Technologies

Technological innovation is deeply rooted into the ROBINSON concept.

By the end of the project lifetime, prototypes of innovative technologies will be installed and demonstrated in a pilot plant on Eigerøy (area of Kaupanes), on the premises of Prima Protein. Moreover, these technologies can further be applied to other sectors such as microgrids, residential and ROBINSON municipality buildings, energy intensive industries, electrified harbours, cleaner road transport.

Innovation in the spotligh

Energy Management System

ROBINSON will develop a real-time advanced Energy Management System (EMS) to make the whole system reliable with a user interface enabling energy use and the mix of energy sources to be understood and controlled. It will be tested and verified on Eigerøy.

The tool will be used for the thermo-economic optimization and to manage the demand during low availability of Renewable Energy Sources. The project’s EMS will combine the existing connection to the mainland with new installed distributed elements of the energy system to ensure a reliable and well-balanced coverage of generation and demand for electricity, process steam and heating. ROBINSON will make sure that the EMS system is robust and resilient against cyber-attacks.

Renewable fuel-based Combined Heat and Power

The Combined Heat and Power (CHP) system at Eigerøy will be operated using syngas(produced from gasification of waste wood) as a main fuel, mixed with bio-methane and hydrogen. It will provide dispatchable energy to the local electrical grid and utilize exhaust heat via a boiler/HRSG (Heat Recovery Steam Generator) for process steam generation.

The core of the CHP will be an advanced gas turbine upgraded to burn hydrogen and syngas. A gas-turbine CHP is chosen due its reliability, low maintenance and operation costs. ROBINSON will design and adapt a dedicated combustion system able to burn the available carbon free hydrogen and carbon neutral syngas with the additional target to cut the emissions of NOx till 25ppm.

Infographic of the CHP process — The CHP system

Picture of a CHP machine — Aurelia® A400 Gas Turbine

Anaerobic Digestion Assisted by Bio-Electrochemical System (AD+BES)

The Anaerobic Digestion Assisted by Bio-Electrochemical System(AD+BES) will allow to efficiently treat the process wastewater from the Eigerøy island fish industry and, meanwhile, converting its organic matter into biomethane.

This technology consists in an anaerobic digester assisted by a bioelectrochemical system that allow a more efficient wastewater treatment while increasing biomethane production by means of boosting microbial activity due to electrodes electricity supply. Thanks to its high process efficiency, high flexibility, and delivery of biomethane, AD+BES offers a reliable a chemical seasonal energy storage option for renewable energy surpluses.

AD+BES process infographic

Innovative Wind Turbine

A novel wind turbine provided by the partner REST will be adapted to the ROBINSON needs, the interface will be defined, and its functions will be tested at the demonstration site.

ROBINSON will allow the low cost, more socially acceptable and performant wind turbine to be commercialized within DER systems.

Hydrogen energy Storage

Hydrogen will be the key energy storage vector in the ROBINSON. it will be produced by a Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) electrolyser with the surplus renewable electricity and used when the energy demand peaks. The electrolyser operates at a pressure of up to 40 bar. Hydrogen may be stored in pressurised tanks above ground, in metal hydride tanks.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement N° 957752.

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