Project description
Additive manufacturing to improve wave energy converters
Harnessing wave energy from the ocean has the potential to boost Europe’s renewable energy production. However, high development costs, complex manufacturing processes, and low technology readiness levels hinder the commercial scalability of wave energy converters (WECs). Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the WEC-Pro project aims to overcome these challenges by applying advanced large-scale additive manufacturing (LSAM) technologies to improve the design, production, and testing of WECs. The project will adapt existing WEC modelling tools for LSAM applications by integrating key parameters directly into the design process. It will address challenges related to performance design and structural optimisation and will also develop open-source tools and models for WEC power absorption, structural optimisation, and benchmarking of LSAM-produced WECs.
Objective
Wave energy conversion by harnessing untapped ocean resources has the potential to significantly expand the European renewable energy production and portfolio. However, high development costs, complex manufacturing processes, and low technology readiness levels have hindered the commercial scalability of wave energy converters (WECs). The WEC-Pro project seeks to address these challenges by leveraging cutting-edge Large-Scale Additive Manufacturing (LSAM) technologies to streamline the design, production, and testing of WECs. LSAM coupled with adapted optimization tools has the potential of reducing device’s costs by over 10 times. WEC-Pro will take advantage of the strong expertise of Politecnico di Torino in WECs optimization and Europe’s principal LSAM production centre, Caracol, to develop and adapting WEC modelling tools for LSAM application.
For the use of the sustainable and fast LSAM, enabling the development of highly efficient and cost-effective devices, it is required to integrate new parameters in form of constrains to modelling tools. WEC-Pro’s primary goal is to integrate required LSAM parameters and upgrade established methods, design and optimization processes for WECs R&D scope. Key challenges of multi-parameter performance design, structural optimization, physical testing and LSAM production of WECS are addressed in three dedicated work packages, respectively. For demonstration, WEC-Pro covers two high-potential case study technologies, PivWEC (near-shore) and PeWEC (offshore), by testing for the first time fully-LSAM produced WECs physical models at Italy’s largest and most advanced Seakeeping tank (INSEAN, Rome).
The planned outcomes include the development of open-source tools and models for WEC’s power absorption, structural optimization and data sets for LSAM-WECs benchmarking.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
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.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01
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10129 Torino
Italy
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.