PRESS RELEASE
30 June 2023
The winners of the COGEN Europe Recognition Awards 2023 were announced during a special ceremony at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium in Brussels on 29 June, following the end of COGEN Europe’s Annual Conference. The Awards Ceremony was held in conjunction with a Gala Dinner sponsored by AB Energy, which was an opportunity for members and invited guests to celebrate 30 years since COGEN Europe was established as an association in 1993.
With a legacy of more than 10 years, the COGEN Europe Recognition Awards provide an opportunity for individuals and organisations to gain recognition for their achievements in developing, applying and promoting cogeneration, and to highlight the strengths and skills of Europe’s cogeneration sector. This year, COGEN Europe received 13 high quality nominations, spanning different countries, technologies and applications.
The nominations were reviewed and assessed by a jury composed of 13 members*, including representatives of industry and media, who then selected the winners in each category. This year, 7 awards were presented in 6 categories: Technology & Innovation, Market Development (organisation), Market Development (individual), Policy Development, Young CHP Leader, and Lifetime Achievement. The Awards were announced by Hans Korteweg (COGEN Europe’s Managing Director) and handed out by Marco Pezzaglia (Chair of COGEN Europe).
From left to right: Julio Artiñano Pascual (President of COGEN Spain) – winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award 2023; Dr. Andrej Jentsch (Project Manager AGFW / IEA-DHC) – winner of the Market Development Award (individual) 2023; Cristina-Mihaela Semanaru representing Dr. Cristian-Silviu Bușoi MEP (Chair of the ITRE Committee) – winner of the Policy Development Award 2023; Dr. Ertan Yilmaz (Siemens Energy) representing the HYFLEXPOWER Project – winner of the Technology & Innovation Award 2023; Harry Trump (Director of Business Development at CENTRAX Ltd.) – winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award 2022; Hans Vandersyppe (COGEN Flanders) representing Stefaan Reyniers – Winner of the Young CHP Leader Award 2023; Carl Richers (Vice President – Product Management & Marketing, INNIO Jenbacher) representing INNIO Jenbacher GmbH & Co OG – winner of the Market Development Award (organisation) 2023; Daniel Moëll representing Siemens Energy’s Research & Development Team – runner-up in the Technology & Innovation Award category [Photo: COGEN Europe]
The COGEN Europe Technology & Innovation Award recognises a company that has brought to market a project or technological development which breaks new ground for cogeneration. This year’s Technology & Innovation Award was presented to the HYFLEXPOWER Project, which is supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. The HYFLEXPOWER partners (including 3 COGEN Europe members – CENTRAX, ENGIE Solutions and SIEMENS Energy) are testing the world’s first fully integrated power-to-hydrogen-to-power industrial scale power plant, which is located at a paper mill near Limoges (France).
“Ambitious projects like HYFLEXPOWER require taking partnerships to the next level and being united in a joint mission to make decarbonization a reality. Hydrogen will be essential in the interaction between renewables and electricity storage and generation, with hydrogen-ready turbines playing a decisive role.” – Dr. Ertan Yilmaz (HYFLEXPOWER Global Director, Siemens Energy)
Due to the large number of high-quality nominations, the jury decided to present an extra award for the runner-up in the Technology & Innovation category. This was presented to Siemens Energy’s Research and Development Team for their achievements in developing and testing dry low emission (DLE) technology to enable the efficient use of renewable fuels, including increasing shares of hydrogen in gas turbines.
“Thank you very much for this award. It is an honour to represent the Siemens Energy R&D team working with green fuel development, making the world a more sustainable place.” – Daniel Moëll (Combustion Engineer, Siemens Energy)
The COGEN Europe Market Development (organisation) Award is given for work which has significantly improved, increased or promoted the market for cogeneration in an important way. This year’s Market Development (organisation) Award was presented to INNIO Jenbacher GmbH & Co OG, which is recognised for its expertise in designing truly integrated energy systems, featuring cogeneration, that can be replicated in various applications across diverse settings.
“Decentralized, flexible combined heat and power plants are needed to ensure a resilient power and heat supply. Waste heat from flexible power generation must be used. Our examples demonstrate a new model of system integration for a green energy future.” – Carl Richers (Vice President – Product Management & Marketing, INNIO Jenbacher)
The COGEN Europe Market Development (individual) Award is given to the person who has had the greatest impact on the cogeneration market in Europe. This year’s Market Development (individual) Award was presented to Dr. Andrej Jentsch, Project Manager of the German district heating association (AGFW) and Programme Manager of the International Energy Agency’s DHC (District Heating & Cooling) programme, for his outstanding efforts to bring science-based argumentation to the policy debate, and in particular for educating the broader energy community and policymakers about the value of exergy-based energy analysis.
