• Energy Research
• 2017 close
• 2017 close

Over the lifetime of a wind turbine, operation and maintenance costs represent 25% of total levelised cost per kWh produced. Half of this cost concerns the blades. Blade inspection procedures still rely on qualified inspectors roping down each blade: a hazardous, time-consuming (5h) and expensive method (1500€). ProDrone’s integrated solution delivers a fully equipped Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-based platform for capturing, processing and analysing inspection data, enabling a turbine downtime lower by 6 times and a cost saving of over 50%. Pro-Drone is targeted at wind park operators who seek a reduction in the cost of blade inspection and additional revenues from decreased downtime. Within the overall project, Pro-Drone intends to fully automate the UAV blade inspection process eliminating human intervention in the drone’s take-off and landing phase; optimization of the post-processing algorithm for automatic fault recognition; and complete a sound demonstration and validation of the technology in operation with wind turbine operators. There is over 154 GW of installed wind energy capacity in the EU (over 60.000 wind turbines) and 433 GW globally (314.000 wind turbines!) which can asily adopt this solution and benefit from safer and more economical turbine analysis. The Pro-Drone will effectively contribute to the European 2030 targets of at least 27% renewable energy in final energy consumption at European level and an anticipated €1 million plus will be saved on the total amount of energy installed in EU.

RIVER-POWER is a disruptive technology able to efficiently convert the water flow kinetics energy in electricity thanks to a turbine innovative design derived from the wind power technology. The new technology enlarges the hydropower potentialities, being able to exploit the zero-head water flows with mini-micro applications (nominal power < 1 MW) and thus allowing the exploitation of new electricity production sources. RIVER-POWER initiative objectives are: • producing the zero-head kinetics energy driven hydroelectric turbines with the following technical targets: production = 4200 kWh/kW; efficiency = 45%; electricity production cost < 7 c€/kWh; investment < 2.000 €/kW; trigger speed < 1 m/s; minimization of the environmental impact reducing the civil works; easy and cheap installation. • Fabricating and testing a integrated prototype (nominal power = 50 kW), to be proved in operational environment, in order to reach the TRL 9 at the end of the testing phase. • Industrializing the RIVER-POWER plant, protecting the intellectual right and launching the technology industrial production and commercialization. During the feasibility study, the Proposer EOL Power will assess in detail the technical, economical and financial viability of the initiative, quantifying the production costs and the market price, involving suppliers and potential end-users, developing a market strategy and a 5-years financial projections.

The building sector has been identified as one of the key sectors to achieve the 20/20/20 targets of the EU. Buildings are responsible for 40% of energy consumption and 36% of CO2 emissions. Studies show that renovations of existing buildings is one of the low-cost options to reduce emissions of CO2, and potentially improve energy security by reducing imports of fossil fuels. Additionally, the EU has set a target for all new buildings to be nearly zero-energy by 2020. Every building needs dowels to be constructed. Current dowels are an obstacle for the renovation of buildings, and addition of new technologies that support energy efficiency directives. INNOFIXX’s development, a new type of dowels for heavy duty loads and façades, has demonstrated to be fast and easy to assemble (it can reduce 20% of fixing costs in buildings), it can carry simultaneously vertical and horizontal loads, it covers a wide range of applications: fixing balconies, adding solar panels in the façades, repairing façades), it is able to add extra thermal insulation in buildings without the need to destroy current walls, it saves energy compared to existing dowels (it has demonstrated that INNOFIXX has lower heating bridges, which can save 2°C per dowel), it supports the European Energy directives in buildings (2010 Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, and the 2012 Energy Efficiency Directive), it can be recycled and re-used, and it has a long-life, they can last as long as the façade exists. INNOFIXX clearly supports the circular economy principle.

Airborne wind energy (AWE) is a renewable energy source with a huge potential, but remains yet to be harnessed at a commercial scale. Commercialization of AWE will contribute in reaching the committed share of 27% renewables in Europe by 2030. The wind energy is stronger and more steady at higher altitudes, which means that AWE can be installed in locations where wind turbines are not viable. AWE can also be used in locations where conventional wind turbines have a negative impact on the visual environment. Contrary to conventional wind turbines, kite turbines have a very small footprint on the ground and are hardly visible up in the air. A complete construction of a kite turbine requires only 10% the mass of a conventional wind turbine and yearly operational hours can double due to high altitude operation. The Norwegian based AWE producer, Kitemill has demonstrated autonomous operation of their 30-kW kite turbine in operational environment at their test site. Their unique features for succeeding in commercialization of kite turbines: • The first airborne wind energy supplier to feature vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) solution. The advantage with a VTOL system is a minimized landing platform since it only need to be as wide as the wingspan of the kite. • Customer secured for a demo park consisting of five 30-kW kite turbines. • The first company to have obtained permanent operating license in designated areas issued by National Aviation Authorities. • Commercialization strategy will start with the 30-kW kite turbine to obtain a high number of operational hours at a smaller scale, which will reduce risk for the customers when introducing a new energy technology. Full scale levelized cost of energy is calculated to 2,8 c€/kWh, which is much cheaper than current wind turbines.