Integration of large scale RES

Integration of large scale RES

  • Structural safety improvement of offshore tall wind turbines under wind and wave loadings

    Project dates: 14. Feb 2019 - 13. Feb 2021

    Objective

    Wind energy has rapidly developed as a clean and renewable energy source in recent years in order to meet the increasing demand for power. The European Union has already installed over 50GW of wind power generating capacity and has planned to increase the use of wind energy in order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 20% by the year 2020 (Tabassum et al., 2014). The use of wind turbines is nowadays the principal technology for generating electrical power from wind, and therefore wind energy converters need to be thoroughly investigated with respect to their capacity, effectiveness and integrity. It is widely known that wind energy potential (greater wind speeds) is greater in higher atmospheric levels, where wind flow is smooth enough as is far from the disturbed built environment. Therefore, higher towers are needed in engineering practice as the technology develops. The space used for offshore wind farms is also more flexible than that on land. For offshore wind turbines, their environmental loads are more complex than onshore ones including higher average wind velocity and wave loadings. Thus, this makes the development of a new tall offshore tower configuration imperative for the construction of offshore structures under wind and wave loadings.

    Partners

    Number of partners: 1
    Site numbers:

    THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM

    Key Exploitable Results

    • TRL

    • Effective use:
    • Barriers:
    • Additional next steps:
    • Investment needed:

  • Commercialisation of Ventura Habitat - a novel wind turbine blade maintenance enclosure tomaximize downtime productivity

    Project dates: 01. Feb 2018 - 30. Apr 2018

    Objective

    GEV Wind Power is one of Europe's leading wind-turbine maintenance companies with teams working on more than 40 wind farms both on and offshore every year. With a presence throughout Europe and North America, GEV Wind Power is a truly global service provider. We understand that it is important to wind energy maintenance companies to find new ways of delivering core services to reduce the cost of energy provision. To realise this vision, we commit significant financial resources to in-house R&D and are constantly looking at technologies that fit well for Wind Energy. We have now developed a patented habitat solution that retrofits to market available access platforms. This creates the perfect protective working environment for blade maintenance and repairs to be completed. Maintenance productivity is increased and, with the added benefit of 24 hour working, GEV Wind Power are able to eliminate the cost uncertainty of weather downtime and will help wind farm owners reduce maintenance costs, improve Annual Energy Production (AEP) and the competitiveness of wind generated energy. Trials completed onshore with our Ventura Habitat prototype using two different access platforms (Power Climber and Kaeufer) in varying weather conditions and ranging between 30 metres and 100 metres high, with successful deployment demonstrating the flexibility and operability of the Habitat in a real-life environment. The overall objective of this development project is to create a commercially ready Ventura Habitat system, with validated results through field trials. This will enable us to achieve our overall commercial objective to become the leading blade maintenance services provider in Europe and North America. We forecast a total revenue of €20 million and a profit of €5 million 5 years post-commercialisation, with a breakeven on investment after 3.43 years and an ROI of 150%.

    Partners

    Number of partners: 1
    Site numbers:

    GEV WIND POWER LIMITED

    Key Exploitable Results

    • TRL

    • Effective use:
    • Barriers:
    • Additional next steps:
    • Investment needed:

  • Commercialization of a breakthrough wind resource assessment technology for automated planning of bankable wind farms