“A successful energy transition hinges on a science-based assessment of energy system benefits. A combination of resource exergy and comprehensive greenhouse gas analysis is essential in order to avoid costly mistakes and achieve climate neutrality in time.” – Dr. Andrej Jentsch
The COGEN Europe Policy Development Award is given to a regional, national or EU policymaker who has made a positive and significant contribution to ambitious energy and climate policy, including policy in the areas of energy efficiency and cogeneration. The winner of this year’s Policy Development Award is Dr. Cristian-Silviu Bușoi – a Member of the European Parliament from Romania. As Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Transport, Research and Energy (ITRE) since 2019, Dr. Bușoi has played an important role in promoting an ambitious energy and climate agenda at European level, supporting cross-party coordination and consensus for the adoption of key legislation and providing a clear direction for Europe’s energy industry.
Unfortunately, Dr. Bușoi was unable to attend the COGEN Europe Awards Ceremony in person, and so Cristina-Mihaela Semanaru (a senior member of Dr. Bușoi’s staff) accepted the award on his behalf.
“Energy policy plays a key role in the EU’s competitiveness and decarbonisation ambitions. Our industries, communities and citizens rely on the European Parliament to deliver robust policies that support their endeavours, while fostering entrepreneurship, innovation and job creation. As the Chair of the European Parliament’s ITRE Committee, I am committed to bringing all of its members together and ensuring that European citizens and businesses can benefit from affordable, secure and clean energy at all times. I am therefore honoured to accept the COGEN Europe Award for Policy Development.” – Dr. Cristian-Silviu Bușoi MEP
The COGEN Europe Young CHP Leader Award recognises those who are pioneering new ideas and have the drive and ambition to change the cogeneration sector for the better. This year’s Young CHP Leader Award was presented to Stefaan Reyniers, Policy Officer at COGEN Flanders, for his invaluable analysis and contribution towards COGEN Flanders’ efforts to engage in discussion with the Flemish Government on the role of cogeneration in the future energy system.
Unfortunately, Mr Reyniers was unable to attend the Awards Ceremony in person, and so Hans Vandersyppe (Energy Expert, COGEN Flanders) accepted the award on his behalf.
“As an environmental and chemical engineer, I have always been fascinated when walking through industrial sites, looking at the synergies between different process and energy streams, limiting waste to a cost-efficient minimum. It is this mindset we need to translate to society as a whole if we are to accomplish our common goal: an affordable, sustainable society. A complex puzzle in which cogeneration functions as a reliable and flexible backbone.” – Stefaan Reyniers
Finally, the COGEN Europe Lifetime Achievement Award recognises exceptional individuals for their career-long dedication to the cogeneration sector. This year, the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Julio Artiñano Pascual, who since 1999 has worked for Iberdrola Cogeneration as Director of Financial Analysis and Economic Management. Mr Artiñano has also served for many years as the President of the Spanish Cogeneration Association (Cogen España), successfully leading the sector as it has faced numerous challenges.
“It gives me great satisfaction to receive this award from COGEN Europe, an association with which I have been collaborating as a representative of Iberdrola and Cogen Spain for the last two decades. We have jointly developed schemes in Spain and in other European countries that have delivered efficiency and competitiveness benefits for industry and services, and now we face the challenge of integrating cogeneration with renewable technologies, providing flexibility and future solutions for decarbonisation in all sectors.” – Julio Artiñano Pascual
* Members of the Jury: Alexandra Tudoroiu-Lakavice (COGEN Europe); Erwin Cornelis (in a personal capacity); Hans Vandersyppe (COGEN Flanders); Harry Trump (CENTRAX); Jean-Philippe Perrot (Solvay); Jeremy Harrison (LCP Delta); Kelvin Ross (Power Engineering International); Malgosia Rybak (Cepi); Matthew James (Energy Post); Dr. Max Fette (Fraunhofer IFAM); Nicola Rega (CEFIC); Rodrigo Álvarez (ACOGEN); Dr. Simon Minett (Challoch Energy).