• Energy Research
• 2017 close

Energy-Intensive Industries (EII) in Europe are characterized by very high energy production costs as well as by an important level of CO2 emissions. Energy production costs account for up to 40% of total production costs in some EII, while EII emissions represent a quarter of total EU CO2 emissions. EII are therefore directly concerned by the EU 2014 Energy/Climate Package, which sets a global objective of 40% reduction of GHG emissions and 27% increase of energy efficiency by 2030. The report on energy prices and costs for some energy-intensive sectors published by the European Commission showed for example that natural gas prices for European ceramic companies increased by around 30% between 2010 and 2012 and they were four times higher than in Russia and more than three times higher than in the USA. Similarly, electricity costs were two times higher in the EU than in the USA and Russia. Such figures clearly confirm that energy is a crucial element for the competitiveness of our industry. Therefore, an integrated approach to process innovation is proposed within ETEKINA project covering design, simulation, operating conditions and process management together with breakthrough technology for waste heat recovery. The overall objective of ETEKINA project is to improve the energy performance of industrial processes. For this to be possible, the valorisation of waste heat by a turnkey modular Heat Pipe Based Heat Exchanger (HPHE) technology adaptable to different industry sectors will be addressed within the project and demonstrated in three industrial processes from the non-ferrous, steel and ceramic sectors in order to demonstrate: (i) the economic feasibility of the solution, and therefore (ii) its market potential.

The CNRS / Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, in collaboration with the world's leading producer of organic solar cells, OPVIUS GmbH, and local politicians and artisans in the Vic-Montaner region, has recently demonstrated that it is possible to produce large-scale (1.5 x 0.7 m) organic solar panels (OSPs), that are lightweight (10.2 kg) and have robust polycarbonate encapsulation. The project attracted a great deal of attention in the press (google Baylère, Hiorns, Vic-Montaner, Sud-Ouest for example) and in local communities. Importantly, unlike perovskite-based devices, these panels are non-toxic and fully recyclable. They are installed with minimal effort on public buildings for on-site use of generated electricity, even in restricted zones areas due to their colour adaptability. This is an important step in the industrialization of OSPs. Silicon solar cells should be placed directly facing the sun to give their maximum efficiency, otherwise they lose up to 50% of their power output depending on the angle of the sun. This is not the case for OSPs. They work at all angles, just as well. This opens up a vast area that is available on the walls of private and public buildings. For example, lightweight and ergonomic, our polycarbonate panels are easy to install. It should also be noted that local laws (in France imposed by Bâtiments de France) restrict the implantation of silicon cells in villages. However, we have already negotiated with them locally to ensure that OSPs are now accepted within 500 m of sacred and culturally important buildings. These two elements open up a large market for OSPs in France. However, the daily power of the OSPs is still less than that of silicon cells. Therefore, we will build a project to close the efficiency gap between the power produced by silicon cells and OSPs. This project will be called "Increasing the efficiency of large-scale photovoltaic panels" (ELEVATE). It will aim to improve the efficiency of OSPs so that they are equivalent to Si-based panels on vertical walls. To achieve this objective, ELEVATE will need to bring together the key, highest quality teams from across Europe working in the following fields: i) macromolecular chemistry, ii) physics of devices and modules, ii) polymer processing, iv) physical characterization, and v) modelling that will deliver: new materials; new module architectures; new film processing techniques; depth characterization of materials; and predicting the best macromolecules and understanding their behaviour. ELEVATE will call on the world-leading OSP manufacturers, OPVIUS, and will integrate the leading manufacturers of semi-conducting materials. To solve the challenge of high-performance OSPs, we will rely on the leading academics in each relevant area from across Europe. While France has exceptional talents, ELEVATE would not be possible at a national level alone due to the extremely diverse and cross-science level of industrial and academic expertise required. To build ELEVATE will be a project in itself. For this reason, this project, called INFO was developed to finance project construction meetings, determine working groups, decide on milestones and deliverables, and take into account the needs of public interactions. Given the high public profile of the project ELEVATE, particular attention will be given to fostering open scientific activities with scientific communities, the general public and schools throughout the world.

FloatMast is a floating platform that performs the best wind data measurements for the most promising and advanced Blue Energy activity, Offshore Wind Parks (OWPs). These wind measurements are vital for the cost benefit analysis of OWPs as they are used in the estimation of the annual income. Moreover, the wind measurements are also critical to the definition of the Operation and Maintenance costs as they are used in the design specification of the OWP’s turbines, towers and foundations. The wind measurements collected by FloatMast are according to the highest industry standard (IEC 61400-12-1) and provide the greatest net benefit to the Developers of OWPs. It can perform wind measurements at a 70% lower cost, by combining the best features from the two existing solutions: the meteorological mast and the Lidar remote sensor device on a stable floating platform. Furthermore, it is re-usable and provides the added value of being re-deployed in other locations of interest. It can be used at all stages of the life cycle of the OWP, from the design phase to the development and operational phase and until the decommissioning phase, twenty years later. Moreover, the platform can perform multi-purpose measurements as it can incorporate oceanographic instruments and environmental sensors, providing a fully integrated solution for a complete monitoring of the OWP site. The innovation has been developed by two Greek SMEs, it has been patented and certified, tested in a tank test at a 1:25 scale model, constructed at 1:1 physical scale, launched to the sea and conducted a series of tests with perfect compliance. The design and hydrodynamic behavior of the platform have been proven and the next stage involves enhancements and upgrades. Finally, the platform must undergo a demonstration phase in the operational environment in order to provide the needed verification of its operational capabilities and advance the already 2,3 m Euros investment to the commercialization phase.