    Project dates: 01. Jan 2020 - 30. Jun 2022

    Objective

    The process of prospection and wind energy project development today is still lengthy and risky. In three out of four prospected sites no wind power plant is ever built. The main challenge is in accurately identifying a wind power sites. Today, assessing the practical constraints and estimating the potential long-term energy yield for different configurations is largely done through a sequence of manual and lengthy processing steps. Precise estimates take time, expertise and manual effort for the different steps and a high level of quality assurance by human experts to ensure the results are sufficiently accurate to be accepted by investors and lenders, i.e. 'bankability'. WindSider addresses the need for a automated and affordable solution for generating accurate and bankable resource maps, wind power plant designs and long-term yield assessment studies. WindSider outperforms the classical semi-automated process in terms of processing time and cost, while still ensuring bankable precision. WindSider is a game changer enabling for the first time generation of validated reports of bankable quality. This allows for prospecting more projects faster with go/no-go decisions at lower risk than today, leading to more new wind farms. Wind energy is abundantly available as a domestic energy source all over the world. It requires no fuel and causes no emissions. It is the fasted growing source of power globally and an essential pillar of Europe’s Energy Union strategy. At the same time, the overall process of wind energy project development and power generation is far from optimized, carrying vast business opportunities for those improving it. Between 2018-2024, the global wind energy installations on land will on average be 50 GW per year (200GW will be prospected), requiring 20,000-30,000 new turbines and investment of 70 billion EUR per year, indicating a Total Available Market size for the WindSider of approximately 2 billion EUR.

    Partners

    Number of partners: 5
    Site numbers:

    NAZKA MAPPS BVBA

    SINGULARLOGIC ANONYMI ETAIREIA PLIROFORIAKON SYSTIMATON KAI EFARMOGONPLIROFORIKIS

    DANMARKS TEKNISKE UNIVERSITET

    3E

    • Project coordinator
    • 3E
    • Belgium
    • Budget: 902, 396

    UNIVERSIDAD POLITECNICA DE MADRID

    Key Exploitable Results

    • TRL

    • Effective use:
    • Barriers:
    • Additional next steps:
    • Investment needed:

  • HIGH POWER CYCLONE CONVERTER GENERATOR FOR WIND ONSHORE

    Project dates: 01. Mar 2018 - 31. Jul 2018

    Objective

    Wind is an inexhaustible source of energy with potential to supply 20 times more power than what the entire human population needs, and it has already surpassed any other source of renewable energy reaching 452 GW in 2016 of onshore power installed capacity, which is forecasted to grow up to 922 GW in 2030 -6.7% of the world’s power consumption. Yet, current technology requires to employ huge blades to obtain more energy. This is not efficient and safe as they need high initial investment in the turbines manufacturing, transportation and ground works and a major portion of land, which increases the rental costs and can displace farming from fertile land. Also, the blades are prone to erosion, requiring costly operation maintenance and they can be a safety hazard to the people working in these wind farms when submitted to tornados or hurricanes. Our CCG technology is based on the concept of a packed and controlled cyclone inside a hollow tower, which rotates the turbine blades on the top of the structure. In this way a CCG 30 MW unit (15x more than the most common turbines) occupies 30x less space. Our CCG solution is simple and easy to build, consisting of a turbine generator and a reinforced concrete structure, it can be installed using current road ways. Thanks to these features, CCG can be installed in onshore locations, where winds >30 m/s, may occur. It will reduce by 50% energy costs compared with conventional horizontal-axis wind turbines, i.e. LCOE (0.02-0.03 €/kW) CAPEX (750-950 €/kW) Our target market will be existing onshore wind farms for repowering and planned wind farms, i.e. > 900 GW in 2022. Thanks to the uniqueness of CCG, we expect to get at least a 1% penetration in the wind energy sector by 2024, which means over 1 GW capacity installed with our technology and a ROI of 9.8. After testing the first prototype, to evaluate the best market entry we need to perform a detailed feasibility study for what we are asking for support from the EC.

    Partners

    Number of partners: 1
    Site numbers:

    CENTRALES ENERGETICAS CICLONICAS DESARROLLOS CANARIOS, SOCIEDAD DE RESPONSABILIDAD LIMITADA

    Key Exploitable Results

    • TRL

    • Effective use:
    • Barriers:
    • Additional next steps:
    • Investment needed:

