• Energy Research
• 2017 close
• 2017 close

This project is a technical, economic and commercial feasibility assessment into a portable wind turbine for ships (the Hi-GEN) which will cut reliance on auxiliary, fossil fuel generators when ships are at anchor or in port (referred to as "downtime"). Fuel costs and green house gas emissions are significant issues for the shipping and fishing industries, especially during downtime. During downtime, ships use auxiliary fossil fuel generators to power the ships. Fossil fuel generators are expensive to run and produce harmful emissions including CO, CO2, CH4, NOX, PM, SOX and NMVOC. Shipping emissions in ports are substantial accounted for 18.3 million tonnes of CO2 emission in 2011. External costs of port emissions for the largest 50 ports is estimated at €12bn. Global fisheries accounts for 1.8% of total global oil consumption and international fishing contributes between 13 and 20 million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. Yet fishing vessels spend between 44% and 70% of the year NOT at sea. The objective of the overall project is to establish the Hi-GEN as a cost effective, environmentally friendly and preferred source of auxiliary power for commercial vessels during downtime. The overall objective of this study is to identify and consider all relevant factors into the economic and technical viability of the Hi-GEN. The Hi-GEN is an innovative and novel low carbon technology. IP is owned by the Company and currently patent pending with UK and PCT. Every vessel in the world which has a crane could benefit from using the Hi-GEN. The benefits would be significant: 1. Vessel owners could make significant savings on operating costs and achieve an economic payback of between 2 and 4 years (see case study below) 2.Marine industries could save up to 32 million litres of fuel and 4.5 million tonnes of CO2 per annum, boosting the blue economy 3. The company could add 40 new jobs and €24m of revenue over 4 years; a fraction of the total market potential of over €2bn

Wind power has established itself in recent years as a clean alternative to conventional sources of electrical generation.Reduced costs and wider deployment, especially in the European market, have led over the past decade to its use at sea. Here, the wind resource is larger and more constant, allowing higher unitary power turbines. However, the marine environment itself also imposes a number of restrictions and challenges. The technology that is being deployed now is fixed to the seabed, using different types of foundations, but a large amount of wind resources is in deeper waters, where floating solutions are needed. Because of their initial higher costs, these solutions are still under development, with only three prototypes installed worldwide. The challenge nowadays is to reduce the costs of floating wind turbine structures that will ease the access to a much larger energy potential than available in land, more easily manageable and with lower visual impact. The aim of the SATH project is the demonstration in real conditions of a floating structure for offshore wind which will allow a reduction in LCOE (Levelized Cost Of Energy) over the current floating technology. To achieve this, it is proposed as a first objective the validation and qualifying for this technology, of a 1:3 scaled prototype not only from a technical point of view but also from economic and necessary logistics. The SATH solution is a platform that consists of two cylindrical floats (of prestressed reinforced concrete) which can be manufactured onshore and transported and positioned at the final location in a single mooring point allowing the rotation of the platform around, self-aligning with the wind direction.

The capital cost of existing solar thermal collectors is the major barrier to use rather than efficiency; the objective of this project is to produce a roof based solar collector with adequate efficiency but at a potentially much lower cost that could be deployed on the large roof areas of commercial buildings to reduce space heating costs. The project aim is to capitalise on the strength and thermal conductivity of carbon nanotubes (CNT's) 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 could be manufactured and installed at a 50% lower cost than existing metallic solar collectors with lightweight and aesthetic benefits that would allow significantly enhanced solar collection capability. Also the project aims to embed sensors to provide data to optimise heat energy generation and also allow friendly end user control. This would involve developing a software package to utilise the data analytics to perform as a sales tool that would enable a reduction in the cost of sale by up to 50%.This project will bring together expert roofing and polymer manufacturing companies alongside leading academics in the design of solar systems to optimise the polymeric panels through laboratory and solar simulated testing, determine an economic production process, attain solar keymark of the panels, the accreditation of manufacturing factories, protection of the component supply chain, securing of installers, extensive market analysis , innovativemarket exploitation and dissemination for successful commercialisation

