AAU Energy - Challenge Driven Research by AAU Energy

AAU ENERGY Challenge driven research AALBORG UNIVERSITy

Aalborg University: a strong growth partner within energy 2 W I N D E N E R G Y R E S E A R C H A T A A U

Foreword:

From the establishment of Aalborg University (AAU) in 1974 till today, renewable, green and efficient energy has moved from being an alternative to a mainstream type of energy across the world. During these years, Aalborg University has contributed to the advancement of the green agenda and to the development of cleaner and more efficient energy solutions. AAU also wants to contribute to the agenda of tomorrow where green energy and energy efficiency are to be the drivers for future growth. In this process, AAU is a globally oriented partner who offers world-class research, a unique tradition for innovative cooperation with local and international companies as well as a workforce of engineers, carefully balanced in accordance with the needs of the business community. Energy research at AAU is founded on numerous research environments with different areas of expertise and traditions. Research within the development of future non-fossil energy sources has always been one of our strengths. However, within recent years, a specific focus on optimisation and advancement of non-fossil energy sources has grown strong at AAU – all the while an increasing number of wind turbines are constructed across landscapes, solar cells are being installed on roof tops and the number of ways to utilise manure is constantly growing. All in all, the improvement of energy efficiency in our energy consumption is a very essential objective behind a great part of our energy technological research – whether the research con-

cerns residences, toasters or at sea. The same goes for security of supply and stability of supply which are recurring parameters. It is the focal point of AAU’s leading research within energy planning that our energy technologies – i.e. how today’s energy systems (on a local, national or European scale) are able to move towards lower and cleaner energy consumption in the future – by contributing to the collective energy system. Within recent years, AAU has performed internal organising of all these skills which has resulted in a number of interdisciplinary projects, partnerships and centres – often also across our three campuses (Aalborg, Copenhagen and Esbjerg). This interdisciplinary tendency goes hand in hand with the growing request for interconnected solutions which, we have learned from our daily contact with the corporate community, are in high demand. AAU is founded on initiatives from the surrounding business life. This is reflected partly in the very large share of Aalborg University’s external revenue which comes from application-oriented research and development funds: Here, research and development are carried out in cooperation with – increasingly international – companies. And partly in the fact that AAU consistently tops the list of share of publications which has been composed in cooperation with companies. Compared to other universities, AAU research is generally very application-oriented and in tune with the market which is also the reason why

our students join companies as part of their education. Through our learning design, Problem-Based Learning, the students are trained in problem-solving by including their knowledge from their given branch of study, e.g. Energy Planning, Wind Power Systems or Building Energy Design. This unique, problem-oriented approach has definitely contributed to attracting a large number of international students who make up more than half of the student body in several of our energy branches. The global orientation of AAU is further reflected in the fact that our researchers are increasingly engaged in crucial, international, professional networks and consultative committees, both on a European and global scale. Furthermore, AAU’s high profile presence in the world-wide research network is also evident from the fact that we have four researchers listed among Highly Cited Researchers’ most recent top 250 energy researchers. This magazine presents a wide variety of our strengths in energy research, and it is our hope that it presents us as your future growth partner within energy.

Eskild Holm Nielsen I Head of Faculty Faculty of Engineering and Science

Challenge driven research

Biomass

solar energy

The offshore sector

Wave power

wind power at AAu

smart energy systems

Content:

a Green future

Renewable energy in denmark

8 Wind Power Industry 9 Bucket Foundations 10 Wind Turbines Losing Weight 14 AAU Research 15 Smartgrid 18 Electrolysis 22 Bio Economy 24 Bio Oil 28 Secrets of the Bacteria 34 Power Electronics 38 Heat Roadmap Europe II 42 Buildings Guzzle Power and Heat 46 Energy Planning 47 Energy Optimisation

P u bl i s h e d by: Aalborg University T ext, l ayo ut a n d p ri n ti n g : Conexia+PR Lo cat i o n a n d date : Aalborg, 2014

AAU Front Runner in Wind power Research There is a lot of money at stake when a wind turbine is produced, installed, put into operation and connected to the grid. At Aalborg University, 200 researchers are working on finding the best way to balance investments in the entire value chain of the wind turbine.