  • Nanofluid Spectral Beam Splitter Assisted Hybrid CPV/T System

    Project dates: 01. Dec 2021 - 30. Nov 2023

    Objective

    The deficient utilisation of the full solar spectrum for power generation in conventional hybrid CPV/T technologies leads to a detrimental decrease in PV cell efficiency due to elevated temperatures. The aim of this research is to break entirely from conventional design principles and to develop a novel nanofluid spectral splitter (NSS)-assisted hybrid CPV/T collector which will benefit from a step-change improvement in electrical efficiency via the optical filtering of spectral wavelengths that are inefficiently utilised by the PV cells in the form of heat, enabling the delivery of high-temperature heat and enhancing the life of the PV cells. Plasmonic nanofluid acting as the NSS will be used for visible light harvesting, while the high grade heat generated by the splitting process will be stored in a thermal storage and utilised directly in domestic or commercial applications. The NANOSPLIT project is highly interdisciplinary and covers process engineering, chemistry (nanomaterials synthesis), physics (PV), energy engineering (solar collector design, development), mechanical and chemical engineering (thermal storage and power generation). The host supervisor, Prof. Christos Markides, has world-leading experience in waste-heat recovery and utilisation and solar energy technologies. He will provide expert training and support for design and development of the innovative hybrid PV/T concept, while, Dr. Sandesh Chougule, a leading Indian researcher, will bring his knowledge on the novel application of nanofluids in solar spectral beam splitting to the host(s). In addition, design of concentrating collectors will support NANOSPLIT through a planned secondment. The high-quality two-way transfer of knowledge required for this project will ensure that research goals are achieved, whilst also presenting a great opportunity to accelerate the academic career of the researcher. Completion of NANOSPLIT will lead to significant economic and societal impacts on the EU and world.

    Partners

    Number of partners: 1
    Site numbers:

    IMPERIAL COLLEGE OF SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY AND MEDICINE

    Key Exploitable Results

    • TRL

    • Effective use:
    • Barriers:
    • Additional next steps:
    • Investment needed:

  • A novel amorphous silicon cell-based solar cogeneration system using the coupled thermal storage/organic Rankine cycle as an alternative to battery

    Project dates: 10. Jan 2017 - 09. Jan 2019

    Objective

    The indicative start date is 01 January 2017. This fellowship will bring an excellent young researcher (Dr Jing Li), the winner of Springer Thesis Prize and Excellent PhD Graduate Award of the President of Chinese Academy of Sciences, to investigate a medium temperature photovoltaic/thermal (PVT) system incorporated with the coupled thermal storage/organic Rankine cycle (ORC) as a novel alternative to battery. Due to its unique positive power temperature coefficient, the efficiency of amorphous silicon (a-Si) cell can be higher than that of a crystalline silicon (c-Si) cell when the operating temperature is above 100°C, at which heat is able to drive the ORC. This has therefore stimulated the applicants to propose the a-Si PVT-ORC system which combines the respective advantages of PV and solar ORC technologies. The a-Si PVT-ORC system is estimated to have an overall electrical efficiency up to 12.8% at 120°C, which is comparable to the c-Si PVT system at 75°C, but the former can eliminate expensive battery and use the coupled thermal storage/ORC instead, offering more economic and environmental benefits. The proposed project will offer an excellent opportunity of training and development for the very promising young researcher. The project has been carefully designed to match Dr Li’s expertise in solar thermal power systems and the expertise of the University of Nottingham in CHP, BiPV, CFD and 3D printing technologies, and thus facilitates a two-way knowledge transfer. Successful completion of this fellowship will contribute to the European excellence in solar power technology, and promote the professional competence and career prospect of Dr Li. He will share his knowledge and expertise on ORC and a-Si cell techniques by hosting a series of seminars for EU researchers and engineers, lecturing at an industrial dissemination event, giving a special lecture to the architectural and environmental engineering students, and participating in outreach activities of the host institute.