TubeICE project deals with the design, industrialization and commercialization of an innovative Phase Change Material (PCM) tubular shaped PTES unit, able to store energy within the range 22-27°C. TubeICE unit is composed by a pipe shell where a Positive Temperature Eutectic solutions is packed: in summer, the storage unit exploits the temperature gradient between night and days, being charged during the night (when temperature is lower) thanks to the solidification of the PCM and discharged during the day by the liquefaction of the material, thus allowing a reduction of air conditioning energy consumption; in winter, TubeICE increases the thermal inertia of the building, being charged through material liquefaction when thermal energy is available. The technology developed and proposed by PCMPro delivers breakthrough properties: • thanks to the development of the innovative PCM and to a compact innovative design, the energy density is 73 kWh/m3, much higher than competing technologies; • installing the storage unit on the ceiling area, 12 tubes can be packed per m2 using standard 50mm pipe brackets, giving a storage of 1.74 kWh/m2; • the application of an eutectic alloy leads to a constant charging and discharging temperature, with benefits in terms of conditioning quality and easiness in storage management; • as already demonstrated by the first pilot installations in a number of offices/shops and in an educational facility located at Coventry in U.K., the integration of TubeICE leads to a global energy consumption reduction within the range 10-40% depending on the location and the building properties, thanks to the maximization of free-cooling (and the consequent reduction of energy intensive mechanical cooling) and to the nighttime free storage. • TubeICE is maintenance free and assures a long durability (10 years and more).

With 37% of the overall consumption of electrical energy, industrial production is one of the most energy-intensive sectors in Europe. A major driver of both, energy consumption and energy costs are machine tools used the processing of materials, esp. in the automotive, mechanical engineering and aerospace segments. These machine tools are not only consuming huge amounts of energy, they also cause frequent power peaks, thus requiring very high connected loads. These peak loads have a negative effect on the European power grid stability, therefore, the provision of such high connected loads is very expensive. As pioneer in the electrification of forming machine tools, EBM has developed Enerstor – an electric energy power storage levelling module. This modular energy storage solution can be directly connected to any kind of machine tool, thus significantly reducing energy consumption of the machine tool and entirely levelling power peaks. This solution directly addresses current user needs of the European industry, including reduced energy costs through lower consumption and connected loads, higher flexibility in production, less emissions, and decreased investment costs. It helps the European industry and especially the segment for machine tools to stay competitive. With over 1,400 companies in Europe, the machine tools industry currently worth 25 bn € is very important for Europe in terms of employment and wealth. Innovative solutions are therefore crucial to further extend the industry’s position in the global market. In the feasibility study, a detailed analysis of the best-fitting market segments within the machine tools market will be conducted, including the involvement of pilot customers for the validation of the business idea, as well as the elaboration of a thorough business plan for commercialisation. The findings of the feasibility study will be integrated into the subsequent SME Phase 2 project to perfectly facilitate the market introduction of Enerstor.

The TRIWIND project is the result of a project initiated by Berenguer Ingenieros one year ago, which has resulted in a patented technology (application number: P201631043) for the cost-efficient installation of offshore wind farms. Following the R&D stage already accomplished and the patent application, the ultimate goal we seek in the project is to complete the prototyping stage and testing studies to reach its commercial appetite and value for leading companies of the wind energy sector such as Siemens and MHI Vestas, which account for more than 80% of the wind turbine manufacturers market share only in Europe. This is an innovative foundation solution for offshore wind turbines that directly impacts on (1) production costs reducing on circa 30%; (2) on transportation (self-buoyant) and installation (self-installed) with a combined costs savings of 86.5% and operational average time reduction from 12-20h to 3h and; (3) it also affects on the decommissioning phase by 50% reduction. All these costs savings represent circa 16.7% of the total costs of an offshore wind turbine life-cycle. Other crucial aspects are related to structure’s duration extension and less maintenance requirements, technical and operational easiness in all previous phases along with health and safety improvements. For this phase 1, we will perform a feasibility study including: (1) technical feasibility, 2) operational/financial feasibility and 3) commercial feasibility.

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.

