• Energy Research
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• 2016 close

REEEM aims to gain a clear and comprehensive understanding of the system-wide implications of energy strategies in support of transitions to a competitive low-carbon EU society. Comprehensive technology impact assessments will target the full integration from demand to supply and from the individual to the entire system. It will further address its trade-offs across society, environment and economy along the whole transition pathway. The strong integration of stakeholder involvement will be a key aspect of the proposal. The assessments performed within REEEM will focus on integrated pathways, which will be clustered and categorised around two focal points: the four integrated challenges of the Integrated Roadmap of the Strategic Energy Technology (SET)-Plan and the five dimensions of the Energy Union. Case studies will further serve to investigate details and highlight issues that cannot be resolved at a European level. A range of outputs will target the specific needs of various stakeholder groups and serve to broaden the knowledge base. These include, among others, Policy Briefs, Integrated Impact Reports, Case Study reports and Focus Reports on economy, society and environment. A focus on technology research, development and innovation will be included through the development of Technology Roadmaps with assessments of the Innovation Readiness Level of technologies. Further, a set of enabling tools will help to disseminate and actively engage stakeholders, including a Stakeholder Interaction Portal, a Pathways Diagnostic Tool and an Energy System Learning Simulation. Access to all work developed and transparency in the process will be guiding principles within this project exhibited by, for example, providing open access to a Pathways Database.

The Hi-ThermCap project offers a solution for the macro-encapsulation of phase-change materials (PCM) for use in gaseous and aqueous systems as a heat transfer medium. The expected outcome of this innovation project is to put at the market’s disposal a unique solution for thermal energy storage in heating and cooling systems in Europe. The heating industry is recognized as the sector with the biggest energy-saving potential in Europe. In the low temperature range of -20 to +100°C, most of the thermal energy amounts are required and then discarded, in particular in our buildings and industries. PCM are recognized among the key materials to save these huge energy and – at the same time – CO2 amounts. They can run through a reproducible phase-change at a substance-specific temperature, during which the thermal energy is either stored in very large amounts or returned at a constant temperature. Since decades, an adequate method is being sought to transfer PCM into a user-friendly form. Both existing micro- and macro-encapsulation solutions for PCM storage have until now revealed not industrially and economically viable enough for a broad application. The most common solution in use in Europe is sensible heat storage (e.g. water storage tank) that has a low energy density and thermal storage capacity. ESDA offers an affordable, easy-of-use, high-capacity and high-performance solution in the form of a PCM-filled capsule able to function in combination with all heat exchangers, including renewable energy technologies. The markets addressed are the high-volume heating and cooling market for residential and service sector buildings in Europe, but also the very promising industrial heating and cooling market. ESDA first calculations foresee a large impact in the application with solar thermal collectors and heat pumps, with a cumulated turnover of €2,256M and additional 75 job creations at strategic European locations within the first 6 years after project completion.

This project will develop low cost and scalable solution–based coating techniques to yield electrically tunable films with macroscopic crystalline domains of both organic–inorganic perovskite and organic semiconductors. These layers will be used to prepare solution processed hybrid perovskite-based photovoltaic (PV) devices surpassing 20 % solar-to-electricity power conversion efficiency, to provide a low cost and renewable energy supply. The researcher will carry out the processing and characterization of the materials at Professor Zhenan Bao's laboratory at Stanford University. Professor Bao is a world leader in using solution deposition techniques to tune the physical and electronic properties of solution-processed semiconductors for use in FETs, and is well suited to extend this approach to perovskite PV. The skills and knowledge obtained at Stanford University will be brought back to Professor Henry Snaith's laboratory at Oxford University and to Oxford Photovoltaics ltd to prepare low cost, scalable perovskite PV with enhanced macroscopic crystal properties and performance. Professor Snaith is recognized as one of the pioneers in perovskite based PV, and is thus excellently placed to guide the researcher in the development of PV with superior performance for eventual employment as large-scale energy supply. This project will form a unique union of two world leading research groups with complementary expertise. There is great potential for the transfer of skills, generation of intellectual property, and industrial involvement within the EU via the ISIS program at Oxford University, and the company Oxford Photovoltaics of which Professor Snaith is the CTO.

