Final Report Summary - PLENOSE (LARGE MULTIPURPOSE PLATFORMS FOR EXPLOITING RENEWABLE ENERGY IN OPEN SEAS)
The growing demand of electrical power is a challenging task for the energy market. Indeed, actual energy strategies are based, in most cases, on the exploitation of traditional energy sources that, in a near future, will be inevitably exhausted. In addition to that, traditional sources based on fossil fuels are associated with the production of greenhouse gases, affecting, today, the quality of life of the European citizens. In this context, the role of renewable energy is pivotal for fostering the development of the European industry, for reducing progressively the dependency from fossil fuels and, thus, for helping to limit the emission of greenhouses gases with the associated pollution. However, despite their advantages, they also suffer for the intermittent nature of their sources. For instance, wind turbines are able to work efficiently as long as there is a sufficiently strong wind flow on their rotor blades and solar panels may provide enough energy only in good environmental conditions. Thus, in these systems, the availability of energy is highly dependent on the current environmental conditions.
Despite the deep investigations and the maturity of some green energy technologies, the opportunity of creating a unique, multi-purpose, platform designed for hosting energy converters has not been evaluated nowadays. The use of a multi-purpose platform is to host a variety of energy converters, which are selected and designed to operate in synergy. In this manner, a platform can be designed with the purpose of minimizing the energy downtime. That is, the time during which the plant is not able to provide electrical energy. PLENOSE considered the possibility of installing multi-purpose platforms in open seas. This choice relates to the fact that in open seas another green energy source is available: sea wave energy. This energy source is quite abundant in several locations worldwide. Indeed, recent estimates mention that the global available power is of the same order of world electricity consumption. Thus, it is an attractive source that, potentially, may contribute significantly to the world energy market and may cooperate with other source to the creation of a green energy power plant.
The overall objective of the PLENOSE project was to establish a multidisciplinary framework for the design of multi-purpose floating platforms. The project was based on three pillars: the use of advanced models for random waves in open seas; the implementation of innovative techniques for performing dynamical analyses; and the use of physical modelling. To this aim, a partnership was established by the research groups of Università degli Studi Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria (Italy, coordinator, EU member), Instituto Superior Tecnico, Universidade de Lisboa (Portugal, EU member), University of Liverpool (UK, EU member), Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai (India, third country), Rice University, Houston (Texas, USA, third country), and Columbia University, New York (NY, USA, third country).
Based on the three pillars of wave modelling, dynamical analysis and physical modelling, the project established three strategic goals: produce advanced models of random waves with stochastic approaches; propose and validate approximate techniques for estimating the system response; and to conduct physical model tests. The partnership experienced a significant exchange of information, knowledge and competences, which condensate in the following scientific results:
1. Short- and Long-Term probabilistic frameworks have been established. These frameworks can be employed for characterizing the design conditions of a multi-purpose platform. The novelty of the developed approaches relies on the concept of space-time statistics that allows estimating a wave crest height return value associated with a certain area.
2. Statistical linearization, wavelet based - statistical linearization, Weiner Path Integral approaches have been proposed and validated by means of advanced numerical simulations. These techniques are quite useful for calculating efficiently the response of a system to a certain excitation.
3. Development of physical model tests and processing of experimental data on floating bodies and wave energy converters. The data have been used for validating numerical models and verifying the applicability of technologies for reducing the platform body motion.
Besides the scientific results, the main outcome of PLENOSE is the significant exchange of competences and knowledge obtained through transfers from and to Europe. The researchers traveling to Italy have been trained in the field of wave energy converters, with an emphasis on U-Oscillating Water Columns, and on physical modelling in the natural basin of NOEL laboratory (Italy); the researchers traveling to UK have been trained in the field on Monte Carlo simulations and neural networks; the researchers traveling to Portugal received a training in the context of sea wave statistics; researchers traveling to India were trained to physical model tests in artificial basins and numerical modelling; researchers traveling to USA have been trained to the field of stochastic dynamics. Overall, 104 person month exchanges occurred during the PLENOSE project and 79% of the transfers involved Early-Stage Researchers. The knowledge exchange and networking resulted in the publication of 44 research articles both in journal and in conference proceedings. The results of the project will be beneficial to companies working in the construction and in the energy market, as they may use the tools developed within the PLENOSE project during the design of energy harvesters and large floating platforms.
