• Energy Research
• OA Publications Mandate: Yes close
• 2020 close

Bioenergy is the main source of renewable energy today and it is expected to continue playing a key role in the decarbonisation of the European energy and transport sectors, a prerequisite to achieve the long-term targets of the EU, the Paris Agreement and sustainable development goals. The Implementation Plan of Action 8, Bioenergy and Renewable Fuels for Sustainable Transport (IP8) set detailed targets for the development, demonstration and scale-up of the sector. In order to achieve a step-change, six complementary stakeholders engaged in bioenergy and renewable fuels, joined forces to enable successful implementation within SET4BIO. The overall objective of SET4BIO is to support the full execution of the IP8, i.e. both for research and innovation lines and large-scale projects, acting as competence centre and complementary resource for the Implementation Working Group (IWG8). Industry, academia, institutes, EU Member States and Associated Countries as well as the European Institutions and functions play a key role for successful implementation of IP8. SET4BIO will propose solutions and pathways to overcome essential barriers identified in the IP8 and will engage and coordinate key stakeholders through a participatory approach. The project will identify and promote best practices for development, demonstration and scale-up through a competition-based innovation approach, monitor development, develop a financing roadmap as well as provide policy recommendations and disseminate results. A wide-ranging network must strive towards the same goal and SET4BIO will facilitate the coordination. Several beneficiaries are involved in the IWG8 set up by the European Commission. Commitment and understanding of SET-Plan ambitions on Industry and Member State/Associated Country level will be crucial to the successful implementation. SET4BIO will take an active role in supporting IWG8 and be a catalyst to facilitate the implementation of the actions which are set out in the IP8.

The Sun-to-X project will contribute to European Commission targets for clean energy for all and circular economy by developing a system for the conversion of solar energy into storable chemical fuel. While the concept of solar-to-chemical fuels has been around for decades, the technology has been limited by the economic viability and scalability of the technology. The Sun-to-X project focuses on using solar energy to produce a carbon-free, non-toxic, energy-dense, liquid fuel - Hydrosil, with very good long-term stability, which is applicable in the transport and energy sectors. We will firstly produce hydrogen as chemical intermediate through a photoelectrochemical device. This will then be converted to Hydrosil through a thermochemical reaction. The novelty of our proposal lies in the following three key aspects: 1. Overcoming the known practical challenges of high-performance photoelectrochemical fuel production by using membrane photoelectrode assemblies which can operate with solar energy using only ambient humidity as the water supply 2. Developing reactors for and demonstrating the renewable production of Hydrosil for the first time, using a thermochemical process (using concentrated solar light) 3. Demonstrating a completely decarbonised energy cycle with liquid fuels In addition, we will demonstrate the applicability of Hydrosil towards the transition to a circular economy, by using it for the valorisation of waste plastics.

GeoUS will support increased research excellence in geothermal energy at VSB -Technical University of Ostrava, Czech Republic through close cooperation with Fraunhofer Institute, Germany and University of Vaasa, Finland. The ultimate goal is the development of multi-disciplinary research and innovation skills in the Czech Republic, focused on the fundamental and practical aspects of developing geothermal as a sustainable energy source. GeoUS will enable VSB to expand its network with leading research organisations in geothermal energy. It also involves young researchers to support future development of research activities impacting in the Moravia Region in line with the Regional and National Research and Innovation Strategy for Smart Specialization (RIS3 Strategy) and ESIF targets. The results will be widely shared with City Authority of Ostrava, Moravian-Silesian Regional Authority and also with authorities at national level. GeoUS will: 1. Transfer knowledge and build excellent research. 2. Increase scientific excellence in thermal characterization and mathematical modelling of heat flows and temperature fields and in measurement and control of energy flows. 3. Improve the scientific excellence and research capacity of VSB. 4. Increase the capacity of VSB for participation in future high-quality research activities and innovation in thermal energy in Central Europe. 5. Increase the interaction with and between the main players in the innovation process in Czech Republic for developing and exploiting geothermal energy. 6. Widen the visibility of VSB as a centre of excellence for thermal energy. 7. Engage with the public and citizens and young people on science related to thermal energy.