    Partners

    Number of partners: 1
    Site numbers:

    THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM

    Key Exploitable Results

    • TRL

    • Effective use:
    • Barriers:
    • Additional next steps:
    • Investment needed:

  • Mixed Biotic and abiotic functionalysed electrodes for Plant Microbial Fuel Cells applications

    Project dates: 03. Sep 2018 - 02. Sep 2020

    Objective

    Plant microbial fuel cells (PMFC) are promising electrochemical devices that can produce electricity generated by active microorganisms present in plant soil. The reactions at both anode and cathode of PMFCs can be catalysed by microbial biofilms capable of oxidising organic matter (anode) and catalysing oxygen reduction (ORR) (cathode) producing electrical power from renewable resources. However, PMFC power output to date remains low and often unpredictable due to the variability in activity achieved by the electrodes microbial biofilms. Their selection in both anode and cathode is a fundamental requirement to enhance catalytic activity and produce higher power densities. This proposal aims at developing a conceptually new approach towards PMFC catalysis though the introduction of novel nanocomposite carbon electrodes that will combine intrinsic and microbially-mediated catalytic activity. These functional materials will integrate moieties that promote bacterial recruitment to select suitable microbial consortia onto carbon based electrodes for both anodic and cathodic reactions. In the case of the cathode, the carbon material will be selected by using electrochemical methods ex situ (voltammetry) in simulated aqueous environment in the presence of fertilizers and soil to also display ORR catalytic activity. Anode and cathode topography will be investigated to identify nanostructures that promote biofilm colonisation and to control density and stability of active sites. The best electrode materials will be modified with carbohydrates and peptides that promote cell adhesion to only recruit electroactive bacterial consortia. This project combines my expertise in carbon synthesis and microbial fuel cell devices with expertise in biofilm control and carbon material characterization of the host laboratory. New training in characterization of electroactive biofilms will be provided by a secondment through a cross – European collaboration at University of Rennes1

    Partners

    Number of partners: 1
    Site numbers:

    THE PROVOST, FELLOWS, FOUNDATION SCHOLARS & THE OTHER MEMBERS OF BOARD, OF THE COLLEGE OF THE HOLY & UNDIVIDED TRINITY OF QUEEN ELIZABETH NEAR DUBLIN

    Key Exploitable Results

    • TRL

    • Effective use:
    • Barriers:
    • Additional next steps:
    • Investment needed:

  • Characterisation method for spin-dependent processes in solar energy technology

    Project dates: 01. Nov 2017 - 31. Oct 2019

    Objective

    In the search for renewable energy sources, solar energy shows great promise through its conversion to electricity and storable fuels using artificial photosynthesis. A detailed understanding of the energy conversion processes on the nanoscale is needed for the rational design and improvement of solar technology. This project is aimed at the development of a methodology for in-depth characterisation of spin-dependent processes in solar energy devices. The method will be based on a novel combination of pulse Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) and Electrically Detected Magnetic Resonance (EDMR) spectroscopy with arbitrarily shaped pulses. ESR by itself has already proven to be instrumental for advancing the understanding of natural photosynthesis and the increased sensitivity of EDMR allows the extension of this technique to assembled devices. The combination of both techniques and development of new pulse schemes based on arbitrarily shaped pulses will lead to significant advancements, enabling the simultaneous study of charge separation, charge transport and catalysis and their interdependence in fully assembled solar-to-fuel devices. The research will utilise cutting-edge instrumentation for simultaneous detection of magnetisation and photocurrent at FU Berlin. To fully exploit the advantages of this methodology, a theoretical description for the new experiments will be implemented in the widely used ESR simulation software EasySpin, providing a unified framework for the description of ESR and EDMR. The work on this project will serve to diversify the researcher’s competences and provide her with a broad skill set combining experimental and theoretical expertise, paving the way for an independent research career. The methodology developed for the characterisation of solar energy devices will provide new insights into artificial photosynthesis that will guide progress in solar technology with important implications for its commercialisation and industrial application.

