Ajuntament de Vilafranca del Penedès

www.vilafranca.cat
It ensures the coordination of the Project. It coordinates the management model and it is responsible of final supply of energy; that is to say, it serves as a liaison between consumer of thermal energy (wineries and municipal, residential building, etc.) and managers of biomass and, at the same time, it assumes the role of energy supply company. This activity is carried out through the Municipal Water Company of Vilafranca (EMAV SA) acting as energy service company. Among the consumers of thermal energy which participate in the pilot project, there are four municipal buildings included in the area of La Girada. These are: the Regional Archive, the Nursery the Parquet, the School Dolors Piera and the Centre for Educational Resources.
The town of Vilafranca del Penedès is the capital of Penedès Region. It is situated in an agro industrial region, 80% of its area is devoted to vineyard farming. Penedes has the vineyards as an identify element of the landscape, which provides an annual biomass underused up to 30.000 tons/year. Many areas of the Mediterranean and Europe have expensive natural and agricultural environment that allows us to say that biomass has great potencial for use in Europe.

Innovi

www.innovi.cat
It represents wineries that consume biomass from vine pruning to generate thermal energy. In the framework of this pilot project, two wineries are involved, Codorniu and Vilarnau, which use part of the biomass obtained in the project to generate thermal energy in its facilities through biomass boilers.

INNOVI is the cluster of Catalan wine industry and is a non-profit organisation registered as a AEI (Innovative Business Association), by Ministry of Industry. The goal of INNOVI is to promote the competitiveness of companies in the wine industry and auxiliar sector to deal favorably globalisation through innovation.The vision of the INNOVI is the consolidation of the wine region of Catalonia as a leader in innovation and quality overall.The aims of the AEI INNOVI are:

  • Establish strategically plans for developing the future of the wine industry.
  • Define policies and actions of common interest to companies and organisations affiliated.
  • Promote cooperation and meetings to creation synergies between companies and affiliated entites.
  • Encourage innovation in member companies.
  • Promote the exchange of scientific and technical klnowledge between researchers at universities and technological centers.
  • Advising companies on opportunities for innovation and cooperative projectes.
  • Establish strategic partnerships with other leading economies in the sector, international institutions,…
  • Promote trainings at all levels (universities, vocational training, continuing education, seminars…).

To sum up, INNOVI can be positioned as a service company in Innovation and Development (R&D), and is positioned as a center of innovation in knowledge transfer, linking universities, public and private organisations, centers of expertise and wine companies.
Thus, in the project VINEYARDS4HEAT, INNOVI includes the consumers of the biomass, to create synergies to exchange de technical knowledge and encourage innovation between the wine companies.

Covides

www.covides.com
It represents the farmers. It supplies biomass by providing vineyard plots where pruning is done.

COVIDES was founded in 1963 as a unification of more than 600 farmers having the idea to get together and make wine from their harvests; it is when the farmers introduced the mechanisation and left behind the home production of wine and the use of draught animals.The two wineries, Sant Cugat Sesgarrigues and Sant Sadurní d’Anoia, were built with the most modern facilities of the time in order to make wines with their own personality and not to focus only on the production of bulk wine. We started to sell bottled wine and to produce cava at the beginning of 80’s.Thoroughout the 90’s and until the present day, the cultivated lands have undergone updates and the plantation systems have been adapted in order to allow mechanised harvesting. Covides expanded and built a new cellar with a capacity of 7,5 milions bottles in 2005. Currently, around 25% of our production is bottled by a selection of our best quality must. Covides is the leading first-grade wine production cooperative in Catalonia in terms of volume; the annual harvest is approx 24.000.000 kg of grapes.

In order to obtain this average harvest, Covides has around 650 active members, spread over 50 municipalities. Our DO Cava and DO Penedès white wines are made of Macabeo, Xarel•lo, Parellada and Chardonnay. These white varieties represent 85% of our average annual production. We use Tempranillo, Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon for the production of DO Penedès rosé and red wines.

Currently, Covides market 25% of its total wine production as bottled wines; 55% of the bottled wine is exported to 30 countries, while the remaining 45% is sold in Spain.
Nowadays, Covides has 3 wineries (Sant Sadurni d’Anoia, St. Cugat Sesgarrigues and Vilafranca del Penedès) where 24 million kilograms of grapes are bought by its members for making the corresponding products.

Nou Verd

www.entrem-hi.com/nou-verd
It carries out vine pruning, manages the facilities of fuel treatment and storage and it provides it to the place of consumption (biomass boilers)

Nou Verd SCCL is a social cooperative with no profit motive in mind which was set up in december 1994 and registered to Social enterprise register to Catalonia Government in 1996 with reference T-00141.Nou Verd SCCL was set up by unemployed workers with mental handicap in order to promote and incorporate disabled people into the workplace particularly those suffering from psichatric disorder. Nou Verd SCCL offers gardening full services. These services employ 76 workers, who clean and keep green spaces as parks and gardens. Nou Verd SCCL also designs and plant new green areas. Nou Verd SCCL also collects urban vegetable oil waste from restaurants and school refrectories. This vegetable oil collection is for recycling and to turn into bio diesel. Nou Verd SCCL also manage biomass from de vineyards pruning.The sphere of action of Nou Verd SCCL is around the Alt Penedes region. Nou Verd SCCL client portfolio: Caixa Penedes Savings Bank, Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat, Vilafranca del Penedès council, DSM Resins Spain, Brosse SA, CSI (Closure Systems International España), local community, Subirats council, Canyelles council, Cavisa Recicla SLU, Gelim ISS Group, Monreser, IES Eugeni d’Ors, Sant Elies school, Mas i Perera school…

Nou Verd SCCL has 76 workers, 2 of them are agriculturist engineers and 30 specialists, and 5 social workers.