The excessive energy consumption that Europe is faced with, calls for sustainable resource management and policy-making. Amongst renewable sources of the global energy pool, wind energy holds the lead. Nonetheless, wind turbine (WT) facilities are conjoined with a number of shortcomings relating to their short life-span and the lack of efficient management schemes. With a number of WTs currently reaching their design span, stakeholders and policy makers are convinced of the necessity for reliable life-cycle assessment methodologies. However, existing tools have not yet caught up with the maturity of the WT technology, leaving visual inspection and offline non-destructive evaluation methods as the norm. This proposal aims to establish a smart framework for the monitoring, inspection and life-cycle assessment of WTs, able to guide WT operators in the management of these assets from cradle-to-grave. Our project is founded on a minimal intervention principle, coupling easily deployed and affordable sensor technology with state-of-the-art numerical modeling and data processing tools. An integrated approach is proposed comprising: (i) a new monitoring paradigm for WTs relying on fusion of structural response information, (ii) simulation of influential, yet little explored, factors affecting structural response, such as structure-foundation-soil interaction and fatigue (ii) a stochastic framework for detecting anomalies in both a short- (damage) and long-term (deterioration) scale. Our end goal is to deliver a “protection-suit” for WTs comprising a hardware (sensor) solution and a modular readily implementable software package, titled ETH-WINDMIL. The suggested kit aims to completely redefine the status quo in current Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition systems. This pursuit is well founded on background work of the PI within the area of structural monitoring, with a focus in translating the value of information into quantifiable terms and engineering practice.

The NESTER proposal aims in upgrading the scientific and innovation performance of the Cyprus Institute (CyI) in the field of Solar-Thermal Energy (STE). The upgrade will be achieved by embedding the Institute’s activities in a network of excellence, which will provide access to the latest know-how and facilities, train CyI’s scientific and technical personnel and link it with the European Industry. The substantial investments made/planned by CyI in infrastructure and personnel will thus become more efficient and competitive allowing claim to international excellence. The geopolitical placement of Cyprus offers excellent opportunities for cultivating a research and innovation niche in Solar Technologies. At the same time the remoteness of the corresponding centres of Excellence of EU is a major impediment. The NESTER proposal strives to enhance the advantages and ameliorate the disadvantages of this geographical placement. The NESTER network comprises of three leading institutions in the field of solar energy research (CIEMAT, ENEA, PROMES/CNRS and RWTH – Aachen). They possess a formidable know how in this field and operate some of the most important facilities, worldwide. The resulting enhanced capabilities and status of CyI would in turn reflect positively on developing the knowledge economy of Cyprus. It will also enhance the positioning of Cyprus as an important player in applied scientific research at the interface of the European and Middle East/North Africa regions. A number of activities are proposed in a detailed program which includes training and knowhow transfer, seminars and networking events with European and EMME partners, summer school activities, and public outreach and awareness and networking events. It is designed to ensure sustainability, evolution and continuation of the activities including the cooperation among the partners well beyond the expiration of the three-year funding period.

In this Proof-of-Concept project we will create a completely new kind of integrated energy solution platform based on thermoelectric (TE) heat energy harvesting materials that are capable of converting various types of heat flows directly into electricity. The strong basis for the project is the new oxide-based thermoelectric inorganic-organic hybrid materials discovered in the PI's ERC Advanced Grant Project “Molecular-Layer-Engineered Inorganic-Organic Hybrid Materials (LAYERENG-HYBMAT)”. These hybrid thin-film materials are fabricated by the combined atomic/molecular layer deposition (ALD/MLD) technique which uniquely allows for fabrication of highly conformal thin-film coatings on various flexible, sensitive, functional and/or nanostructured surfaces. Within this PoC project we will (1) design and construct a few prototype devices based on the flexible inorganic-organic thin-film thermoelectrics and (2) integrate the devices with novel material platforms (textiles, polymers, coatings). The novel integrated TE energy solutions will enable heat-based energy harvesting for usage scenarios that are not possible with the existing bulky and fragile TE materials/generators. In addition, (3) the market for flexible thermoelectric generators will be analysed and the commercialisation and the IPR strategies will be created for TE generation solutions.

The GEMex project is a complementary effort of a European consortium with a corresponding consortium from Mexico, who submitted an equivalent proposal for cooperation. The joint effort is based on three pillars: 1 – Resource assessment at two unconventional geothermal sites, for EGS development at Acoculco and for a super-hot resource near Los Humeros. This part will focus on understanding the tectonic evolution, the fracture distribution and hydrogeology of the respective region, and on predicting in-situ stresses and temperatures at depth. 2 – Reservoir characterization using techniques and approaches developed at conventional geothermal sites, including novel geophysical and geological methods to be tested and refined for their application at the two project sites: passive seismic data will be used to apply ambient noise correlation methods, and to study anisotropy by coupling surface and volume waves; newly collected electromagnetic data will be used for joint inversion with the seismic data. For the interpretation of these data, high-pressure/ high-temperature laboratory experiments will be performed to derive the parameters determined on rock samples from Mexico or equivalent materials. 3 – Concepts for Site Development: all existing and newly collected information will be applied to define drill paths, to recommend a design for well completion including suitable material selection, and to investigate optimum stimulation and operation procedures for safe and economic exploitation with control of undesired side effects. These steps will include appropriate measures and recommendations for public acceptance and outreach as well as for the monitoring and control of environmental impact. The consortium was formed from the EERA joint programme of geothermal energy in regular and long-time communication with the partners from Mexico. That way a close interaction of the two consortia is guaranteed and will continue beyond the duration of the project.

