Project description
Flying a kite underwater to power Europe’s islands
It is usually the smallest islands that have some of the highest electricity costs! Powering islands is expensive. It is also inefficient and depends on external supply. With 2 400 inhabited islands in Europe, there is pressure to find a solution that is good for the environment, the economy and the island residents. In this context, the EU-funded DG Island Mode project is searching for solutions beyond the existing renewable alternatives, which are difficult to rely on. The project has developed a stand-alone tidal and ocean current energy converter for off-grid applications. Imagine a kite flying underwater, generating a speed that is nearly 10 times the speed of the actual current. According to the project, this solution is easy to install and maintain, and at a low cost. It is also cleaner and more reliable for islands.
Objective
15 million Europeans live on Europe’s 2,400 inhabited islands, at an average of approximately 1,500 households per island. As recognised by the European Commission, island energy is expensive, polluting, inefficient and dependent on external supply, with significant negative impacts on emissions, the competitiveness of businesses, and the economy.
Assuming that just 65% of these islands’ electricity comes from diesel, we estimate that they produce approximately 17.5 million tonnes of CO2 every year. This is further increased when considering isolated coastal communities. Existing renewable alternatives are often unsuitable for these communities, such as wind and solar power, as the energy they generate is unpredictable and intermittent, making it difficult to rely on. They also have a large land footprint and high CAPEX costs. Tidal energy is also often unsuitable, as it requires fast tidal flows (over 2.5m/s) which only occur in a few specific hot spots around the World. The technology is also expensive, with both high CAPEX and OPEX costs.
The Deep Green Island Mode (DG Island Mode) is a stand-alone tidal and ocean current energy converter for off-grid applications. The DG Island Mode is the concept of flying an underwater kite, that when steered in an 8-shaped trajectory, generates a speed of 8-10 times the speed of the actual current. This generates the following unique performance characteristics:
- Generates cost effective electricity in tidal flows as low as 1.3 m/s
- Generates up to 100kW, producing an estimated 0.35 GWh/year, enough to power 100 homes;
- Can be located close to the shore;
- Up to 15 times lighter per kW compared to other tidal energy solutions - Easy, low cost installation and maintenance (low CAPEX and OPEX costs);
- Cost of energy 50% lower than diesel generators DG Island Mode offers cheap, clean, reliable electricity generation to island communities.
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.
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.
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels liquid fuels
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electrical engineering power engineering electric power generation
- social sciences economics and business business and management business models
- natural sciences chemical sciences catalysis
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels renewable energy hydroelectricity marine energy tidal energy
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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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H2020-EU.2.3. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.3. - PRIORITY 'Societal challenges
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H2020-EU.2.1. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies
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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.
SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1
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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) H2020-EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020
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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.
426 71 VASTRA FROLUNDA
Sweden
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
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.