Project description
Retrofitting power plants for a greener future
The global energy sector is responsible for two-thirds of CO2 emissions, making it crucial to achieving emission reduction targets and fostering green growth. However, the intermittent nature of abundant renewable energy sources like wind and solar creates a mismatch with peak energy demand. Without large-scale storage solutions available, alternative backup capacities are urgently needed. In this context, the EU-funded TURBO-REFLEX will retrofit thermal power plants with advanced technologies that enable flexible operation without compromising their lifespan, cost, or emissions. By reducing minimum load requirements, increasing ramp rates, and lowering costs per cycle, TURBO-REFLEX paves the way for stable and resilient energy systems, while promoting higher shares of renewable energy.
Objective
The energy sector accounts for two thirds of the global CO2 emissions and is therefore crucial to ensure future green growth and to achieve the global emission reduction targets. Substantial reduction of CO2 emissions can only be achieved by large scale deployment of renewable energy sources, including in particular the most abundant energy sources, wind and sun. Their intermittent nature however poses significant challenges for the energy system as peak demand from the system and peak production form those intermittent sources do not overlap. As there are no large scale storage solutions available yet, other backup capacities are needed. The installed fossil capacity is large enough to provide this back-up power. However, the plants were designed for baseload operation, which results in increased wear and costs through cyclic operation and unnecessarily high emissions in the start-up phase.
Providing technology upgrades to retrofit the installed power plants to enable flexible operation without penalties on life, cost and emissions is an opportunity to quickly provide the necessary backup capacity to keep the energy system stable and resilient and at the same time enabling higher renewable shares.
TURBO-REFLEX will follow this approach and has selected technologies for retrofitting critical parts of thermal power plants which have already seen experimental proof-of-concept and are expected to significantly contribute to flexible operation. The technologies will reduce the minimum load, increase the ramp rates and reduce the costs per cycle. This will be achieved by new compressor designs for off-design operability, technologies in the hot gas path, in combustor and turbine, and by new materials, models and sensors to monitor and ensure the mechanical integrity in flexible operation. An integrated assessment will provide not only the technological but also the economic benefits for plant operators, thus ensuring a swift implementation of TURBO-REFLEX technologies.
Fields of science
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsrenewable energy
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringsensors
- engineering and technologymechanical engineeringmanufacturing engineeringadditive manufacturing
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencessoftwaresoftware applicationssimulation software
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinator
60313 Frankfurt Am Main
Germany
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Participants (29)
16152 Genova
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5400 Baden
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301 28 Plzen
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5401 Baden
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86153 Augsburg
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47059 Duisburg
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W1K 6WL London
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Participation ended
80333 Munchen
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28033 Madrid
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Legal entity other than a subcontractor which is affiliated or legally linked to a participant. The entity carries out work under the conditions laid down in the Grant Agreement, supplies goods or provides services for the action, but did not sign the Grant Agreement. A third party abides by the rules applicable to its related participant under the Grant Agreement with regard to eligibility of costs and control of expenditure.
28223 Pozuelo De Alarcon Madrid
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Legal entity other than a subcontractor which is affiliated or legally linked to a participant. The entity carries out work under the conditions laid down in the Grant Agreement, supplies goods or provides services for the action, but did not sign the Grant Agreement. A third party abides by the rules applicable to its related participant under the Grant Agreement with regard to eligibility of costs and control of expenditure.
08003 Barcelona
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75008 Paris
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Legal entity other than a subcontractor which is affiliated or legally linked to a participant. The entity carries out work under the conditions laid down in the Grant Agreement, supplies goods or provides services for the action, but did not sign the Grant Agreement. A third party abides by the rules applicable to its related participant under the Grant Agreement with regard to eligibility of costs and control of expenditure.
80333 Munchen
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47269 Duisburg
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
334 41 Dobřany
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
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345 62 Holysov
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MK43 0AL Cranfield - Bedfordshire
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160 00 Praha
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51147 Koln
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76131 Karlsruhe
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581 83 Linkoping
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80-231 Gdansk
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80333 Muenchen
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50121 Florence
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70174 Stuttgart
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301 00 Pilsen
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02-256 WARSZAWA
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81739 Munchen
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