Vineyards for Heat
The project aims to apply and implement a Vineyards Virtuous Circle (VVC) as a local strategy to mitigate climate change contributing to meet the goals to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) according to the SEAP (Sustainable Energy Action Plan) derived from the political commitment and engagement to the Covenant of Mayors. The Vineyards Virtuous Circle makes profit of vineyards pruning to generate heat and cold for wineries. This VVC involves all actors of the biomass value chain: biomass suppliers from vineyards, collectors of biomass, and consumers of energy, with the supervision of an institutional guarantor: the municipality of Vilafranca.

With 28.000 ha of vineyards, 5.800 growers, bottlers, wineries and 1.500.000 hectolitres of annual average production, the renewable supply is guaranteed. The same is true for the resulting energy consumption, particularly in wine companies, as well as other business, equipments and residential sectors in a near future.

Main objective

The project aims to demonstrate the feasibility of a VINEYARDS VIRTUOUS CIRCLE (VVC) as a local strategy to mitigate climate change contributing to meet the goals to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG); in line with the European Union’s energy-climate package also known as 3*20 and, specifically, boosting the increase of renewable energy production to contribute up to 20% of EU’s energy needs.

The VVC involves all the local public and private actors that guarantee the profitability of vineyards pruning to generate heat and cold with the purpose to settle the bases to transition the region of Penedes into an efficient low carbon economy area and to contribute to the objective of reducing agricultural emissions by 42% (roadmap 2050).

Establish an initiative to manage the VVC

To establish a SUSTAINABLE SHARED LOCAL GOVERNANCE INITIATIVE TO MANAGE THE VVC thus developing an innovative local environmental policy approach towards carbon zero both in rural and urban areas replicable in all EU wine regions.

Establish a Biomass Value Chain

In line with the policies of the Spanish Strategy for Climate Change and Clean Energy, to establish a BIOMASS VALUE CHAIN (BVC) that generates a local (green) productive economy that should allow to “close the wine circle” by using residual biomass from vineyards to produce a positive outcome (Heat and Cold) for wineries and the wine region in general (including urban areas).

Fully implement the VVC

To establish A MUNICIPAL COMPANY OF SERVICES AND AN AGREED 10 YEARS ROADMAP to fully implement the VVC.