THE ALTERNATIVE GENERATION Emerging technologies for renewable energy sources

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1 Community Research EUROPEAN COMMISSION THE ALTERNATIVE GENERATION Emerging technologies for renewable energy sources T he introduction of renewable energy sources will diversify European energy supply while reducing environmental impact. Renewable energy sources tap naturally occurring energy flows, including sunlight, geothermal, wind and water movements. In the long term, renewable energy technologies have the potential to make a considerable contribution to the total European energy supply. Renewable energy technologies have varying degrees of maturity, from the relatively well-established solar heating of domestic water to the less mature ocean energy systems. In areas such as on- and offshore wind power, concentrated solar power, geothermal and ocean wave technologies, efforts will be focused on long-term research to achieve further reductions in energy generation costs. Another goal is to achieve lasting integration of the research effort throughout the European Union. Research on photovoltaics will focus on materials development, production technologies and integration in buildings. For biomass, the priority is the development of integrated approaches from sustainable biomass procurement to fuel production and use. Biomass is the only renewable technology with the potential to provide a competitively priced liquid fuel for transport. Medium- and long-term research for sustainable energy systems Working towards a sustainable and secure energy supply for Europe, based on renewable energy sources and clean energy carriers and technologies. (Courtesy of EHN).

2 What are renewable energy sources? A wide variety of technologies can harvest renewable energy sources (RES). All use naturally occurring energy flows to produce electricity, heat and/or fuel. They diversify energy supply while reducing environmental impact. Many RES can be used on a stand-alone basis close to the point of consumption. Some technologies, such as hydropower, biomass and wind farms, have already made a considerable impact in Europe. The technologies Some of the main RES technologies of interest to the programme are: Biomass - comprises various organic raw materials of plant origin. Biomass energy systems use many different conversion technologies to produce heat, electricity and fuels. Photovoltaics - uses semiconductor materials to capture the sun s energy and convert it directly into electricity. Concentrated Solar Thermal - concentrates the sun s energy to generate electricity or provide high-temperature thermal energy that can be used for a variety of applications. Geothermal - uses steam and hot water generated by heat from the earth s crust to produce electricity and provide heating. Hydropower - generates electricity by converting the energy available in flowing water. Ocean - exploits energy from the ocean such as tidal currents and waves to generate electricity. Wind - harnesses naturally occurring wind energy to generate electricity both on- and offshore. Each technology cannot be used everywhere due to varying climatic and geographical conditions. A further challenge is to integrate these widely dispersed and often intermittent energy resources into energy systems.

3 Collection of forest residuals (Courtesy of Timberjack). Rationale and objectives for future research and development P romoting RES is a high priority for the European Union because of climate change issues related to greenhouse gas emissions, and the need to diversify energy sources to increase the security of supply. The long-term objective of RES research is to bring about a largely RES-based energy supply, which is clean, sustainable and increases self sufficiency. The short- to medium-term aim is to double the RES share of energy supply in the EU to 12% by the year In a global context, the Johannesburg World Summit on sustainable development reaffirmed that increasing the use of clean renewable energy will have multiple benefits for rich and poor countries alike, and agreed to increase the global share of renewable energy sources. facilities. The primary research aim is to reduce costs, and improve efficiency and reliability. The longterm target cost of photovoltaic electricity is in the 0.06 to 0.10/kWh range. Wind, geothermal, ocean and solar energy technologies are all suitable for medium- to large-scale applications ( MW) and could all contribute significantly to future energy supply. However, generation costs are still too high and hence research is needed to reduce costs, and improve efficiency and reliability. Industry is taking an increasingly leading role in coordinating pan-european projects in these areas. Biomass already contributes around 5% of EU energy supply, predominantly in heat and power applications. While many RES technologies produce electricity, the majority (80%) of the EU s energy supply needs are for heating and transport fuels. Biomass is the only RES technology that can produce competitively priced solid or liquid fuels for these uses. For transport applications, it is one of the few options for a net CO 2 -free system. The research programme s objective is to develop cost-effective integrated approaches from sustainable biomass procurement to fuel production and use. Photovoltaics is potentially a clean, emission-free, reliable and consumer friendly RES which can be used in a wide range of applications and in a distributed form. Although the cost of producing electricity with solar cells has reduced dramatically over the past decades, it is still only competitive in niche applications, for example in remote stand-alone Example of building-integrated photovoltaics, (Courtesy of the MONITOR project).

