• Energy Research
• 2018 close

Offshore infrastructure is currently undertaking a leading role in the development of energy production systems. A key factor in this infrastructure refers to the continuously loaded cables, pipelines foundations and anchoring systems throughout their design life-time. Emphasising on the foundation of offshore wind turbine systems, large diameter piled foundation still seem to be the preferable solution. It is remarkable that 74.5% of the installed offshore wind turbines in 2018 are supported by monopiles, while the cost of this system is approximately 30% of the total. Up-to-date geotechnical engineering research efforts focusing on the following aspects: a) pile-soil interaction emphasising on the fundamental frequency of the system, b) soil damping, c) scour and evolution of pore-pressures, and d) long-term performance of the foundation. The aim of this thesis is to cover the latter aspect of this engineering problem, specifically, the long-term response analysis of large piled foundations. Looking now at the state-of-practice techniques, the well-known p-y curve method seems to underestimate the capacity of monopiles, as it has been illustrated by relatively recent research studies. This is because these methodologies are derived for smaller diameter piles which higher L/D ratios. Advanced Finite Element Analyses can be used to improve the existing p-y curves, as many aspects of this problem can be captured. In addition, the accumulation of displacements and the conditions which lead to a stable, meta-stable or unstable long-term response can be investigated. Large diameter piles with relatively small aspects ratios (L/D) are well-known as "rigid" or "short" piles. In such systems, the soil properties are of a great importance for the resultant response. However, these properties continuously alternate with the number of the applied cycles of loads resulting in the deterioration of the performance of the piled foundation. Prior to this effect, during the installation of the large piled foundations, the properties of the soil mass are disrupted, leading to densified or loosened zones. It is well-established from past research that the rate of degradation of cohesionless materials with different relative density is different. Therefore, this is a key aspect that needs to be considered in the simulation of the cyclic response of monopiles. For the purpose of analysing the cyclic response of the piled foundations considering the installation effects, two different models need to be developed with two different appropriate constitutive laws. The first one will be a model suitable to capture the high stress conditions and the changes in the voids ratio during installation, while the second model captures the long-term performance and degradation of sands. In this way, the rigorous computation of the cyclic response of piled foundations will be carried out.

High electricity prices and the lowering costs of renewable technologies and energy storage are leading European energy consumers towards a distributed generation and self-consumption model. Electricity consumers are progressively turning into prosumers (producers & consumers) who decide at a given moment whether to buy electricity from the grid, to self-consume or even to export it to the grid. Moreover, European energy regulations require EU consumers to commit to clean and energy efficient objectives. For instance, the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive requires all new buildings to be nearly zero-energy (NZEB) by the end of 2020 by reducing energy consumption and using renewable sources and all new public buildings to be NZEB by 2018. The most extended renewable energy in the world is wind power. However, wind power is not very common in urban areas where high speed laminar wind turns into a low speed turbulent one due to the existence of obstacles (buildings, houses, trees, structures, etc.). Traditional wind power turbines are not designed to work with low speed wind (2 m/s – 6m/s) and turbulent wind flows. Besides, traditional SWTs entail other serious problems such as the hazard of rotating machinery, vibrations, noise, the possibility of collapse atop buildings, blade shedding and visual impact. EOLI FPS is a patented rooftop vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) specifically designed to work under low speed and turbulent wind profiles such as the existing in urban environments. EOLIS FPS works perfectly with horizontal laminar wind but also take advantage of turbulent flows that adversely affect traditional wind turbines. Its internal rotor design facilitates the creation of vortexes out of the wind turbulence that drastically increases the driving force of the laminar wind. Besides EOLI FPS is safe, noiseless, does not vibrate and integrates aesthetically in the urban landscape.

Soil is a fundamental resource yet every year some 10 million ha of cropland are lost to soil erosion, mostly due to unsustainable agricultural and forestry practices. Erosion impacts overall sustainability in two ways: (a) reduction in farmland for food production, and (b) discharge of sediments and associated contaminants into water courses polluting water supply, fisheries and aquaculture, and reducing hydropower capacity due to reservoir siltation. Soil erosion and its environmental impacts sit centrally within the Energy-Food-Water-Environment Nexus. New approaches to land management change are required to reduce socio-economic impacts of soil erosion but in spite of its significance, soil erosion is insufficiently understood in its social dimensions, and is almost non-governed in Latin American DAC countries. Two factors may explain this: (a) erosion is often slow and "invisible", or accepted as the norm, and (b) erosion is highly complex, emerging from interaction of socio-economic and natural processes, with interconnected feedbacks between external and internal drivers. Working in collaboration with researchers from Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico, the Chile-UK partnership aims to develop a new integrated approach for understanding and governing soil erosion at the river basin scale. Our multidisciplinary team combines innovative scientific measuring methods and advanced Latin American approaches for socio-cultural intervention to provide a new framework within which soil erosion challenges in Latin America can be addressed.