    Partners

    Number of partners: 1
    Site numbers:

    FREIE UNIVERSITAET BERLIN

    Key Exploitable Results

    • TRL

    • Effective use:
    • Barriers:
    • Additional next steps:
    • Investment needed:

  • Increasing Social Awarness and ACceptance of biogas and biomethane

    Project dates: 01. Jan 2016 - 30. Jun 2018

    Objective

    Although Italy has a great potential for biogas production, many non-technical barriers are still present in the current framework. Some of the limiting factors involve public acceptance of the biogas facilities diffusion, as well as lack of a reliable coordination between different stakeholders. Furthermore, normative and legislative inadequacies and deficiencies haven’t facilitated the implementation of these technologies within the national context. The main project objective consists on the construction of a communicative model oriented to spread balanced information, based on environmental and economic benefits, between all the actors potentially involved in biogas/biomethane implementation. At the same time, actions will be focused on reducing the fragmentation between farmers, foresters and other stakeholders in order to reach the minimal facility dimension needed, increased biogas and biomethane penetration and reduce cost management. A participatory process model will be developed as the main project’s approach to reduce social conflict and to include all actors in important common decision making process; starting from the experience, a normative proposal on the participatory process will be recommended. The effectiveness of the proposal will be maximized applying the actions on specific and restricted areas: the study of the energetic unhatched potential deriving from anaerobic digestion of residual biomass or organic waste will constitute the starting point for communication and information campaigns toward the territory and its stakeholders. The attention will be focused on some high energetic potential regions where the diffusion of these technologies struggles to be realized and the effects of project actions on awareness and acceptance will be evaluated. In particular, a specific decisional participative model will be implemented and applied in one of the selected districts, as case study, involving in an active way all the stakeholders.

    Partners

    Number of partners: 5
    Site numbers:

    AZZERO CO2 SRL

    CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE

    LEGAMBIENTE ASSOCIAZIONE ONLUS

    CHIMICA VERDE BIONET

    CIB-CONSORZIO ITALIANO BIOGAS E GASSIFICAZIONE

    Key Exploitable Results

    • TRL

    • Effective use:
    • Barriers:
    • Additional next steps:
    • Investment needed:

  • Towards New Generation of Solid-State Photovoltaic Cell: Harvesting Nanotubular Titania and Hybrid Chromophores

    Project dates: 01. Mar 2015 - 31. Aug 2020

    Objective

    In photovoltaics (PVs), a significant scientific and technological attention has been given to technologies that have the potential to boost the solar-to-electricity conversion efficiency and to power recently unpowerable devices and objects. The research of various solar cell concepts for diversified applications (building integrated PVs, powering mobile devices) has recently resulted in many innovations. However, designs and concepts of solar cells fulfilling stringent criteria of efficiency, stability, low prize, flexibility, transparency, tunable cell size, esthetics, are still lacking. Herein, the research focus is given to a new physical concept of a solar cell that explores extremely promising materials, yet unseen and unexplored in a joint device, whose combination may solve traditional solar cells drawbacks (carrier recombination, narrow light absorption). It features a high surface area interface (higher than any other known PVs concept) based on ordered anodic TiO2 nanotube arrays, homogenously infilled with nanolayers of high absorption coefficient crystalline chalcogenide or organic chromophores using different techniques, yet unexplored for this purpose. After addition of supporting constituents, a solid-state solar cell with an extremely large incident area for the solar light absorption and optimized electron pathways will be created. The CHROMTISOL solar cell concept bears a large potential to outperform existing thin film photovoltaic technologies and concepts due to unique combination of materials and their complementary properties. The project aims towards important scientific findings in highly interdisciplinary fields. Being extremely challenging and in the same time risky, it is based on feasible ideas and steps, that will result in exciting achievements. The principal investigator, Jan Macak, has an outstanding research profile in the field of self-organized anodic nanostructures and is an experienced researcher in the photovoltaic field

    Partners

    Number of partners: 1
    Site numbers:

    UNIVERZITA PARDUBICE

    Key Exploitable Results

    • TRL

    • Effective use:
    • Barriers:
    • Additional next steps:
    • Investment needed:
Subscribe to Integration of large scale RES

European commision

The EIRIE platform has been developed under the PANTERA project which has received funding from the European Union´s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme under GA No : 824389

Copyright © EIRIE.