Silicon based solar panels dominate the photovoltaic (PV) market but it seems they have reached their limits due to three major limiting factors: (1) high manufacturing costs, (2) inflexible shape and (3) not improving efficiency. These factors do not allow PV prices to drop under a theoretical minimum resulting in the fact solar investments have a reasonable ROI only with state subsidies, which is a major obstacle in the way of the further spreading of renewables, although they could be the answer for the world’s energy security and fossil energy reduction issues. The project aims to break these barriers by exchanging the silicon based active layer with perovskite based composites, this innovation offers a solution for all of the 3 aforementioned hindrances. In our revenue model two types of solar panels will be sold through direct (own sales network, webshop) and indirect (distributors) channels. Expected direct/indirect sales ratio will be 50-50% by the end of the initial business period. The overall market (TAM) is global (size ~2.8 bn EUR), the initial market segment is Europe (size: ~ 1/3 of TAM).. Targeted users are companies the with the profile of fulfilling the end users’ (households, public institutions, industry) energy needs by building or installing solar farms or solar based systems. Competitive advantages: (1) significantly cheaper (1/3) price; (2) only slightly less (but rapidly increasing) performance; (3) flexible shape; In Phase 1 focus will be on a technical viability check covering potential material compounds, issues of scaling up the cell, efficiency and lifespan analyses; market survey to support our market concept; conducting an FTO analysis. Project plan of Phase 2 and a detailed business plan will also be elaborated. The TRL-9 level product is being planned to be elaborated in the frame of Phase 2, estimated cost is 1,500,000 EUR.

Heating and cooling in our buildings accounts for 40% of energy consumption and 36% of CO2 emissions in the EU. Moreover, 84% of heating and cooling is still generated from fossil fuels, while only 16% is generated from renewable energy. By improving the energy efficiency of buildings, we could reduce total EU energy consumption by 5-6% and lower CO2 emissions by about 5%. In 2016, the Commission proposed the EU Heating and Cooling Strategy that includes plans to make energy efficient renovations to buildings easier. The EU/Global market is requesting a cost effective and high efficient solution. Current commercial solutions are of very low efficiency, expensive and not suitable for old buildings. Asoluna, a Swedish SME that designs and manufactures solar energy solutions, has design and prototyped Prisma: a multifunctional solar thermal collector for integration in the building envelope in such forms as facades, decorative elements, parapets, glazing etc. It acts as a climate envelope that efficiently protects the building from unwanted heating or cooling, while at the same time delivering solar heating to the building’s systems. Crucially, it has been designed in collaboration with some of Europe’s leading sustainability architects to be easy to retrofit on to existing buildings. Prisma exhibits the following characteristics: 1) 100 % renewable energy; 2) Patented; 3) Reduces annual energy costs by 50 % throughout the building’s life; 4) High efficiency (<80%); 5) Suitable for new and old buildings; 6) Easy to install; 7) Follows the statutory instruments, directives and standards for façade applications; 8) Low environmental impact; 9) Cost effective; 10) Unique design with no frame; 11) Various colours and shading available; 12) Designed by architects, for architects. We anticipate that Prisma will be launched on to the market in 2020 and reaching sales of 28.5M€ by 2024, with a Net Present Value of 12M€ based on a project cost of SME phase II of 2M€%.

Traditional vertical axis wind turbines have been poorly adopted in urban environments. Customers face problems such as the unaesthetic appearance, noise, and inefficient energy output. To address the environmental impacts caused by current wind turbines, EOW2-Wind Ltd. has developed the Evolution of Wind (EOW), a range of customisable dual-axis vertical micro wind turbines suitable for urban use with efficient energy and low-noise output. The unique design of the dual-axis EOW turbines means they operate in low wind conditions of 2-3 metres/second with a low noise output of 18dB. The turbines which stand with close proximity to the ground have a unique deflector shield capable of diverting counterproductive wind contributing to a more energy efficient system. Beyond the power generating capabilities of the EOW, the customisable design of the system allows for the turbine to be adjusted according to the users energy requirements. During the Phase 1 feasibility study the project will focus on establishing a complete supply chain, a sound business model and commercialization strategy, a planning of all activities for deploying a large scale pilot with 10 turbines installed in different locations, as well as the elaboration of an industrialization and marketing plan.