According to statistics from the European Commision, Denmark is the European country that produces the most wind power compared to the country’s total energy consumption. In 2013, more than 33 % of the electricity used in Denmark came from wind turbines, and 656 new turbines were connected to the grid, 307 of them onshore. Particularly the North of Denmark is a living lab when it comes to wind power. The region is home to Siemens Wind Power, the world’s largest blade factory and Bladt Industries, a manufacturer of offshore turbine foundations as well as Aalborg University, which is world-leading within wind power research. AAU is a global centre for coordinated wind power research performed by groups of researchers organised under the umbrella organisation, EnergyVision. - Aalborg University’s expertise in wind technology is supported by five departments where approx 200 academics are involved in energy research. We have 80 PhD students, the rest are tenures, Post.Doc.s and project employed academics, says John Dalsgaard, Professor at the Department of Civil Engineering. Wind Technology Research at AAU At the Department of Mechanical and Manufac-

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turing Engineering, researchers are exploring the nature of composites, including how the strength and durability of turbine blades can be calculated. At the Department of Energy Technology, focus is on power electronics, regulation of the turbine and of the power grid, while the Department of Electronic Systems, the Section for Automation and Control, the research is centred on the control of blades and wind farms. - At the Department of Energy Technology, researchers are looking at the problems related to connecting turbines to the grid and the overall framework for getting all the energy to the end consumer. This is where the Department of Development and Planning comes into the picture. They are working on the environmental standards for installing wind turbines as well as integration of wind power with other energy resources. At the Department of Civil Engineering, we are attempting to dimension foundations and towers to handle the stress that they are exposed to in terms of natural forces. We look at safety and reliability. At the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, the logistic aspects of manufacturing, installing and operating are relevant, says John Dalsgaard Sørensen.

Cooperating with the Wind Industry The five departments are involved in a series of ongoing national and international research projects, some of which include the Danish wind industry. The research is funded by the EU, the Danish Ministry of Education and Science, InnovationsFonden, EUDP and the wind industry. - It is almost impossible to get research funded, unless the industry is involved. The company normally handles the commercial aspects while AAU performs the research. At the moment, I am involved with three projects concerning turbines blades, where Dong, Vattenfall and E.ON are involved. We are also involved in a North Danish industrial network, Hub North, where AAU plays an important part by cooperating with small and medium sized companies, says John Dalsgaard.

∞ John Dalsgaard Sørensen | Professor

Department of Civil Engineering Phone : +45 9940 8581 Email : jds@civil.aau.dk

Challenge driven research

Wind power Industry:

Cost of Energy Down by 50 % in 2020 Many factors influence the process from the time when a wind turbine is manufactured and till it is installed. The construction must be reliable, so that the turbine does not break during the first storm. Particularly costs related to life span prolongation must be reduced, as operation costs account for up to 25-30 % of the cost of energy.

The cost of operating the Danish wind turbines are too high. A report from Megavind, a partnership between research institutions and the Danish wind industry, points out that the cost of energy of power from wind turbines must be reduced by 50 % before 2020. John Dalsgaard Sørensen, Professor at the Department of Civil Engineering at AAU, is an expert on risk analysis, focusing on handling uncertainties concerning the reliability of wind turbines and on methods for estimating operation costs during the turbine’s lifespan. The goal of his research is to identify strategies and solutions for the problem of reducing the cost of energy from Danish wind turbines. - In general, the more material that is used for the construction, the more expensive and the more reliable the turbine is. When calculating the reliability of the turbine versus the costs for materials and production, one must also consider an operation phase including costs for service, inspection and repairs, if the turbine is not sufficiently reliable. Basically, it is about optimising the level of safety versus the consequences of component failure, e.g. in the blades, tower or foundation. Add to this the significance of reliability of the control system as well as all the electrical and mechanical components in the nacelle. If they break, the turbine stops running and cannot produce power. And this costs money, says John Dalsgaard Sørensen. Statistics, Probability and Measuring Equipment Measurements performed at different locations and complex mathematical formulas based on statistics and applied calculus of probability are to ensure that the wind turbines of the future are more economical.

