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This project aims at a cost-effective efficiency enhancement of Si solar cells towards their theoretical maximum of about 29% by moving away from the diffused-junction paradigm. This will reduce the energy fabrication costs on the €/kWh level and thereby increase the competiveness and profitability of photovoltaic systems. Crystalline Si (c-Si) solar cells are since decades the most established photovoltaic technology. Their main advantages are long lifetime (>25 years), non-toxicity and the high abundance of Si. However, for full competitiveness with traditional sources of electricity, important new steps need to be taken to increase their performance. An innovative contacting scheme will be developed that eliminates the main loss mechanisms in c-Si solar cells arising from doped pn-junctions and the direct contact of metal with Si. The novel contacts will be broadband optically transparent, generate a highly passivating and carrier-selective interface to Si and will enable solar cells without doped pn-junctions. No cost-intensive patterning technique is required for the device fabrication and parasitic optical absorption, as present in Si heterojunction solar cells, will be minimized. The novel contacts consist of three layers: a 1-2 nm thick tunnelling SiO2 layer for chemical passivation of the Si surface, a wide-bandgap conductive metal oxide layer providing a specific energy band alignment, and a highly conductive transparent oxide (TCO) for carrier transport to external metal contacts and optimum light coupling into the solar cell device. The contacts will be used for the fabrication of Si solar cells which are devoid of doped pn-junctions and achieve both high open-circuit voltages and photo currents. The structure of the photovoltaic device will be optimized for the application in regular 1-sun modules and for both III-V/Si and perovskite/Si tandem cell applications with potential for flat-plate efficiencies well above 30%.

The 2012 Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) establishes a set of binding measures to help the EU reach its 20% energy efficiency target by 2020. Countries have also set their own indicative national energy efficiency targets. To reach these targets, EU countries have to implement energy efficiency policies and monitor their impact. The Commission has also the task of monitoring the impacts of the measures to check that the EU is on track with its 2020 target. The objective of the ODYSSEE MURE 2015 proposal is to contribute to this monitoring: • By updating two comprehensive databases covering each EU MS; ODYSSEE on energy consumption and energy efficiency indicators, and MURE on energy efficiency measures; • By providing new and innovative trainings and didactical documents to national, regional and local administrations in EU MS to raise their capacity and expertise in the field of energy efficiency monitoring and impact evaluation. • By extending the evaluation of the impact of energy efficiency from energy and CO2 savings, as already done in ODYSSEE, to the multiple other benefits. The updating of two databases ODYSSEE and MURE will play a key role to provide updated and centralized information required by each MS and the Commission to assess, monitor and evaluate energy efficiency progress and the state of implementation of measures and their impact. The project will provide innovative training tools and documents in a very user friendly way to public administrations to help them in implementing the monitoring of the progress achieved with indicators, in designing new policy measures and assessing the impacts of these measures, not only in terms of energy savings, but also in terms of the other benefits linked to energy efficiency improvements. Finally, the project will try to provide an assessment of the multiple benefits of energy efficiency policies for all MS combing existing evaluation and new calculations.

The EUFORIE project studies energy efficiency at macro level (EU as a whole and comprison to China), national level (EU-28 Member States), sectoral/company level (selected energy-intensive sectors and companies) and household level, taking into account the perspectives of energy production and consumption. The project uses also participatory foresight workshops to provide new information for energy policy preparation in selected EU Member States. The project has nine Work Packages, the Research/Innovation WPs focus on (1) macro-level analysis on energy efficiency (EU as a Whole and EU-28 Member States; WP2), (2) regional and sectoral case studies on energy efficiency (WP3), and (3) energy efficiency metabolism in socio-economic systems (WP4) by using innovative analysis tools developed by the EUFORIE consortium beneficiaries in previous projects financed by the EuropeanCommisson. Moreover, the project analyses energy efficiency from the consumer perspective (WP5) and energy efficiency development in selected energy-intensive companies by using the previously developed analysis tools (WP6). Last but not least, the project implements a participatory foresight process for energy efficiency stakeholders in selected countries (WP7) and a comparison of energy efficiency in the EU and China (WP8).

