National and pan-European good practice guidelines for the development of sustainable biomass energy schemes in Europe

Networks enable the transfer of information between member states. The Commission of the European Communities, under its ALTENER programme, has established communication networks within the European biomass industry, which develop technical standards and specifications, of which guidelines are an integral pan. The BIOGUIDE project began in 1996 with the intent of developing good practice guidance in participating member states, and to convert this national work in to something Pan-European. It will achieve this by bringing together ongoing work within the EU and by developing new initiatives. The work involves a broad spectrum of the biomass industry, as well as environmental lobby groups, government departments, and others. The guidelines will be an important aid to the future development of environmentally acceptable biomass energy projects within the EU.