Announcing the winners of the COGEN Europe Recognition Awards 2024

19 November 2024

The winners of the COGEN Europe Recognition Awards 2024 were announced during a special ceremony at the BELvue Museum in Brussels on 14 November, following the end of COGEN Europe’s Annual Conference.

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 technologies.

This year, 7 awards were presented in 5 categories: Technology & Innovation, Market Development (organisation), Market Development (individual), Young CHP Leader, and Lifetime Achievement. The recipients were selected by a prestigious jury* that brought together industry professionals, policymakers and representatives of the research community. 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: Andreas Eberharter (Vice President – Product Management and Marketing, INNIO Jenbacher); Yavuz Aydin (Chairman of the Turkish Cogeneration Association – KOJENTÜRK); Olga Monroy García (Regulatory and Technological Coordination Officer, COGEN Spain); Christoph Zeis (Managing Director of the Rhine Hesse District Energy Service Company – EDG); Stefan Liesner (Head of Marketing and Public Affairs, 2G Energy AG); Francesco Stagni (representing the Agribioenergia Agricultural Cooperative Society) [Photo: COGEN Europe]

The COGEN Europe Technology & Innovation Award recognises an organisation or project that has brought to market a project or technological development which breaks new ground for cogeneration. The award recognises significant and innovative new developments in cogeneration technology and application.

This year’s Technology & Innovation Award was presented to INNIO Jenbacher and RAG Austria AG for the successful commissioning of a flexible cogeneration plant in Gampern (Upper Austria) that is able to run on 100% hydrogen. This innovative project demonstrates the potential for cogeneration using hydrogen to provide electricity and heat with zero emissions of greenhouse gases. The plant uses green hydrogen that is produced using surplus electricity from solar panels during the summer, and then stored in an underground reservoir for use in the winter.

“This award celebrates our teams’ achievements and highlights our collaboration with RAG Austria AG in addressing three critical aspects of green energy supply: storage, transport and generation. By harnessing the summer sun for winter energy, the project serves as a blueprint for utilizing green hydrogen to sustainably balance seasonal energy demand.” – Andreas Eberharter (Vice-President – Product Management & Marketing, INNIO Jenbacher)

Due to the high-quality of nominations, the jury decided to present an extra award for the runner-up in the Technology & Innovation category. This was presented to the Agribioenergia Agricultural Cooperative Society, based in Medicina near Bologna (Italy), for successfully integrating a 100% renewable biogas-based cogeneration system in their industrial process. The heat is used on site for the drying of medicinal plants and the production of biogas, and any excess electricity is sold to the grid for other customers to use.

“We are deeply honoured to receive this recognition, which highlights how our biogas cogeneration system brings higher value to our farmers. By recovering thermal energy, we are able to efficiently process medicinal plants, creating a circular economy model that combines renewable energy production with sustainable agriculture. This achievement reflects the dedication of our cooperative members and inspires us to continue delivering added value to our associates.” – Francesco Stagni (representing the Agribioenergia Agricultural Cooperative Society)

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 the public utility company of Lemgo – Stadtwerke Lemgo, based in the Lippe District of North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany), for smartly combining clean energy solutions to increase efficiency and support the uptake of renewables, whilst reducing costs.

Stadtwerke Lemgo has developed an integrated energy system that includes 11 innovative CHP units, two large scale heat pumps alongside solar thermal, photo-voltaic, wind and biomass. The CHP units are partly running on biomethane and also offer the possibility of using hydrogen in the future.

Unfortunately, a representative of Stadtwerke Lemgo could not attend the Awards Ceremony in Brussels, and therefore the Award was accepted on behalf of the winning organisation by Stefan Liesner (Head of Marketing and Public Affairs, 2G Energy AG) in his capacity as Vice-President of the German CHP Association (B.KWK).

“We are very pleased that our efforts to decarbonize the district heating network in Lemgo are also being recognized at the European level. CHP is and will remain an important component for the electricity and heat supply in Lemgo in the future.” – Matthias Sasse (Managing Director, Stadtwerke Lemgo)

“We are currently exploring the possibilities of using local biogas with the biogas producers in the region. The aim is to convert our CHP to renewable fuels in the coming years.” – Dr. Georg Klene (Head of Production, Stadtwerke Lemgo)

Due to the high-quality of nominations, the jury also decided to present an extra award for the runner-up in the Market Development (organisation) category. This was presented to EC POWER for successfully bringing micro-CHP and hybrid solutions to European markets and beyond. Unfortunately, a representative of EC POWER could not attend the Awards Ceremony in Brussels.

“EC POWER is honoured to accept a COGEN Europe Award for our commitment to bringing micro-CHP systems into consumers’ homes and businesses. As part of hybrid systems and combined with increasingly renewable fuels, micro-CHP is win-win for decarbonisation, energy affordability and resilience.” – Bjarne Bogner (Managing Director and CEO of EC POWER)

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 Christoph Zeis, Managing Director of the Rhine Hesse District Energy Service Company – EDG, who has demonstrated an exceptional level of commitment in his efforts to promote cogeneration both at the local level in the Rhine Hesse District and also at national level in Germany.

“I consider it a great honor to receive a COGEN Europe Recognition Award. Combined heat and power has accompanied me throughout my entire professional life, and I am deeply convinced that this supreme discipline of energy efficiency, in conjunction with the volatile renewable energies of wind and solar, can achieve the transformation of the energy system in a highly flexible and climate-efficient manner.” – Christoph Zeis (Managing Director of the Rhine Hesse District Energy Service Company – EDG)

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 Olga Monroy García, Regulatory and Technological Coordination Officer, COGEN Spain, for her invaluable analysis and support as part of COGEN Spain’s efforts to increase the recognition of cogeneration in Spain, to develop new business opportunities and to address regulatory challenges.

“I am very grateful that Cogen Europe has honoured me with this award for the work done in Cogen Spain during the last 7 years. The work faced by the national associations is essential for the defense and promotion of cogeneration, as it is a technology that is usually misunderstood by regulators and is continuously affected by regulatory changes that may affect its continuity, even though it is the best technology to provide energy efficiency.” – Olga Monroy García (Regulatory and Technological Coordination Officer, COGEN Spain)

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 Yavuz Aydin, Chairman of the Turkish Cogeneration Association – KOJENTÜRK, who has dedicated his professional life to cogeneration. Yavuz’s experience in the energy sector spans over more than 25 years in different roles as part of GE Energy and Enerko, alongside his role as Chairman of KOJENTÜRK (since 2014) and also as a member of COGEN Europe’s Executive Committee (since 2016).

“Wherever you need power and heat together, cogeneration is the most efficient energy technology to rely upon with high efficiency and resilience. While the world is trying to reach net zero emissions, such a transition cannot happen without the smart utilization of cogeneration.” – Yavuz Aydin (Chairman of the Turkish Cogeneration Association – KOJENTÜRK)

* Members of the Jury: Rodrigo Álvarez (ACOGEN); Claudia Canevari (European Commission); Dr. Max Fette (Fraunhofer IFAM); Jeremy Harrison (LCP Delta); Dr. Andrej Jentsch (IEA DHC); Dr. Simon Minett (Challoch Energy); Kelvin Ross (Power Engineering International); Malgosia Rybak (Cepi); Nicolai Romanowski (CEFIC); Alexandra Tudoroiu-Lakavice (COGEN Europe); Hans Vandersyppe (COGEN Flanders).