, Saurashtra Agro Briquettes
     
  • Germany: responding to weak markets
    Martin Bentele, DEPV
     
  • UK: boom and bust - the pellet boiler market
    Neil Harrison, re:heat
     
  • Spain: campaign "Biomass in your home"
    Pablo Rodero Masdemont, AVEBIOM
     
  • Romania: potentials for pellets and briquettes
    Dorin Sfaca, Romanian Pellets and Briquettes Association
     
  • Namibia: biomass opportunities
    Dr. Bruce Brewer, CCF Bush
     

12.30 End of the session