• Energy Research
• 2018 close

In recent years, research has shown that energy savings resulting from energy efficiency improvements have wider benefits for the economy and society such as increases in employment, GDP, energy security, positive impacts on health, ecosystems and crops or resource consumption. In order to develop more cost-effective energy efficiency policies and optimised long-term strategies in the EU, these multiple benefits have to be accounted for more comprehensively in the future. Although this field of research is growing, the findings are disperse and mostly have important gaps regarding geographic, sectorial or technical measure coverage and findings vary largely. This makes a consideration of multiple benefits in policy making and policy evaluation difficult today. The proposed project addresses these issues and aims at closing the identified gaps by five central research innovations: 1) data gathering on energy savings and technology costs per EU country for the most relevant 20 to 30 energy efficiency measures in the residential, commercial, industrial and transport sectors, 2) developing adequate methodologies for benefit quantification, monetisation and aggregation, 3) quantifying the most important multiple benefits and where adequate, monetising, 4) developing an openly available calculation tool that greatly simplifies the evaluation of co-impacts for specific energy efficiency measures to enable decision-making and 5) developing a simple online visualisation tool for customisable graphical analysis and assessment of multiple benefits and data exportation. Project outcomes can thus directly be used by stakeholders and will help to define cost-effective policies and support policy-makers and evaluators in the development and monitoring of energy efficiency strategies and policies in the future.

Offshore wind turbines operate in harsh and extreme environments such as the North Sea. As blades continue getting larger, their tip speeds can exceed 100m/s. At these speeds, any particulates in the air such as rain, dust, salt, inspects etc. can wear away the surface of the blade's leading edge, a phenomenon known as leading edge erosion. This, in turn, alters the aerodynamic shape of the blade, affecting the efficiency AND potentially exposing the blade to further and more serious damage, thereby reducing the life of the blade. Whilst the mechanisms that cause leading edge erosion are not yet fully understood, it can be said that at some point, ALL wind turbine blades will suffer from some form or degree of leading edge erosion during their life, which will need to be addressed. Maintaining blades in the offshore wind sector is an expensive and dangerous job. Typically, highly skilled rope access technicians have to scale down the blades to carry out leading edge repairs. This project aims to take the first steps of developing a robotic device to carry out a number of these detailed inspections and repetitive repairs on the leading edges of blades, freeing up the time of the skilled rope access technicians, enabling them to perform specialist repairs or upgrades to blades only they can do. This would enable more blades to be inspected and treated, maximising the electrical output of the turbines that in turn benefit the owner with increased revenues, maximise the CO2 savings that everybody benefit from and increasing the security of electrical supply for the end users.

Hydropower is a crucial energy source in a portfolio as it generates for up to 24 hours / day, providing a renewable energy alternative to base-load fossil & nuclear fuel power stations. Deployment is currently limited due availability of suitable sites, environmental disruption, & head of water (3m+) requirements to run installations efficiently. VerdErg has developed a disruptive new hydro-power turbine technology that overcomes these limitations. Operating at low head (1-3m) with a major reduction in cost & environment impact due to smaller size & civil works, the technology can significantly increase renewable baseload electricity generation at low head river sites in the UK - the Environment Agency has identified 25,935 potential hydropower sites in England & Wales able to provide 1,178 MW of power. In addition, the UN has identified low head hydropower as a crucial element in addressing economic development of poor rural communities in developing countries. VerdErg's unique technology (protected by 6 patent families) enables power extraction using venturi-enhanced secondary flow, not achieved before. It can make a major contribution to the Energy Trilemma.

Senergy are developing an all polymer solar thermal panel that will integrate easily with the physical and the digital architecture of buildings to deliver reliable, affordable and carbon emission free solar water heating and cooling. The Senergy panels capitalise on the strength and thermal conductivity of nanocarbon particles to reinforce polymer materials that have previously been too weak for thermal panel production and bring to market a robust and durable polymer solar thermal collection system that can be manufactured and installed at a 50% lower cost than existing metallic solar collectors. The Senergy panels also offer lightweight and aesthetic benefits that give the architect much more flexibility with design. In addition, the panels are embedded with low cost sensor and information technologies providing artificial intelligence for a more efficient and reliable energy supply. These technical advantages address the challenges that have hindered the roll out of this form of renewable energy and presents the opportunity for pervasive adaption of solar water and space heating and cooling in the global built environment.