4 Plataforma Solar de Almería Test Facilities, located in Spain. In the foreground, the Direct Steam Generation parabolic trough installation concentrates solar radiation to produce over 300kWth. The heliostat field in front of the CESA-1 tower can focus up to 7MWth of solar radiation (Courtesy of Ph.Schild). Research and development priorities for RES in the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) R eaching competitive cost levels is a central priority for RES research. In biomass, the target is to reduce costs by 15-20% for heat and electricity production and by 30-50% for liquid fuel. Research into combustion technologies which reduce pollution in small and large-scale plants needs to be further pursued. Improved reliability and cost effectiveness of gasification systems for power generation and the production of hydrogen rich syngas is required. Another main priority is to produce biofuels for transport efficiently from a variety of feedstocks. Materials research is needed to provide highly efficient (40-60%) photovoltaic devices both by exploring new materials and by improving the current crystalline silicon technology. The successful integration of photovoltaic components into buildings has great potential in both stand-alone and in grid-connected applications. Large-scale photovoltaic power plants should be developed with storage devices so that supply can be adapted to demand. The priorities in concentrated solar thermal energy research are to develop more efficient and cheaper solar components and plant designs together with innovative storage systems. The use of concentrated solar energy for the production of gas (e.g. hydrogen, syngas) or of metals (e.g. zinc, aluminium) will also be pursued. Cheaper and safer installation methods are needed for ocean power, together with tools and data to predict energy production more accurately. Wind energy in some locations already produces electricity at competitive prices. Research will aim at widening the conditions for which wind energy can be competitive by developing innovative on- and offshore systems.this will include research into autonomous large wind turbines using new materials, enhanced aerodynamics, novel designs for structures and foundations, and the establishment of international standards. Tapping geothermal energy for power production will require new reservoir management techniques, cheaper drilling technologies and more cost effective power cycles. European added value Two of the main objectives of the European Research Area are to coordinate EC research programmes with those funded and managed in the Member States, and to integrate the research capabilities in Europe. This will be applied to research on renewable energy sources, leading to a more efficient and effective use of research funds in this area. Europe s leading position in several biomass technologies, such as combustion and gasification, needs to be maintained, whilst advancing in other areas like biofuels for transport. Active participation of Accession Countries is of major importance as they account for a large part of European biomass resources. The European photovoltaic industrial base needs to be strengthened and this will require strategic actions to promote and increase the use of photovoltaics.

5 Research: the way forward An example of an Enhanced Geothermal System. The permeability of the basement rock is first enhanced. Water is then forced through the fracture system (the reservoir ), and the mined heat is used for power production. Courtesy EEIG Heat Mining (European Hot Dry Rock Project). Research activities in FP6 will preferably be funded using the new instruments, Integrated Projects and Networks of Excellence. These instruments enable problems with a European dimension to be tackled efficiently. Integrated Projects should lead to technological breakthroughs. Examples might include research towards the efficient production of biofuels or research directed towards significant cost reductions in photovoltaics. For Networks of Excellence, integrated research activities could provide the basis for a new generation of high-efficiency photovoltaics or for innovative systems using ocean energy for power applications. This parabolic dish, from the Eurodish project, with a reflective inner surface can produce up to 10kWe with a Stirling engine located at its focal point (Courtesy of Ph. Schild).

6 KI EN-D Overview of current EU research and development actions Example of a manufacturing step for crystalline silicon solar cells production (Courtesy of RWE Solar). Research on renewable energy technologies has been a significant element in recent Framework Programmes. Some examples of renewable energy projects are: SUBARO This project aims at sharply reducing costs and the amount of silicon needed for the production of thin film crystalline silicon solar cells by developing a thermally assisted vapour deposition process for manufacturing. Harvesting forest residues for wood fuel. The machine is chipping and loading directly onto a truck for road transportation (Courtesy of Ho Kalaja, Finland). 5MW WIND TURBINE This project aims at achieving the necessary economies of scale needed for 5 MW wind turbines with 120 m rotor diameter, while addressing at the same time the scarcity of on- and off-shore locations to position such large systems. TIME This project provides solutions for the development of a new and cost-effective ethanol production technology based on lignocellulosic residues and dedicated crops. The project resulted in an improved technology, which could be expected to reduce the production costs of ethanol by 20% in the mediumto-long term. DISS This project investigates the concept of direct superheated steam generation using a parabolic solar trough collector. The introduction of this technology into concentrated solar power plants offers a potential cost reduction for electricity generation of up to 25%. SUPERHYDROGEN This project develops the innovative SuperCritical water gasification process for the cost-effective conversion of wet biomass and bio-residues into clean compressed hydrogen. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION Go to: Contact: rtd-energy-rtd@cec.eu.int OFFICE FOR OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES L-2985 Luxembourg