Assessment of the potential of a smart energy router based on the Super-HEART technology for vertical farming

Projektinformationen

Heart4Farms

ID Finanzhilfevereinbarung: 101166088

DOI

10.3030/101166088

Projekt abgeschlossen

EK-Unterschriftsdatum 1 Juli 2024

Startdatum 1 Juni 2024

Enddatum 30 November 2024

Finanziert unter

• The European Innovation Council (EIC)

Gesamtkosten

Keine Daten

EU-Beitrag

€ 46 594,00

Koordiniert durch

FRAUNHOFER GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER ANGEWANDTEN FORSCHUNG EV
Germany

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Heart4Farms (Assessment of the potential of a smart energy router based on the Super-HEART technology for vertical farming)

Berichtszeitraum: 2024-06-01 bis 2024-11-30

Zusammenfassung vom Kontext und den Gesamtzielen des Projekts

Vertical and indoor farming, as well as greenhouses, are characterised by their climate resilience, reduced environmental impact, year-round and local crop production, and efficient resource utilisation, particularly relevant in the context of growing global population and urbanisation. However, this necessitates energy intensive lighting systems with specific power requirements. Conventional architectures are based on several, if not many, cascaded power converters arranged in a bulky topology leading to high power loss, and with limited reliability.

On the other hand, integrated designs can deliver power to a set of lighting systems with high efficiency and reduced footprint. As such, the high density and efficient multiport converter technology developed in the EIC-transition funded Super-HEART project (www.super-heart.de/) constitute a highly promising approach for this application. The project aimed to assess the true potential of the Super-HEART technology for vertical farming and greenhouses.

Arbeit, die ab Beginn des Projekts bis zum Ende des durch den Bericht erfassten Berichtszeitraums geleistet wurde, und die wichtigsten bis dahin erzielten Ergebnisse

In order to fully evaluate the potential of our innovative technology for vertical farming and greenhouses, this project has undertaken several key steps:
- We have benchmarked competing solutions.
- We have identified the specific requirements of the application, with support from our partner end-user, Crocus Labs GmbH (www.crocuslabs.com).
- We have defined an optimized solution, rooted in the power electronics technologies developed in the Super-HEART project, which could be used as a benchmark for assessing market potential.

The Super-HEART technology is a power electronics building block consisting in an integrated, isolated, multiport converter. Our scalable approach allows for power conversion over a wide power range, each cell having rating from a few hundred watts to hundreds of kilowatts.
The project has showcased the value and versatility of our multiport converter technology across various use scenarios related to the energy supply of vertical farms and greenhouses.

In centralized power distribution networks, the Super-HEART technology has proven to outperform conventional methods of interconnecting energy sources such as renewable generation, energy storage (like battery-based systems), the grid, and the load-farm. This enables users to optimally utilise their on-site green energy production while ensuring reliable power delivery to the farm. The integrated design of our converter guarantees high round-trip efficiency in a minimal footprint -- with high availability.

For distributed power distribution networks, the Super-HEART technology also offers a significant advantage, as it can independently supply various lighting sources, granting users complete control over the lighting profile (color, intensity, and rapid dynamic control). Our technology not only fulfills practical needs but also provides a commercial edge in the growing vertical farming industry.

Fortschritte, die über den aktuellen Stand der Technik hinausgehen und voraussichtliche potenzielle Auswirkungen (einschließlich der bis dato erzielten sozioökonomischen Auswirkungen und weiter gefassten gesellschaftlichen Auswirkungen des Projekts)

The project underscored the versatility of the Super-HEART technology and its inherent value for various vertical farm and greenhouse topologies. The high efficiency in port-to-port configurations was also emphasised, even at light load, further underlining its competitive edge as a smart energy router between renewable generation and energy storage (high round-trip efficiency).

More broadly, these results can form the basis for additional similar use-cases where Super-HEART can be deployed to create isolated DC microgrids of various voltages - with high reliability.

Super-HEART technology to integrate multiple energy sources and supply vertical farms