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At the Department of Civil Engineering, research is carried out in the fields of reliability and risk assessment, but also in modulating the wind conditions. - If you multiply the probability of failure with the consequences in Danish kroner, you have what is generally known as risk, something you want to minimise. In addition to our mathematical formulas, much measuring equipment is installed in turbines in order to collect data on the stress caused by the wind. The more measurements we have, the fewer precautions are necessary. If we look at the problem of reducing the cost of energy, one of our biggest challenges is that turbines now have to be installed further away from land, i.e. in deeper waters, which requires even more precautions. It is a difficult balance to achieve: Producing a low-cost wind turbine with relatively poor reliability that may cost a lot to operate in the long run, or producing a more reliable, but expensive turbine which can be expected to have lower operation costs. This is one of the areas that we are looking into at the moment, says John Dalsgaard Sørensen.

∞ John Dalsgaard Sørensen | Professor

Department of Civil Engineering Phone : +45 9940 8581 Email : jds@civil.aau.dk

The Bucket Foundation:

Reduces Costs by 30 % A new type of foundation for offshore wind turbines developed by Aalborg University in cooperation with a private company is about to revolutionise the offshore sector. Far less environmental impact and a reduction of installation costs with up to one third of the total cost of installation are significant factors that have secured the invention huge international attention.

Both Danish and international media have covered the bucket foundation, as it has been named, and the development of the commercial product is being followed with great interest round the world, particularly within the international wind power and offshore industries. The interest is mainly due to the fact that the industry is challenged in two ways: Partly because of an urgent need to reduce the costs related to installation and operation of offshore wind turbines; partly due to a wish to reduce the industry’s effect on the maritime environment, also a political issue. The large energy companies regard the bucket foundation as the foundation of the future. Cheaper and Better The main reason is that the bucket foundation will be much cheaper than existing foundation types, because it consists of less steel, which also makes transportation to the offshore wind farms much easier. In addition the bucket foundation is reusable. In principle, the bucket foundation is a large, singular steel container measuring 43 meters in height and 12 meters in diameter. The foundation is manufactured on land and transported out to sea, where it – without use of heavy machinery – virtually

installs itself by “sucking” into the seabed by aid of a powerful negative pressure. To remove the foundation, a positive pressure is applied. Traditional foundations are blasted away, a noisy procedure that disturbs fisk and sea creatures in the area. Pieces of steel are then left on the ocean floor. - Beside from heavily reducing the costs of production and installation, the bucket foundation is more environmentally friendly. In Germany, it is no longer allowed to install offshore wind turbine foundations using a pile driver, if the noise level exceeds a certain limit, because it disturbs the maritime environment, explains Lars Bo Ibsen of the Department of Civil Engineering at Aalborg University. He is one of the inventors behind the bucket foundation. Foundation of the Future The project began when a small private company, Universal Foundation (then Marine Business Development), addressed the AAU with the idea of the bucket foundation. This was in 2001, and the product has since been developed to a point where is it ready for large scale tests. Smaller test installations have taken place over the years

and shown great potential. One bucket foundation has been installed off the coast of Frederikshavn in 2001 and is still in perfect condition. Today, the project is facing its big, commercial breakthrough. The biggest challenge right now is preparing the company for handling large orders for turbine foundations for offshore wind farms. This not only requires the right equipment for production, but also capital and fine tuning of the production processes, but the market potential is there: - When the bucket foundation can be mass-produced, it will help create many Danish jobs because the potential is huge, says Lars Bo Ibsen. - The foundation normally accounts for approx 30 % of the price of an offshore turbine, the equivalent of 15 M DKK. An installed bucket foundation will amount to approx 10-12 M DKK. Lars Bo Ibsen estimates that the foundations can be used on 90 % off all seabed types.

