The Sustainable Industry Low Carbon (SILC) Initiative supports industry by financing the development, demonstration and dissemination of low-carbon technologies through EU grants and by promoting the adoption of such technologies within and across sectors. SILC helps EU industry face the challenges of strong global competition and ambitious EU energy, climate and other environmental policies.
SILC is implemented in 2 funding phases, each with specific objectives: SILC I (2011-2013) and SILC II (2014-2020).
SILC I
The SILC I programme funded technological and non-technological innovation measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the factory level. SILC I focused on identifying, developing, deploying and disseminating measures that could be implemented in the short term.
8 projects covering iron and steel, ferroalloys, cement, glass, ceramics, and pulp and paper were funded under SILC I. See the list in the table below for details on the projects and the results, in particular in terms of greenhouse gas emission reductions.
The solutions developed by the SILC I projects are not plant specific and have great potential for replication in the addressed sectors and beyond. Concrete measures implemented in SILC I encompass process optimisation, implementation of new systems, development of new products, development of best practice guidelines and knowledge hubs, and development of new financing models.
List of SILC I projects
|
Project name |
Project title |
Final results |
|
ERER |
Energy recovery and emission reduction |
Final report available soon |
|
SLCTM |
Sustainable low carbon tissue manufacturing |
|
|
REDUCER |
Reduction of carbon dioxide emissions in the ceramic manufacturing process |
|
|
FHRS |
Fume heat recovery system |
|
|
WHAVES |
Waste heat valorisation for more sustainable energy intensive industries |
|
|
AETHER2 |
Development of cost-effective industrialisation of AETHER lower-carbon clinker |
|
|
OXY-RICH |
Oxygen enrichment of air combustion for natural gas furnaces in steel mills |
|
|
CO2-GLASS |
CO2 reduction in the ETS glass industry by means of waste heat utilisation |
SILC II
SILC II is a Horizon 2020 initiative, which funds large-scale demonstrators for low-carbon technologies with a special focus on energy-intensive industries. It looks at breakthrough solutions that can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emission (35% compared to current 'best available techniques') and that have a high potential technology transfer within and across sectors.