Four projects submitted by EnergyVille for the Energy Transition Fund, which falls under the authority of Energy Minister Tinne Van der Straeten, were recently approved by the Federal Council of Ministers. This is an important starting point for new and innovative research within a wide range of energy topics. The approved projects on which EnergyVille's research partners KU Leuven, VITO, imec and UHasselt will work are CIREC, CO2MBS, BeFORE-CAST, and DIRECTIONS. The duration of these projects is three years.
The Energy Transition Fund
In autumn 2022, four new energy transition projects will be launched within EnergyVille. The purpose of the Energy Transition Fund is to encourage and support research, development and innovation in the field of energy within the federal energy competences. EnergyVille is involved in four projects with a total value of EUR 8.3 million.
The projects
CIREC / Secure and Circular Material flows for Electricity Security of Supply
- This project investigates uncertainties related to international material flows that can have a strong impact on the security of electricity supply. Different material flows are investigated: geopolitical uncertainties on natural gas supply, biomass for energy purposes, and international supply lines of materials needed for wind turbines, solar panels, batteries, etc. The impact of the availability of the material flows is analysed with the TIMES model.
- Partners: VITO/EnergyVille, ICEDD, VUB, UGent
- Duration: 3 years
CO2MBS / Integrating CO2 Capture and Methanation in the Belgian Energy System
- In this project, we develop a new process concept to integrate CO2 capture and methanation into the Belgian energy system, using the existing infrastructure and the planned hydrogen backbone of Belgium. The project aims to study the fundamental challenges of syn-methane at the system, material and reactor level. It also investigates how the proposed process lowers the grid equilibrium costs and ensures security of supply.
- Partners: UGent, VITO/EnergyVille, UCLouvain
- Duration: 3 jaar
BeFORE-CAST / Wake-effect included offshore wind power forecasting for smooth operation of the Belgian electricity grid based on advanced data handling and sensor technology, including airborne systems
- The ambition of BeFORECAST is to improve the weather models used to forecast offshore wind energy, thereby enabling better management of the Belgian electricity grid and wind farms. This is achieved by including wind farm effects, which are not yet taken into account in current models, and integrating measurements into the forecasts using machine learning such as data from offshore SCADA, RADARS, SATELLITE, LIDARS and innovative fly-for-weather drones. Weather warnings will be made available to wind farm and grid operators in real time, as a tangible result of the multi-stakeholder project.
- Partners: VKI, VUB, KU Leuven/EnergyVille, SABCA, 3E, RMI (KMI België)
- Duration: 3 years
DIRECTIONS / Design, protection and control of offshore DC power grids and power hubs
- Energy hubs are a new concept essential to the development of the offshore HVDC grid. They collect a large amount of offshore energy and facilitate cost-effective integration into the electricity grid. However, such energy hubs have not yet been practically realised and behave fundamentally different from existing electricity systems. Consequently, several fundamental and conceptual uncertainties remain. Furthermore, the specific implementation of a Belgian offshore grid requires specific case studies.
- Partners: KU Leuven/EnergyVille, Elia Transmission Belgium
- Duration: 3 years
With the support of