∞ Lars Bo Ibsen | Professor

Department of Civil Engineering Phone: +45 2257 0060 Email: lbi@civil.aau.dk

Challenge driven research

LOSING WEIGHT:

Wind Turbines Grow Lighter and Stronger Longer, larger and lighter â&#x20AC;&#x201C; wind turbines continue to grow and their designs become ever more sophisticated. At Aalborg University, researchers work intensely to develop designs in composite materials that weigh less, are stronger and make wind turbines increasingly more energy efficient.

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A wind turbine blade is a highly complicated product which constantly presents optimisation potential for producing wind turbine power that is competitive with fossil fuels. The ambition is always to make the blades longer and larger in order to produce more power. At the same time, keeping the weight to a minimum continues to be a focal point in order to minimise the strain and the overall price of the wind turbine. Consequently, researchers work intensely to develop new material compositions, structural designs and computer-based models which will make the constructions lighter while strength and stiffness are maintained or improved. Composite Materials at the Highest Level The use of composite materials for wind turbine blades has steadily increased during recent years, and today the blades are usually made from light composite materials such as plastics, reinforced with glass and carbon fibres. Professor Erik Lund, Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, is world-famous for his research within optimisation of composite materials. Through computer-based mechanics, he is researching how to advance materials for use in large wind turbine blades and other products. - The material consumption in future constructions must be minimised while the constructions are made lighter and stronger. The right combination of lightness, strength and durability is a key competitive parameter within the industry. Consequently, the properties of the composite constructions are constantly pushed towards the edge of their capacity, says Erik Lund. The Strength Is In the Detail Tiny design details together with the complete blade structure determine the strength and lifetime of a wind turbine blade. This fact requires that you work on all levels from the microscopic material level to the structural blade level of e.g. a 75 metres long and 25 ton heavy wind turbine blade. - In order to understand and model the cause of strength failure, we carry out mechanical lab testing together with computer-based model development by recreating strain situations on e.g. critical parts of the blade construction. In this way, the blade is more easily optimised and can be customised to a desired structural behaviour, explains Lars Chr. T. Overgaard, Associate Professor at the Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering and previous Manager of blade development at Siemens Wind Power. The Blade Should Be Innovated The researchers at Aalborg University constantly improve their ability to design enhanced wind turbine blades. They work closely with various wind turbine manufacturers who always want their existing models to be improved and thus new models are established in order to predict the

strength of the design details. However, Lars Chr. T. Overgaard believes it is time that the wind turbine industry rethinks and innovates the wind turbine blade: - These are exciting times for composite materials and structures. During the past decades, Denmark has accumulated a massive amount of knowledge within production of the world’s largest composite structures. At the same time, computer-based models have improved significantly. Nevertheless, the structural blade design hasn’t changed much in decades. And so, from my perspective, it’s only natural that we now consolidate our knowledge in innovative production procedures and blade designs instead of continuing to build on existing methods and designs. This would obviously be both challenging and costly, and at the same time, the wind turbine industry moves so fast that there’s no time to rethink. This forces us to keep working within the same framework as we have always done. Blades Must Lose More Weight No one doubts that wind power plays a vital role in the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources in Denmark. However, in order for wind power to beat fossil fuels in energy production, blades must be made lighter and more efficient. - At the best onshore locations, the price of wind power is actually competitive with the general power market prices. However, most of these locations have already been occupied by existing wind turbines. Consequently, the only choice left for power companies is often to situate wind farms in areas with less wind or at offshore locations. As a result, the cost price of produced power still differs greatly from that of e.g. fossil fuels. This is where the weight and structural behaviour of the wind turbine blades play a vital role. We must reduce their weight while maintaining or improving their strength, and, at the same time, increase energy production, concludes Lars Chr. T. Overgaard.

