Project description
Underwater robot technology for ocean energy harvesting
The European energy grid relies heavily on fossil fuels and must expand the use of renewable energy technologies to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. Although wave and tidal energy have been explored, vortex wake energy in the ocean – a reliable and predictable source – remains untapped. The ERC-funded UR4energy project aims to harness ocean energy using underwater robots. It will demonstrate the technical and commercial viability of this approach, showcasing how underwater robots can effectively harvest ocean energy. This technology has the potential to support the EU’s transition away from fossil fuels and contribute to the growing renewable energy market. Additionally, the project will advance research in robotics and autonomy for underwater systems.
Objective
The renewable energy input in the grid is not sufficient to cover the European energy demand, which largely still depends on fossil fuels. To reach the goal of climate neutrality by 2050, Europe needs to diversify and improve the adoption of renewable energy technologies. A yet-untapped source of energy can be found in the ocean. While wave and tidal energy have been explored, the reliable and predictable vortex wake energy has not been harvested yet as a renewable energy source. UR4energy will tap into this energy source by developing an efficient way to harvest it by using Underwater Robots. In this project, Prof. Pettersen will prove the technical and commercial feasibility of an underwater robot for ocean energy harvesting. Prof. Pettersens group will integrate the expertise of two partners, i.e. Inventas AS and NTNU Technology Transfer AS, for the development of the prototype and the monitoring of the patent landscape, respectively. UR4energy contributes to the ocean energy market, one of the fastest growing renewable energy markets (CAGR 2022-2030 = 33.5%) with a versatile technology that has the potential to support the EUs independence from fossil fuels, while contributing to research on robotics and autonomy for underwater robots.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been validated by the project's team.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been validated by the project's team.
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels renewable energy hydroelectricity marine energy wave power
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering robotics
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels renewable energy hydroelectricity marine energy tidal energy
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2024-POC
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
7491 Trondheim
Norway
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.