In order to meet the climate change mitigation objectives of the European Union as well as the objectives of the Paris Agreement, it is inevitable that the European Union phases out fossil fuel consumption in the power sector and decarbonizes fossil-fuel dependent industries. These industries are not spread evenly across the EU but concentrated in a number of carbon-intensive regions. Decarbonization will lead to deep structural changes with implications for regional economies, labour markets, as well as for the regions’ social, political, cultural and demographic composition. If not managed well, these structural changes may cause serious economic impacts, societal upheaval, aggravated social inequalities and hardship. To minimize such consequences it is necessary to better understand the patterns and dynamics of structural change in response to decarbonization at the regional level, to understand which parameters determine the pace of transformation as well as the capacity of regional actors to adapt and pro-actively create alternative structures. This project aims to enable these activities through highly integrated, inter- and transdisciplinary research working in close collaboration with regional stakeholders. It combines quantitative model-based research with qualitative in-depth analysis. The qualitative research will focus on four highly fossil-fuel dependent regions: Western Macedonia (Greece), Silesia (Poland), Ida-Virumaa (Estonia) and the Rhenish mining area (Germany). The regions were selected to cover a diverse set of different fuels, state of economic development, diversification of the regional economy, political economy, and spatial composition. This diversity will enable the project to derive generalizable insights about the patterns and dynamics of decarbonization and the corresponding structural adjustments that hold relevance for all carbon-intensive regions in the EU and its neighbouring countries.

Energy efficiency lies at the very core of policy interventions for energy security, energy poverty and climate change, while its promoted by technological innovations and investments. However, it seems that these technologies are not adopted by consumers at least to the extent that the assumption of rational behavior would predict. This energy efficiency gap, the difference between expected and realized energy consumption, costs to national economies both in terms of monetary values and emissions. Significant role in mitigating this issue is the exploration of the drivers of individual behavior. There is tremendous opportunity and need for policy-relevant research that utilizes randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental techniques to estimate the returns to energy efficiency investments and the adoption level of energy efficiency programs. EVIDENT proposes several different case studies under the framework of randomized control trials (RCTs) and surveys in order to define the main drivers of individuals’ decision making and to establish new relationships between energy consumption and other fields such as financial literacy. A large number of participants, well stratified samples, innovative design of experiments and state of-the-art econometric models that will be employed in EVIDENT and will contribute in robust estimates and subsequent policy measures for effective policy interventions.

The MOST project aims to develop and demonstrate a zero-emission solar energy storage system based on benign, all-renewable materials. The MOST system is based on a molecular system that can capture solar energy at room temperature and store the energy for very long periods of time without remarkable energy losses. This corresponds to a closed cycle of energy capture, storage and release. The MOST project will develop the molecular systems as well as associated catalysts and devices to beyond state-of-the-art performance and scale. Further, the MOST systems will be combined with thermal energy storage (TES) in a hybrid concept to enable efficient and on-demand utilization of solar energy. The hybrid structure of the device, combining TES and MOST, enables the operation of the system in two different modes, targeting different applications. In mode A, the objective is to reach a stable thermal output. In this operation mode, the MOST system is used to mitigate the daily variation in solar flux which consequently leads to a variable output of the TES. In operation mode B, the system is targeting larger temperature gradients under shorter durations of time. Mode A is simulating applications where a stable temperature output is needed, such as e.g. heat to power generation. Mode B is simulating operation where the system operates as a part of a larger energy system where the task is to mitigate variations in energy demand and energy production. The materials production features scalable, green chemistry production routes. Further, the project will build an innovation ecosystem around the project and engage with future users of the technology in order to ensure future development and EU capacity for future market implementation.

A realistic approach to increase the efficiency of photovoltaic (PV) devices above the Shockley-Queisser single-junction limit is the construction of tandem devices. PERCISTAND focuses on the development of advanced materials and processes for all thin film perovskite on chalcogenide tandem devices. This tandem configuration is at an early stage of development today. The PERCISTAND emphasis is on 4-terminal tandem solar cell and module prototype demonstration on glass substrates, but also current- and voltage-matched 2-terminal proof-of-concept device structures are envisaged. Key research activities are the development and optimization of top wide band gap perovskite and bottom low band gap CuInSe2 devices, suitable transparent conductive oxides, and integration into tandem configurations. The focus is on obtaining high efficiency, stability and large-area manufacturability, at low production cost and environmental footprint. Efficiency target is 30 % at cell level, and 25 % at module level. Reliability and stability, tested in line with International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards, must be similar as commercially available PV technologies. High manufacturability means that all technologies applied are scalable to 20×20 cm2, using sustainable and low-cost materials and processes. The cost and environmental impact will be assessed in line with International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and must be competitive with existing commercial PV technologies. Such a tandem device significantly outperforms not only the stand-alone perovskite and chalcogenide devices, but also best single-junction silicon devices. The development will be primarily on glass substrates, but also applicable to flexible substrates and thus interesting for building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) solutions, an important market for thin film PV. Hence, the outcome has high potential to strengthen and regain the EU leadership in thin film PV research and manufacturing.