∞ Erik Lund | Professor

Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Phone : +45 9940 9312 Email : el@m-tech.aau.dk

∞ Lars Chr. T. Overgaard | Assoc. Prof.

Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Phone : +45 9940 3047 Email : lcto@m-tech.aau.dk

Challenge driven research

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In order to maximise the output from our energy, we need to act on the following: Increasing efficiency by consuming less, and optimisation by using that energy most effectively. Professor Frede Blaabjerg, Department of Energy Technology

Our many wind turbines are generating more power than we can consume, leading us to seek alternative solutions, such as considering electricity and heating more holistically. Professor Henrik Lund, Department of Development and Planning

Challenge driven research

AAU Research:

Offshore Wind Farm Technology The new frontier of the wind industry is large-scale offshore wind farms. While promising, considerable research and development tasks remain to be carried out before it reaches its full potential in terms of the efficient, stable, safe, predictable and controllable supply of energy.

Wind power is a central area of research and education at Aalborg University (AAU). The purpose of wind turbine technology research is to reduce the cost of wind energy and make wind farms function as one of the main power sources in power systems.

projects, we use a detailed model of wind turbine systems and develop a new individual pitch control method that controls the turbine blades individually to reduce power fluctuation and the turbine fatigue load, and to improve the power quality, says Zhe Chen.

- We are doing analyses on detailed wind turbine control, using power electronic converters and turbine pitches to reduce turbine stress and improve turbine performance. Then we work on wind farm control to advance the entire wind farm performance and reduce power loss, says Zhe Chen, Professor, PhD and the leader of Wind Power System Research program at the Department of Energy Technology, Aalborg University.

Offshore Turbines Need Improvement The offshore wind turbines demand higher reliability than onshore wind turbines because the maintenance costs of offshore wind turbines are much higher. Furthermore, offshore wind turbines would affect the power system operation more significantly than distributed onshore wind turbines.

International Research on Wind Technology Professor Chen is currently working on an EU project, INNWIND, to study new wind power generator systems. He is also Principal Investigator of the following projects funded by The Danish Council for Strategic Research: “Dynamic wind turbine model - from wind to grid” and “Research on DC Network Connection with a Novel Wind Power Generator System”.

- To perform an overall optimal control for maximising the power capture and reducing turbine stress and wind farm losses, we are conducting research on optimal design, operation, control and fault prognoses for offshore wind turbines. In the future, energy storage technology will be a solution for keeping a smooth power flow. However, a cost effective energy storage system is still to be developed, concludes Zhe Chen.

- In the first-mentioned project, we develop the overall model of wind turbine systems and establish the control strategies on reducing wind turbine stress and improving the power quality. In the other project, we develop new generator and power electronic systems for offshore wind farms and offshore grid. A rotational wind turbine is subject to the periodical turbulence of wind. The stress on a turbine blade relates to its loading and can be affected by its pitching angle. In the above-mentioned

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∞ Zhe Chen | Professor

Department of Energy Technology Phone: +45 9940 9255 Email: zch@et.aau.dk

Smartgrid:

The Intelligent Power Grid of the Future Half of Denmark’s entire energy supply is to be generated from wind power by 2020. This poses a string of challenges, first of which is that electricity consumption is rising, in part due to the increasing popularity of electric cars and heat pumps. Each of these alone consume around the same amount of power as the average Danish household. Secondly, the availability of wind does not always correspond to the times of peak demand. Therefore we need to use the power that is generated in the most effective manner.