Spinetic Energy Ltd is undertaking a radical re-engineering of wind harvesting technology, creating a panellised, modular, linkable system, designed to be as installable and cost effective as solar PV. Spinetic's "Wind Panels" will be deployable at community scale without use of cranes or other heavy equipment. Being modular, human-portable on site, and installable without specialist labour, Wind Panels are ideal for providing low cost renewable power at remote/developing world deployments. The Wind Panel design is inherently suitable for mass-production, but many of its production processes are, in principle, also amenable to manual production using relatively low-skilled labour, and without heavy industrial or high power equipment. This could make Wind Panels manufacturable on-site in remote/developing world locations, using locally sourced materials, thus significantly reducing embedded energy, and providing local employment and repair/maintenance capability. This project will examine the feasibility of designing Wind Panel components and manufacturing processes suitable for production of modular, containerised "micro-factories" for Wind Panel construction, maintenance and end-of-life re-working for other uses, e.g. in housing/irrigation projects.

The transformation of Europe’s energy system creates both challenges and opportunities for the hydropower sector. Hydropower needs to seek out value within the electricity market aligned with other sources of renewable and sustainable energy, whilst operating and building plants in environmentally sensitive and acceptable ways. The call H2020 LC-SC3-CC-4-2018: “Support to sectorial fora”, item 2: “bringing together stakeholders of the hydropower sector in a forum” provides a unique opportunity to bring together the hydropower community and to develop a Research and Innovation Agenda, and a Technology Roadmap mapping implementation of that agenda. These will support implementation of research and innovation for new hydropower technologies and innovative mitigation measures. The HYDROPOWER-EUROPE project delivers these objectives through an extensive programme of stakeholder consultation. The consortium brings together six different associations and networks spanning the whole research and industry value chain. These networks, along with representatives of civil society and European and national authorities, will form the initial stakeholder consultation base. Through an extensive, cyclic programme of consultation – both online and through various regional, European and International workshops – research needs and priorities will be established supporting development of the Hydropower Research and Innovation Agenda. The consultation process also facilitates discussion around issues and perceptions affecting the implementation of hydropower in Europe. Conclusions from this will underpin development of the Technology Roadmap, addressing any issues affecting uptake of the research and innovation agenda. Finally, the HYDROPOWER-EUROPE project will also consider ways in which the forum, established through this initiative, may become sustainable beyond the 3-year project programme, so supporting uptake and implementation of the research and innovation agenda.

Wind energy plants are increasingly becoming critical parts of electrical infrastructure around the world. Despite major technological advancements over the past decade, an estimated 5.500 wind turbine blades fail each year, resulting in long periods of unexpected downtime and repair costs. At eologix sensor technologies gmbh, we are developing an advanced system called eolACC that uses wireless accelerometers to detect damage to blades before they fail. The patented sensor technology is thin and flexible, allowing it to be easily applied to virtually any location, even on aerodynamic surfaces of blades. Together with a base station and our software, diagnostics will alert operators of poor blade conditions and thus enhance their ability to plan critical maintenance activities. Additionally, the insight from blade sensors will help operators manage assets more effectively, and make objective decisions about useful lifetimes and operating ranges. eolACC builds off of an ice detection system previously made by eologix by utilizing the same sensor profile, wireless data transmission, and ambient light power system. Initially eolACC will be sold to owners and operators of wind plants, and in the future we will pursue collaboration with large wind turbine manufacturers. The eolACC system will ultimately help wind power plants to operate more efficiently by reducing unexpected downtime. Owners and operators will be able to more effectively plan budgets and maximize the lifetime of their assets.

Sistema Eólico Morcillo is a Spanish SME specialized in the development, construction and sales of innovative medium power wind turbine systems. We have developed and patented a disruptive multi-award winning wind turbine technology called INNOWIND. By 2050, the EU-28 aims to achieve CO2 emissions cuts of 80-95% compared to 1990 levels and to achieve a 20% share for renewable energy sources in its overall energy consumption by 2020. This requires a process of "decarbonising" Europe's economy, including the development and deployment of low-carbon technologies. Wind energy and Solar photovoltaic (PV) energy have been the leading sources of low carbon electricity generation in EU since 2011. The installation of wind turbines is characterized by very high construction costs that amortize slowly over the years through the sale of electricity to the grid. The amount of energy produced depends mainly on the nominal power of the installed generator and of the amount of wind that can be used. INNOWIND offers cost-effective mid-power wind turbine farms, with high flexibility in terms of size and area of construction, with low security requirements and no special construction permits required, making implementation in urban areas a possibility. INNOWIND offers for the first time the opportunity to make use of terrain not suitable for conventional wind farming. Furthermore, thanks to the easy scaling of the units from 50kW to 1000kW, it is possible to cater the specific power needs in a wider range of use-cases and scenarios. Other unique selling points include less visual and environmental impacts, safer in case of storm or fire damage,

Managing energy resources for sustainable economic growth and addressing the ‘Energy Trilemma’ of security of supply, low cost to consumer and decarbonising is imperative. For energy technologies to become truly transformative, as renewable energy and electric vehicles increase, energy storage technologies underpinning UK capabilities and delivering on this Energy Trilemma become more critical and key to supporting the UK’s energy policy. The TESS project is a novel thermal store that aims to decouple power generation from power requirements, to enable more use of daylight renewable generation and output power at night. This reduces emissions by enabling more EV usage and green power to charge them, whilst simultaneously removing load imbalances to the national grid. TESS is a cost-effective, disruptive, enabling technology with increased benefits, offering growth opportunities for EV and other applications. It does not employ lithium batteries, thereby reducing lithium dependancy, easing security of supply, and is inherently safer.