THERMOS (Thermal Energy Resource Modelling and Optimisation System) will develop the methods, data, and tools to enable public authorities and other stakeholders to undertake more sophisticated thermal energy system planning far more rapidly and cheaply than they can today. This will amplify and accelerate the development of new low carbon heating and cooling systems across Europe, and enable faster upgrade, refurbishment and expansion of existing systems. The project will realise these benefits at the strategic planning level (quantification of technical potential, identification of new opportunities) and at the project level (optimisation of management and extension of existing and new systems). These outcomes will be achieved through: a) Development of address-level heating and cooling energy supply and demand maps, initially for the four Pilot Cities, and subsequently for the four Replication partners - establishing a standard method and schema for high resolution European energy mapping, incorporating a wide range of additional spatial data needed for modelling and planning of thermal energy systems, and their interactions with electrical and transport energy systems; b) Design and implementation of fast algorithms for modelling and optimising thermal systems, incorporating real-world cost, benefit and performance data, and operating both in wide area search, and local system optimisation contexts; c) Development of a free, open-source software application integrating the spatial datasets with the search and system optimisation algorithms (trialled and tested through the public authorities representing four Pilot Cities); d) Supporting implementation of the energy system mapping methodology, and subsequently the use of the THERMOS software, with a further four Replication Cities/Regions, from three more EU Member States; e) Comprehensive dissemination of mapping outputs and free software tools, targeting public authorities and wider stakeholders across Europe.

Extreme weather conditions (i.e. strong and unsteady winds, icing, etc.) - that countries such as Iceland and the other four Nordics (Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland), the UK, Ireland, Canada´s Prairies, Northern US, Russia, and Nigeria along with high altitude sites face - make traditional wind turbines (horizontal-axis) to spin out of control resulting in catastrophic system failure in the first year of operation. As a result, these locations needed a different kind of wind technology capable of working over a wide production range (whether it’s in the stormy afternoon, in hurricanes or on calm and icy winter nights in the range of -10 to -30 °C) with virtually no need of maintenance. Thus, IceWind has created a rugged, standalone, and cost-effective vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) of unique and fabulous blade design, great durability and nearly maintenance-free for off-grid applications that require a continuous (no cut-outs) source of power (electricity and heating). The excellent match of aerodynamics and materials give our NJORD turbines unique features such as optimal structural stability, strength, and hence durability to withstand the most extreme wind conditions. Our VAWT can produce electricity at very low wind speeds as well as for high speed of strong winds spinning elegantly, non-stop, and noiseless. As for our commercial strategy, we plan to respond: 1) directly to individual end-users of isolated areas for residential applications (i.e. cabins, homes, and small farms) mainly in Iceland and other EU countries (i.e. the other four Nordics, the UK, Ireland, etc.), 2) telecommunication operators for telecom towers worldwide, and 3) developing countries such as Nigeria, all demanding a reliable and sustainable source of power generation. Expected profit after deducting costs of purchase, manufacture and distribution fees amounts to a cumulative 20M€ turnover market opportunity for the 2020-2024 period.

In the face of the increasing global consumption of fossil resources, photosynthetic organisms offer an attractive alternative that could meet our rising future needs as clean, renewable, sources of energy and for the production of fine chemicals. Key to the efficient exploitation of these organisms is to optimise the conversion of Solar Energy into Biomass (SE2B). The SE2B network deals with this optimisation in an interdisciplinary approach including molecular biology, biochemistry, biophysics and biotechnology. Regulation processes at the level of the photosynthetic membranes, integrating molecular processes within individual proteins up to flexible re-arrangements of the membranes, will be analysed as a dynamic network of interacting regulations. SE2B will yield information about the similarities and differences between cyanobacteria, green algae, diatoms and higher plants, the organisms most commonly employed in biotechnological approaches exploiting photosynthetic organisms, as well as in agriculture. The knowledge gained from understanding these phenomena will be directly transferred to increase the productivity of algal mass cultures for valuable products, and for the development of sophisticated analytic devices that are used to optimise this production. In future, the knowledge created can also be applicable to the design of synthetic cell factories with efficient light harvesting and energy conversion systems. The SE2B network will train young researchers to work at the forefront of innovations that shape the bio-based economy. SE2B will develop a training program based on individual and network-wide training on key research and transferable skills, and will furthermore disseminate these results by open online courses prepared by the young researchers themselves.