Flexible Electricity Rates on the Way Wind, and therefore wind derived electricity supply, is greatest during the night, however this is obviously not the period of highest demand. Therefore, if we are able to shift the most intensive, and also most flexible, sources of electricity consumption to night periods, such as the charging of electric cars and heat pumps, the load would be spread across the power grid more evenly, while simultaneously delivering savings to the consumer. This would be in everyone’s best interest, as the alternative to meeting the increasing demand for power at peak times would be to expand the country’s existing power grid, at great expense. Today there are only very few electricity companies who are able to charge the customers on an hourly basis. Such flexible rates will however become a reality within the next few years. Currently it is only customers who consume more than 100.000 kwh per year (typically industry) that are charged on an hourly basis, and who can thus choose to pay flexible rates based on supply and demand. Yet within the next 5-10 years,

a flexible system will be implemented more broadly to include the average consumer. This means that consumers will be paying more for electricity at peak times, and less at times when the supply is greater. Smartgrid Requires Cooperation The increase in the number of heat pumps and electric cars is expected to increase Danish electricity consumption twofold, or possibly even threefold, over the next 10 to 15 years. One possible solution would be to expand the existing power grid substantially. The smarter solution however, would be to adjust our consumption to ease the pressure on the grid at those peak times. This option will not only enable savings for the consumer, but also bring us a step closer to a future without the need for fossil fuels. To achieve this we need smart management of our power grid – also referred to as ‘Smartgrid’. There are various ways to achieve this, but one thing is certain – creating the ideal smartgrid requires knowledge and expertise from a broad range of scientific sectors. Thus to realise the

Danish dream of operating a smartgrid, it will need to be based on the broad collaboration of researchers across several institutes and universities, as well as business and industry representatives, e.g. IT specialists and ICT experts. - At Aalborg University we have researched the smartgrid of the future extensively, leading to a broad collaboration between researchers across various institutes, including energy technology, telecommunication, energy planning and computer science. The benefit of this collaboration is that as researchers from other fields contribute their knowledge and expertise, it enables us to examine ideas from all aspects, minimising time wasted on ideas that ultimately won’t be viable, says Birgitte Bak-Jensen, Associate Professor at the Department of Energy Technology.

∞ Birgitte Bak-Jensen | Assoc. Prof.

Department of Energy Technology Phone : +45 9940 9274 Email : bbj@et.aau.dk

Challenge driven research

Wave power:

Gigantic Amounts of Power in the Waves 16 C h a l l e n g e d r i v e n r e s e a r c h

The whole world can be supplied with power from the waves on the ocean, but it is difficult to extract the power from the waves. Researchers at Aalborg University know more about this secret than most.

We have all felt the power of the waves on the beach in the summer. If all the power in all the waves in the whole world could be collected, we would have an almost inexhaustible energy source. In the Danish part of the North Sea alone, the amount of energy available is estimated to a staggering 30 TWh per year. To give you an idea of how much we are talking about, the collective Danish electricity consumption is approx 33 TWh per year. - The problem with making use of this huge potential is that there are so many factors involved, and we have to understand the dynamics of how these factors affect each other, before it will be technically and financially possible to make use of this abundance of energy, says Associate Professor Jens Peter Kofoed from the group of wave energy researchers at Aalborg University. One of the major challenges is finding the right locations for wave energy plants based on an assessment of the wavesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; height, length and direction. The trick is to find the location where the plantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s efficiency will be optimal, i.e. where the plant will be able to make the most of the waves. Another great challenge is designing plants that can withstand the strain of extreme weather. A plant off the coast of Denmark must be different from one located off the Californian coast because the wave patterns are not similar.

During the past 15 years, research in this area has been very practical, focusing on ideas that come from developers of wave energy plants, helped along or discouraged by researchers. Now however, this research is supported by generic projects where methods and tools for the optimisation of plants are developed. Researchers are also discovering how waves combined with wind or solar power may contribute to a more consistent power supply. - The biggest challenge for non-fossil energy is that power plants cannot control, increase or decrease the production of power as is the case with coal. We can contribute with models that show how waves combined with solar or wind power can ensure more predictable power production, explains Jens Kofoed. He estimates that within a few years and after many hours of research, wave power may become the next great Danish energy trademark.

