Although winters are the best season for wind energy harvesting, icing is a major problem affecting the competiveness of this type of renewable energy. In Europe, about 94% of the windfarms have suffered icing events, which reduce turbine performance and causing even temporary shutdowns. Indeed, icing-induced power output losses in wind farms are found to reach over 20% of the annual production. There is not yet an efficient, cost-effective anti-icing or de-icing solution on the market: active solutions (thermal and mechanical systems) present low efficiency while passive technologies (typically coatings and paints) are not easily applied, and their durability and effectiveness are not well demonstrated. Nanowings will overcome the icing challenge by developing a disruptive transparent nanocoating (super-glue polymers and nanoparticles blended formulation) with outstanding anti-icing and anti-fouling properties that can be applied in-situ via an innovative, portable, and light module (mini-electrospinning and heating system) which can be mounted under a remotely controlled drone. 5 g/m2 of the nanomaterial coated over the surface of a fiberglass-reinforced polyester or epoxy wind turbine blade creates a nano-rough layer (0.5 µm thick) that reduces the wettability of the surface and imprint self-cleaning properties. By avoiding ice accretion, Nanowings reduces downtimes and increases the electricity production of the wind turbine. Nanowings is seizing a new concept of engineering and electrospinning of nanomaterials demonstrated at lab scale by partner LINARI. Moreover, the international consortium brings together top-notch academics (DTU) with seminal contributions in advanced nanomaterials and wind turbines performance under icing conditions; a well-recognized utility company (ENEL) as end-user and key testing partner (Valdihuelo Wind Farm - Spain), and an SME (EOLOGIX) with innovation in on-site wind turbines inspection based on avant-garde adhesive sensors.

The aim of the “Drilling in dEep, Super-CRitical AMBients of continentaL Europe: DESCRAMBLE" project is to develop novel drilling technologies for a proof-of-concept test of reaching deep geothermal resources and to contribute to a low-carbon European society. To achieve this target the first drilling in the world in an intra-continental site at a middle-crustal level will be performed. The test site is an existing dry well in Larderello, Italy, already drilled to a depth of 2.2 km and temperature of 350 °C, which will be further drilled to 3-3.5 km to reach super-critical conditions unexpectedly experienced, and not controlled, in a nearby well in 1979. The project will be organized into two main phases: (1) Drilling in super-critical conditions, including drilling components, well materials, design and control; (2) Geo-Scientific activities for predicting and controlling critical conditions, which considers petrological, physical and chemical characterization, simulation and monitoring, including high temperature and pressure tools. Main expected outcomes: • Improved drilling concepts in deep crustal conditions • New drilling materials, equipment and tools • Physical and chemical characterization of deep crustal fluids and rocks The site is perfect for such an experiment, as it is representative of most deep crustal levels in Europe, cost effective since drilling to reach the target is reduced to a minimum, practical due to the high probability of encountering super-critical conditions. The productivity and efficiency of the project are guaranteed by the combination of industrial and research participation and by the recognised expertise of the consortium in geothermal R&D as well as oil and gas drilling, bringing together excellence in the respective sectors. DESCRAMBLE will explore the possibility of reaching extremely high specific productivity per well, up to ten times the standard productivity, with a closed loop, zero emission, and reduced land occupation.

The objective of the project PECSYS is the demonstration of a system for the solar driven electrochemical hydrogen generation with an area >10 m². The efficiency of the system will be >6% and it will operate for six month showing a degradation below 100 cm²) and will be subject to extensive stability optimization. Especially, the use of innovative ALD based metal oxide sealing layers will be studied. The devices will have the great advantage compared to decoupled systems that they will have reduced Ohmic transport losses. Another advantage for application in sunny, hot regions will be that these devices have a positive temperature coefficient, because the improvements of the electrochemical processes overcompensate the reduced PV conversion efficiency. With these results, an in-depth socio-techno-economic model will be developed to predict the levelized cost of hydrogen production, which will be below 5€/Kg Hydrogen in locations with high solar irradiation, as preliminary back of the envelope calculations have revealed. Based on these findings, the most promising technologies will be scaled to module size. The final system will consist of several planar modules and will be placed in Jülich. No concentration or solar tracking will be necessary and therefore the investment costs will be low. It will have an active area >10 m² and will produce more than 10 Kg of hydrogen over six month period.

VALHALLA will develop perovskite solar cells and modules with power conversion efficiencies above 26% (23% for modules) and an extrapolated lifetime > 25 years, guided by eco-design principles that decrease the environmental impact of perovskite photovoltaics: scalable production processes, no harmful solvents, optimised use of materials, circularity and recyclability. Only lead-based perovskites have demonstrated efficiencies and stabilities that enable to reach the targeted performance levels. Therefore, in VALHALLA we focus primarily on lead based perovskites. We will develop innovative encapsulation methods containing lead-chelating materials that detain all lead even in broken modules. Circularity will be demonstrated, including a full end-of-life recovery of lead. We will focus on vacuum and hybrid processing that eliminates the use of toxic and harmful solvents during production. To increase the range of application of this sustainable technology, VALHALLA will develop rigid, flexible and semi-transparent perovskites with three bandgap ranges together with their optimized charge transport materials. Understanding the degradation mechanisms of both cells and modules in outdoor operating conditions and developing meaningful accelerated indoor stability tests for perovskite will be a key target of VALHALLA. The approach to stability will be from a global angle, from the theoretical understanding of the role of perovskite defects, composition, and architecture on the intrinsic stability to the development of module encapsulation and interconnection design that will enable long operational lifetime. An energy yield assessment will be performed based on outdoor stressed modules in three different European locations.