Project description
New durable coatings for wind energy turbines
Wind energy production is a key-sector for European renewable energy. However, the erosion of the leading edge of wind turbine blades significantly reduces its aerodynamic efficiency and the power output. It also increases maintenance costs, especially in offshore turbines exposed to water erosion, seawater splashes, solar radiation, temperature changes. The EU-funded SUNCOAT project will work on the scalable flexible nanoengineered coating solution for wind turbine blades developed in the ERC-funded investigative NICEDROPS project. To develop coatings of exceptional robustness and super non-wetting properties, SUNCOAT aims to add VOC-free properties via water-based formulation for an environment-friendly, resilient and durable solution that improves performance and efficiency in the wind energy sector.
Objective
Wind energy is a vital component in meeting EU’s the Strategic Energy Technology (SET) plan and Europe’s ambition to become number one producer of renewables. Reducing operation and maintenance (O&M) costs are of paramount importance. The most serious problem affecting the wind industry is water erosion of the turbine blades. The blade leading edges are most susceptible, particularly in offshore turbines that are often battered by the water hammering mechanism of rain and seawater splash impact, exposure to the solar (UV) radiation and harsh fluctuations in temperature which lead to accretion of dirt, contaminants and ice. Progressive increase in the size of the blades has increased tip-speed of the blades exacerbating these erosion issues and increasing O&M costs for wind farms. Therefore, robust and environment friendly surface treatment solutions are urgently required to solve this most significant problem in an industry critical for Europe to meet its energy security and sustainability goals.
Through PI’s ERC Grant (NICEDROPS), a robust and flexible nanoengineered coating formulation was developed. These coatings are applied through scalable approaches. They combine flexibility and superhydrophobicity to achieve exceptional liquid impalement resistance without compromising the mechanical robustness; the breakthrough published as a cover article in Nature Materials. In SUNCOAT we will advance this by one more crucial step – by introducing water based coatings formulations, to make our solution environment friendly and VOC-free. The technology is an innovative solution to the wind energy industry’s number one problem and it can deploy on existing infrastructure during routine maintenance cycles as well as in-factory at point of manufacture. Given the expense of blade replacement, and lifetime costs of efficiency losses, this is a product that can command significant margins while still offering a cost-effective solution to the industry.
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 renewable energy wind energy
- engineering and technology materials engineering coating and films
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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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H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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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.
ERC-POC - Proof of Concept Grant
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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) ERC-2019-PoC
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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.
WC1E 6BT LONDON
United Kingdom
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.