â&#x2C6;&#x17E; Jens Peter Kofoed | Assoc. Prof. Department of Civil Engineering

Phone : +45 9940 8474 Email : jpk@civil.aau.dk

Challenge driven research

ELECTROLYSIS:

A Key to Our Future Energy System No one seems to doubt the fact that hydrogen and fuel cells will play a major role the in the energy supply system of tomorrow. Why? Because this technology holds the answer to two highly crucial issues concerning renewable energy sources: Storage of energy and production of efficient fuel.

Hydrogen and fuel cells are often mentioned together, however, they are actually two different and independent elements with each their application. Hydrogen makes it possible to store surplus energy from renewable energy sources such as wind: Wind energy is used to separate hydrogen and oxygen from water, and the hydrogen can then be stored as a gas or, perhaps even more relevant, used for the production of synthetic methane gas or liquid fuels. All of these fuels can be stored for later use, for instance for days with low wind energy production. Fuel cells could be compared to a battery, but unlike batteries, a fuel cell does not need to be charged. It only requires a sufficient amount of hydrogen or hydrogenous fuel such as methanol that will allow oxygen and hydrogen to be transformed into electricity and pure water. A fuel cell emits only non-harmful substances; it makes no noise and is very energy efficient. - Fuel cells is a highly attractive technology because they are able to transform chemically bonded energy into electricity. At the same time, they are very efficient compared to other technologies, e.g. combustion engines, says SĂ¸ren Knudsen KĂŚr, Professor at the Department of Energy Technology at Aalborg University and Program Manager for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Research. Methanol Made From Hydrogen The key challenge in the shift to renewable energy sources is finding a stable and reliable storage technology which ensures that our future energy system can consist of 100 % renewable energy. This is where hydrogen excels because it can be stored for weeks but also because it has other quite useful features: - Besides storage, hydrogen has the excellent advantage that it can be processed into other types of gas, e.g. methane or

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synthetic fuels such as methanol. The feature opens up for the production of fuels that are easily transported and distributed in our existing system for natural gas or petrol, respectively. This is why electrolysis will be a key technology in our future energy system, and hydrogen will play a very essential role, explains Søren Knudsen Kær.

in North Denmark. As the technology keeps developing, step by step, and we continue to position our research at an international level, more companies will embrace the technology and start to make products which, for example, will replace batteries and generators. I’m convinced that this will happen.

Interplay Between Theory and Practice Over the past 15 years, the Department of Energy Technology has gained an international lead within research in modelling LTPEM fuel cells and HTPEM technology and has made distinctive research results. Today, the research team is working hard to find out how to improve the durability of fuel cells and thus to understand which mechanisms that cause the degrading of the cells’ output over a period of time. The research takes place both in the lab and together with various companies.

Søren Knudsen Kær adds that the North Denmark Region has been very supportive of his and his team’s research through financing of activities and facilities which has contributed to raising the bar within hydrogen and fuel cell research even further.

- Companies come to us with the problems they’re struggling with and we work from there. This process has made us very precise in defining relevant research projects which make a difference in the development of the technology, says Søren Knudsen Kær. Attracting Businesses Among other commercial initiatives, the hydrogen and fuel cell research has resulted in the establishment of a spin-off company, Serenergy, in Aalborg. Serenergy employs the institute’s research to produce high-tech products which are sold both in Denmark and abroad. Thus Serenergy is one of many concrete examples of how world-class research at Aalborg University has led to economic growth and job growth in North Denmark. Søren Knudsen Kær is certain that this particular hydrogen and fuel cell niche will see even further growth in this region: - Activities create activities, and I can easily imagine that even more players will enter this field

Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Today Already today, fuel cells function in several different areas as a highly successful alternative to diesel-powered back-up power generators. This applies to areas e.g. where the power grid is very unstable. Some areas in e.g. Africa are completely without electrical power, and here fuel cells can be employed to generate power. Fuel cells are also utilised in areas where power is critical, e.g. in hospitals where a reliable back-up system is fundamental. Micro CHP plants that produce both electricity and heat in private homes are also starting to use the fuel cell technology. Furthermore, it will not be many years before fuel cell powered cars will hit the roads for real.