Development of an innovative, wind turbine blade specific, condition monitoring product.

In Europe, hydropower is the largest renewable energy resource accounting for 16% of total production, most of which is concentrated in the Alpine region. However, this renewable energy comes at great environmental costs and development of large dams is now considered untenable in many Countries. While studies addressing the ecological implications of hydropower have mostly focused on large facilities, investigations on small hydropower (SHP) are scarcer. Yet, development of SHP is booming globally and in the Alps rising concerns about cumulative effects on riverine systems. This project proposes a multi-disciplinary investigation to better quantify hydrological alterations from SHP and its effects on Alpine stream ecosystems. Combining field-experiments, surveys and innovative modelling of existing flow data-series, the project will: i) quantify the spatio-temporal scales of hydrologic alterations associated with SHP using integrated analytical tools and modelling approaches applied to long-term, spatially distributed data; ii) experimentally mimic water abstractions from SHP using semi-natural flumes to assess the response of aquatic invertebrates and the link between community assembly and ecosystem function applying the Price Equation partition; iii) quantify flow-ecology relationships and the cumulative effects of multiple SHPs using novel functional regression models with streams hydrographs. The results will provide new insights into the short- and long-term effects of SHP on Alpine streams, with practical implication for the sustainable use of water resources. During the project, I will train intensively in methods and software to quantify and model alterations of river flow and habitat and in handling large datasets. I will exchange knowledge with modellers, engineers and freshwater ecologists and foster new collaborations, which will benefit my host organisation and myself. The fellowship will also allow me to return to my homeland after a decade.

According to United Nations estimations, the world population will reach to 9,7 billion by 2050. Food, energy and water are the three critical resources that must be managed if mankind is going to thrive. With these figures, we will need a 70-100% increase of food supply to maintain the current nutrition levels. Greenhouse farming is a solution to the food worldwide demands as it can increase the food production per acre up to 100% compared to open field agriculture. Although the energy consumption by agriculture made up only 2.8 % of final energy consumption in the EU-281, the global leader in greenhouse production of horticultural products, The Netherlands, has the highest energy consumption in Europe (7.2 %), clearly showing the impact of Greenhouse farming on energy sources. On top of that, the world to which we are currently heading also deserves energetic sustainable solutions to satisfy the growing rate of electrification in the extended populated areas. The global primary energy demand could increase by 50% by the middle of the century. Nowadays, buildings account for nearly 40% of the total energy consumption globally but it is estimated that potential energy savings in buildings could reach between 20% and 40% with new solutions. Solar panels enable energy savings; typically installed on the roof, they do not offer versatility for other type of application, such as windows to allow the entrance of the light inside buildings or greenhouses. Our solution, PanePowerSW is the unique transparent (up to 70%) solar panel glass that generates clean energy through PV technology and more importantly allows the light to shine through greenhouses and commercial buildings windows. Completely aligned with the EU 2020 Energy Strategy, PanePowerSW not only contributes to the energy savings in buildings up to 30%, but also in greenhouses, enabling the growing of the crop while reducing energy costs, quantified in 25% of the total operational costs.

An estimated 1 billion people worldwide are living in rural areas without access to electricity. In these rural areas, economic, geographic and political factors all combine to make local generation the most effective method for improving electricity access. In developing countries with appropriate geography, hydropower is one of the most economical methods for local generation. Nepal has the second richest hydropower resource in the world and with many people living in rural areas there is a requirement for local generation. In Nepal, there are at least 1800 micro-hydro power (MHP) plants generating 25MW of power. These turbines (with rated power less than 100kW) are manufactured and installed by small and medium size enterprises based across Nepal. The Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) officially recognises over 75 companies as qualified or 'provisionally qualified' to build and install MHP turbines. The process of qualification does not regulate the overall quality of each project and there are no particular national standards to adhere to. Once commissioned and handed over to a community, operation and maintenance is typically carried out by a trained operator. Whilst the training is comprehensive, the quality and regularity of maintenance is highly variable. The results of poor maintenance and system quality are under-performance, improper operation and in worst cases, system failure. Previous research has suggested that the quality of all aspects of turbine installations in Nepal is highly variable. Without standards in place, there is no means to manage the quality of installations completed by micro-hydro manufacturers. Complacency during feasibility studies leads to incorrect sizing of turbines resulting in low load factors and operation away from rated power. In addition, poor education results in consumer misuse which can exacerbate technical problems. Field based research will use site assessment and questionnaire surveys to assess the technical and social performance of micro-hydro plants. Issues identified during the field testing will be used to make a targeted study of all stages in a project process at a micro-hydropower manufacturer. Concurrently, the understanding of the complete design life cycle will be used to find opportunities to introduce greater quality assurance and standardisation. Through modelling and parameterised CAD, a standardised prototype will be developed for environmental conditions typical in Nepal. A hydrodynamically scaled version of this will be tested to ascertain its applicability for use with a range of heads and flow rates.

The collaborative project aims at integrating micro gas turbine systems developed by City University London in collaboration with Samad Power Ltd in the UK with a concentrated solar power parabolic dish with high temperature thermal energy storage allowing for the production of combined electricity, heating and cooling from solar power which reduces the need for back up power and contributes to the reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. The developed system can operate in stand alone mode to provide distributed energy to remote areas thus eliminating transmission losses and reducing grid infrastructure costs. It also can be stacked in a modular manner to provide flexible medium scale power generation. The overall impact is reduction in emissions and reducing poverty and promoting social welfare by creating jobs in the resulting industry in China. It will also support the UK economy through large market for the UK high tech industries in micro gas turbines and their supply chain.