Wind Power brings the lowest cost of electricity generation of the renewable energy technologies available today. This fact has positioned the wind energy as the most promising renewable energy technologies to power our future: up to 12% of global electricity by 2020 will be supplied by wind reducing CO2 emissions by more than 1.5 billion tons per year, more than 5 times actual level. Although the cost of electricity from onshore wind power is already at very low level, wind energy poses new challenges such as a limited number of available sites with suitable wind speed, location, and access, limited predictability and short-/long-term variability. And this is why; investments in specialised low wind turbines and in the utilisation of smart grid systems vs. current power generation facilities are key to efficiently and reliably improve the utilisation of wind systems. Moreover, the small wind turbine sector continues to develop growing at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 16.4% (global cumulative installed capacity of 4.8GW by 2025). In this scenario, Alfapress and Sidac find their major business opportunity with VENTURAS focused on small consumers. VENTURAS is a small (gearless) wind turbine that comprises 3 rotor blades that can change its aerodynamic surface over time (variable twist and active pitch control). Hence, the power production of the turbine is maximized and at the same time the operating loads are reduced. It is suitable for low/very low wind speed locations having an exclusive capacity factor (Cp) and, thus, the merest cost of energy. With the market launch of VENTURAS wind turbine, Alfapress and Sidac plan to gain market share within the EU small wind industry for microgeneration capacities (from 5kW to 60kW): 1) initially in 2020 in our home market, Italy and UK, 2) to expand sales to Germany, Denmark, and Spain in 2021, 3) Then to other countries. In doing so, our consortium will create over 82 jobs and generate 36.82M€ market opportunity.

Focusing the Sun’s rays onto a piece of paper with a magnifying glass may sound as a children’s game, but it lies over the same principle that Photovoltaic (PV) technology, which can potentially lead Europe to obtain energy at a lower price and with the least environmental impact. In order to achieve it, PV’s efficiency and its associated costs need to be improved. REPHLECT project tackles both factors thanks to an innovative combination of advanced High Concentration PV (HCPV) technology and a close to the end market model. HCPV, due to its use of very high efficiency PV cells, is currently the solar technology with the highest cost reduction potential (85% in the last 5 years). REPHLECT’s HCPV builds up on the excellent results obtained in the FP7 project “NGCPV”, in which concentrator cells, module and system efficiency were improved. Now BSQ Solar, one of NGCPV’s partners, will take a step forward by designing a module that will reach a concentration of 1000X from the 820X developed by NGCPV, and at the same time including innovative features. To reduce the associated costs, REPHLECT will design components that allow local manufacturing and will migrate assembly lines to Satellite Production Centres (SPCs) located in highly irradiated areas to produce the panels close to the market. The only most IP sensitive part, the receivers, will be developed in BSQ headquarters in Madrid. In order words, REPHLECT intends to replicate the white box paradigm which introduced the ultimate commoditization of the computer hardware industry, by challenging the present industry model based in huge centralized upscaling in Asia. The project will be piloted in-house and the assembly satellite production will be demonstrated at the University of Al Akhawayn, in Morocco. REPHLECT counts already with letters of support of more than 15 prestigious companies which are very interested in its business model.

As wind energy is considered one of the most promising renewable energy resources, energy production technologies relying on wind energy are currently flourishing under the EU ambitious plan for 2020. Market demands to prepare a generation of researchers within the EU that are able to face the challenge of fulfilling the EU ambitious plan, to sustain the production of wind energy and to innovate and promote wind energy systems (WES) for the future needs, are clearly met in AEOLUS4FUTURE. The primary research aim is to develop a sustainable WES for a variety of EU needs. There are a number of detailed scientific and technical issues that will be addressed by the project starting from identifying the wind energy potential (off-shore and on-shore, including the built environment) to the design of a sustainable and highly efficient WES. Also the new challenging load conditions imposed on wind farms located on places where existing type of wind turbine towers are not suitable require the development of new type of support structures for wind energy converters. This fosters new structural concepts taking advantage of high performance materials e.g. high strength steel and novel maintenance free fasteners. In addition, while most research efforts and practical applications of wind energy have focused on large-scale wind installations in remote offshore or onshore areas, much less attention has been given to wind energy installations near buildings. The project has a major training aim to create technical experts who will be able to lead the necessary industrial developments in the WES, and have a broad overview of a new and emerging multi-disciplinary field. The project will thus enable a number of young scientists and engineers to obtain high level training in various technical aspects of the problem, to gain an overall understanding of how this work fits into the wider EU Directives and plans for the future and in doing so to improve their career prospects.

