UR4energy: Underwater Robots for efficient ocean energy harvesting

Project Information

UR4energy

Grant agreement ID: 101188523

DOI

10.3030/101188523

Project closed

EC signature date 14 August 2024

Start date 1 September 2024

End date 28 February 2026

Funded under

• European Research Council (ERC)

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

€ 150 000,00

Coordinated by

NORGES TEKNISK-NATURVITENSKAPELIGE UNIVERSITET NTNU
Norway

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - UR4energy (UR4energy: Underwater Robots for efficient ocean energy harvesting)

Reporting period: 2024-09-01 to 2026-02-28

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

There has been a widespread effort to develop alternative renewable energy resources, such as hydroelectric, wind, and solar power, to supply the grid with sustainable energy that will replace fossil fuel use. However, the global contribution of renewables is insufficient to meet the energy demands of the global population. While Europe is ahead of other continents, the trend in the uptake of renewable energy solutions is slow, increasing from 21.9% to 23% between 2021 and 2022. This slow uptake of renewable energy solutions is due to intermittency and unreliability for continuous use (for example, solar is only available during the day, and its efficiency depends heavily on the weather), inability to generate sufficient energy volumes, and disruption of habitats and our perception of nature. Exploring novel avenues for renewable energy generation can provide new opportunities to meet future energy demands. Despite proven successes in wave and tidal energy conversion, widespread adoption is constrained by challenging environments and high maintenance costs. Advancing ocean energy as a viable renewable source requires new technological solutions.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

A prototype was developed with sensors and software that enable performance measurement and parameter adjustment. Experiments were conducted to map the prototype's performance as parameters were varied.

Furthermore, an algorithm was developed and implemented to optimize performance, successfully achieving the optimal configuration found in the mapping.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The results indicate that a snake-like structure can be used to harvest energy. However, they also show that small variations in wake conditions significantly affect the optimal configuration, highlighting the need for an adaptive optimization algorithm to ensure efficient energy harvesting. Therefore, such an algorithm was implemented and tested, showing that it can achieve the optimal distance from the bluff body.

Further research is required to investigate the mechanisms for energy extraction and to quantify the actual power output.