Project Website: http://www.plenose.unirc.it/(opens in new window)
Despite the deep investigations and the maturity of some green energy technologies, the opportunity of creating a unique, multi-purpose, platform designed for hosting energy converters has not been evaluated nowadays. The use of a multi-purpose platform is to host a variety of energy converters, which are selected and designed to operate in synergy. In this manner, a platform can be designed with the purpose of minimizing the energy downtime. That is, the time during which the plant is not able to provide electrical energy. PLENOSE considered the possibility of installing multi-purpose platforms in open seas. This choice relates to the fact that in open seas another green energy source is available: sea wave energy. This energy source is quite abundant in several locations worldwide. Indeed, recent estimates mention that the global available power is of the same order of world electricity consumption. Thus, it is an attractive source that, potentially, may contribute significantly to the world energy market and may cooperate with other source to the creation of a green energy power plant.
The overall objective of the PLENOSE project was to establish a multidisciplinary framework for the design of multi-purpose floating platforms. The project was based on three pillars: the use of advanced models for random waves in open seas; the implementation of innovative techniques for performing dynamical analyses; and the use of physical modelling. To this aim, a partnership was established by the research groups of Università degli Studi Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria (Italy, coordinator, EU member), Instituto Superior Tecnico, Universidade de Lisboa (Portugal, EU member), University of Liverpool (UK, EU member), Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai (India, third country), Rice University, Houston (Texas, USA, third country), and Columbia University, New York (NY, USA, third country).
Based on the three pillars of wave modelling, dynamical analysis and physical modelling, the project established three strategic goals: produce advanced models of random waves with stochastic approaches; propose and validate approximate techniques for estimating the system response; and to conduct physical model tests. The partnership experienced a significant exchange of information, knowledge and competences, which condensate in the following scientific results:
1. Short- and Long-Term probabilistic frameworks have been established. These frameworks can be employed for characterizing the design conditions of a multi-purpose platform. The novelty of the developed approaches relies on the concept of space-time statistics that allows estimating a wave crest height return value associated with a certain area.
2. Statistical linearization, wavelet based - statistical linearization, Weiner Path Integral approaches have been proposed and validated by means of advanced numerical simulations. These techniques are quite useful for calculating efficiently the response of a system to a certain excitation.
3. Development of physical model tests and processing of experimental data on floating bodies and wave energy converters. The data have been used for validating numerical models and verifying the applicability of technologies for reducing the platform body motion.
Besides the scientific results, the main outcome of PLENOSE is the significant exchange of competences and knowledge obtained through transfers from and to Europe. The researchers traveling to Italy have been trained in the field of wave energy converters, with an emphasis on U-Oscillating Water Columns, and on physical modelling in the natural basin of NOEL laboratory (Italy); the researchers traveling to UK have been trained in the field on Monte Carlo simulations and neural networks; the researchers traveling to Portugal received a training in the context of sea wave statistics; researchers traveling to India were trained to physical model tests in artificial basins and numerical modelling; researchers traveling to USA have been trained to the field of stochastic dynamics. Overall, 104 person month exchanges occurred during the PLENOSE project and 79% of the transfers involved Early-Stage Researchers. The knowledge exchange and networking resulted in the publication of 44 research articles both in journal and in conference proceedings. The results of the project will be beneficial to companies working in the construction and in the energy market, as they may use the tools developed within the PLENOSE project during the design of energy harvesters and large floating platforms.
Project Website: http://www.plenose.unirc.it/(opens in new window)