Following the EC SET-Plan Education and Training Roadmap, the concept of this proposal is to develop a joint PhD programme between universities and research centres, on the topic of Thermal Energy Storage (TES). The goal of INPATH-TES is to create a network of universities and research institutes to implement a joint PhD programme on TES technologies. The final result of such a network is to educate professionals on these technologies for the European research and industry institutions. The consortium includes 14 universities that will implement the joint PhD programme, two research institutions (AIT and PROMES-CNRS), three companies and two SME (Arcelik, Abengoa Solar NT, KIC InnoEnergy, UFP and LAIF), that will cooperate in defining the programme and in its implementation and deployment. The specific objectives of the project will lead to the qualification of professionals for the European research and industry institutions, bringing Europe to continue being leaders in these technologies. The partners in the proposal will be the core of a future larger network of excellent R&D institutions, and industries for co-funding and industrial placement, sharing infrastructure capacities, and enhancing mobility of students. The overall approach of the project involves a work plan divided in six work packages, being either coordination or support activities. Coordination activities: WP1 – Management and coordination; WP3 – Developing, maintaining and updating a PhD programme in TES; and WP4 – Implementation of the PhD programme in TES. Support activities: WP2 – External communication and dissemination; WP5 – Stakeholder involvement and extension of partnerships; and WP6 – Framework for monitoring and evaluation of INPATH-TES as well as IPR and regulatory issues.

The consortium behind SPARCARB – Global Lightning Protection Services A/S (GLPS, non-academic beneficiary), Denmark, together with the University of Southampon (SOTON, academic beneficiary entitled to award doctoral degrees), UK, and six Partner organizations – aims at providing an innovative international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral training network for four Early-Stage Researcher (ESRs), which will integrate in a single project (1) Science-based Training in material and electrical engineering; (2) Transferable Skills-based Training in carbon fibre, wind turbines, lightning protection technologies, business and innovation, and other competences; (3) and Research-based Training designed around cutting-edge challenges for the Wind Power Industry, which has identified the need for continuous research on lightning protection of large wind turbines with blades incorporating CFC structural components. The SPARCARB project aims at addressing the strong lack of doctoral-level trained human resources to push forward the research base in the field of lightning protection of CFC structures, building the proper environment for shifting paradigms in the Wind Power Industry. Specifically, the project will address scientific and technological challenges related to an effective protection of CFC wind turbine blades from lightning-induced damages, enabling the reliable use of very large and more efficient wind turbines. The goal is to train four ESRs to be familiar with both Industry (15 months at GLPS and secondments to industrial partner organizations for 3 months) and Academia (18 months at SOTON The doctoral training programme will be carried out according to SOTON’s criteria from which all four ESRs will obtain doctoral degrees. The envisaged training will provide a range of skills to all ESRs making them high-potential candidates to be employed at GLPS and other wind power industry players.

ENTRUST provides mapping of Europe’s energy system (key actors & their intersections, technologies, markets, policies, innovations) and an in-depth understanding of how human behaviour around energy is shaped by both technological systems and socio-demographic factors (esp. gender, age and socio-economic status). New understandings of energy-related practices and an intersectional approach to the socio-demographic factors in energy use will be deployed to enhance stakeholder engagement in Europe’s energy transition. The role of gender will be illuminated by intersectional analyses of energy-related behaviour & attitudes towards energy technologies, which will assess how multiple identities and social positions, combine to shape practices. These analyses will be integrated within a transitions management framework which takes account of the complex meshing of human values and identities with technological systems. The third key paradigm informing the research is the concept of energy citizenship, with a key goal of ENTRUST being to enable individuals overcome barriers of gender, age and socio-economic status to become active participants in their own energy transitions. Central to the project will be an in-depth engagement with 5 very different communities across the continent, who will be invited to be co-designers of their own energy transition. The consortium brings a diverse array of expertise to bear in assisting and reflexively monitoring these communities as they work to transform their energy behaviours, generating innovative transition pathways and business models capable of being replicated elsewhere in Europe. Deliverables will include a policy tool-kit incorporating contemporary best practice in promoting energy transitions at a Europe-wide level; a suite of innovative transition pathways and community engagement tools designed to stimulate dialogue and break down barriers to behaviour change and the adoption new technologies at a community level.