The efficiency of geothermal utilisation depends heavily upon the behaviour of the fluids that transfer heat between the geosphere and the engineered components of a power plant. Chemical or physical processes such as precipitation, corrosion, or degassing occur as pressure and temperature change with serious consequences for power plant operations and project economics. Currently, there are no standard solutions for operators to deal with these challenges. The aim of REFLECT is to avoid the problems related to fluid chemistry rather than treat them. This requires accurate predictions and thus a thorough knowledge of the physical and chemical properties of the fluids throughout the geothermal loop. These properties are often only poorly defined, as in situ sampling as well as measurements at extreme conditions are hardly possible to date. As a consequence, large uncertainties in current model predictions prevail, which will be tackled in REFLECT by collecting new, high quality data in critical areas. The proposed approach includes advanced fluid sampling techniques, the measurement of fluid properties at in situ conditions, and the exact determination of key parameters controlling precipitation and corrosion processes. The sampled fluids and measured fluid properties cover a large range of salinity and temperature, including those from enhanced and super-hot geothermal systems. The data obtained will be implemented in a European geothermal fluid atlas and in predictive models that both ultimately allow to adjust operational conditions and power plant layout to prevent unwanted reactions before they occur. That way, recommendations can be derived on how to best operate geothermal systems for sustainable and reliable electricity generation, advancing from an experience-based to a knowledge-based approach.

Data is central for energy research and analysis. Unfortunately, energy data is often difficult to find, mixed in different repositories, and generally fragmented. This results in a lack of efficiency for research and energy transition management. EnerMaps aims to improve data availability, data quality, and data management for industry (in particular renewable technology industry), energy planners, energy utilities, energy managers, energy consultants, public administration officers specialised in the energy sector and policy decision makers as well as social innovation experts and data providers, applying FAIR principles. To this end, we focus on three axes: a) The creation of two tools working in conjunction: a scientific community dashboard providing a critical mass of energy datasets in one common tool, and a data management tool providing a quality-check selection of crucial data with an integrated visualization and calculation modules. Both tools will be freely accessible to all users. b) Scientific communication: we increase current capacities of publicly-financed R&I projects to communicate their newly created datasets through enrichment and promotion activities. The aim is to increase the probability of seeing these datasets reused. c) Capacity building on data management: an extensive set of formation is organized for lead-user representatives. The use of action-learning techniques and the application of a “train the trainer” approach ensures the efficiency of the training programs. The project collaborates actively with European-wide data management initiatives such as the European Open Science Cloud Initiative and integrates actively its future users into the development of the different tools to insure their usefulness.

The future PV market will rely on a variety of innovative PV solutions and products in order to meet the market growth potential and address the grand environmental challenges faced by EU to achieve and sustain a green electricity market. Development of non-toxic, earth abundant, long-term stable PV materials, along with implementation of cost-effective, robust and industrially scalable, rapid, resource saving technologies for fabrication of low weight low-cost thin film PV devices with flexibility in design, such as BIPV, PV powered IoT – the basis for zero energy buildings, smart cities and smart villages. The 5GSOLAR aims to recruit a Knowledge Developer and Manager to bring complementary knowledge to the existing core team, and thereby enhance scientific excellence, to increase visibility and attractiveness, and to bridge the gap between research and technology transfer. This will positively contribute to achievement of Sustainable Development Goals, European targets for Clean Energy for all Europeans, the Smart Specialisation Strategy of Estonia, and to the contribution to the European Research Area. The short term aim is to create a functional ERA Chair team that is capable of implementing the strategies (EMPOWER, STAND OUT, STABLE) formed in the scope of the ERA Chair, and to progress toward the vision of ensuring a sustainable ERA Chair. The long-term goal of the ERA Chair 5GSOLAR is to build a stakeholders’ network, after the ERA Chair project to participate in establishing of a renewable energy demo/briefing centre in Estonia, and finally, to establish a EU joint graduate school on photovoltaics. Completion of these tasks will unleash European’s potential to become the climate neutrality pioneer. The main task of the ERA Chair is to converge R&D&I, stakeholders, policy makers, and society.