Seminar on "Optimisation of Energy Consumption in the Olive Oil Sector. Energy Exploitation of Residues" - IDAE, Spain

Summary
The IDAE has carried out, in the framework of the OPET contract for the period July 2001 to June 2002, a set of actions aimed at the deployment of energy technologies within the Spanish territory and at the increase of co-operation with other countries, notably in Latin America and Portugal, where strong links exist.

The actions have paid special attention to the issues that are under debate in Europe, namely the Green Paper on the security of energy supply, the proposal for Directive for the energy performance of buildings, the promotion of biomass and biofuels, etc.

One of the actions focused upon the optimization of energy consumption in the olive oil sector, an activity that has growing importance in the Spanish economic structure. A one-day seminar was organized in Córdoba on 29 November 2001. The number of attendees rose to 142, coming from a variety of sectors, predominantly engineering-consultancy, energy agents, olive oil producers and equipment manufacturers.

End-user area	Industry
Target audience	Target Audience: Architects and engineers Decision makers Utilities
Technical scope	Biomass Energy efficiency

Context
Spain, with more than 260 cultivated varieties of olive, represents around 25% of the world-wide olive surface and is the largest producer country in the world. In recent times, the use of a new process of obtaining olive oil, known as "two phases", has proliferated in the sector and currently represents 87% of the market.
The weight of this sector, together with the ambitious objectives established in the "Plan for the Promotion of Renewable Energy Sources in Spain" justifies the implementation of specific actions to develop biomass technologies.

Objectives
The objective was to increase the awareness of selected national actors concerning the different technologies of exploitation of sub-products generated in the olive oil sector and to show the good results that some companies are already achieving.

Process
The objectives were attained through the organisation of a large-scale seminar that took place in Córdoba (Andalucía) on the 29 November 2001.

A mailing to key actors was carried out by the IDAE. The range of actors targeted was as follows:

The mailing contained one conference brochure. A total of 3,000 copies were printed and distributed. In addition, a telemarketing action and 200 addresses from companies of the sector were updated. This helped to increase the knowledge of the actors that currently operate in this market (being a very dynamic segment, it changes very rapidly).

The event was also disseminated through mass media, and the conference was announced in various magazines ("Mercacei", "Oleo", "Infopower" and the "Diario of Córdoba"). The complete programme of the conference was made available in the IDAE website and via infolivo.com.

The IDAE compiled all the information presented during the conference and published a book of proceedings in colour.

Actions
- Seminar Technical
- Handbook

Financial resources and partners

Results
142 people from a variety of sectors attended the conference, predominantly engineering/consultancy, energy agents, olive oil producers and equipment manufacturers.

Attendants profile (in %)

Lessons learned and replication potential
High participation from the industry sector was reached and, as a consequence (as described above), two power plants entered into operation after this seminar.

The long experience of IDAE in organizing this type of events guaranteed the success of the action.

These actions are easy to replicate in other countries with high olive oil production such as Greece, Italy and Portugal, as well as other Mediterranean countries (Turkey, Tunisia and Morocco).

Printed reports or other literature available
Optimización del Consumo de Energía en el Sector del Aceite de Oliva. Aprovechamiento Energético de Residuos.