∞ Søren Knudsen Kær | Professor Department of Energy Technology

Phone : +45 9940 3300 Email : skk@et.aau.dk

Challenge driven research

Solar Energy:

The Most Important Renewable Energy Resource Photovoltaic solar energy is the fastest growing energy technology and the third most important renewable energy technology after hydro and wind power â&#x20AC;&#x201C; with close to 140 GW of capacity installed globally. Academics at Aalborg University (AAU) perform research into all the main components of the photovoltaic system technology to develop a step change in the performance of photovoltaic devices.

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Solar power is potentially an almost limitless resource. In one minute, the Sun provides enough energy to supply the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s energy needs for one year. However, turning this resource into affordable electricity is difficult. Global electrical energy consumption increases, which means that power capacity and power transmission capabilities must be doubled within 20 years. Electrical power production is changing from conventional, fossil-based sources to renewable power resources. Therefore, innovative concepts and technologies are urgently needed to increase the overall efficiency of photovoltaic systems and reduce the costs of the energy they produce. - The Department of Physics and Nanotechnology works on Thin-Film Si solar cells, employing also nanotechnology to improve the performance. At the Department of Energy Technology, we research both the power electronic converters as well as their control and

power system integration. In the short to medium term, the photovoltaic energy technology has an enormous potential to grow, however its penetration in the energy system is likely to be limited by the intermittent nature of solar irradiation. We approach it on system level, and our aim is to create a solar power plant that behaves like a traditional power plant in terms of predictability and availability of production, overcoming the limitations set by the intermittency of generation, says Dezso Sera, Associate Professor at the Department of Energy Technology (DET). Danish Research and Technology Development Traditionally, Denmark has been a pioneer in wind energy, while solar energy only gained importance recently. At the Danish Technical University, organic photovoltaic energy is an important research area, while both Aarhus University and Aalborg University are active in thin-film photovoltaic research. For the last

decade, DET has been one of the leaders in developing algorithms for ensuring the stable and safe connection of photovoltaic inverters to the grid, optimum power extraction from the photovoltaic arrays and diagnostics and fault detections in photovoltaic panels. Danfoss Solar Inverters A/S has become one of the major players in the photovoltaic inverter market. Recently, they joined up with SMA, the largest photovoltaic inverter manufacturer. - A number of Danish companies are aiming at developing new photovoltaic systems technology, and I hope they will become important international players. During the next 5-10 years, I believe photovoltaic systems will become affordable and are going to be implemented in a very large number of European buildings as well as on ground. It will likely be in conjunction with energy storage, which is a key enabling technology, not only for photovoltaic panels but also for wind, says Dezso Sera.

A New Electrical Paradigm Researchers at AAU work specifically with optimising the existing technology, microgrid. The concept is the new electrical paradigm which sets the frame of the future picture of photovoltaic energy sources. - More and more photovoltaic panels are going to be installed in Denmark and Europe in the future. The use of microgrids guarantees grid stability, avoiding problems such as voltage contingencies, power angle stabilities and overloads. In a country like China, the installation of photovoltaic-based microgrids involves the possibility of adding energy storage systems like batteries and grid connection. This is not in Europe yet, but thanks to Sino-Danish collaboration projects, Aalborg University is developing technologies from these experiences and aims to implement microgrid systems in the future Danish smart grid, says Josep Guerrero, Professor, Department of Energy Technology.

â&#x2C6;&#x17E; Dezso Sera | Assoc. Prof. Department of Energy Technology

Phone : +45 9940 3307 Email : des@et.aau.dk

â&#x2C6;&#x17E; Josep Guerrero | Professor Department of Energy Technology

Phone : +45 9940 9726 Email : joz@et.aau.dk

E N E R G I i fre m tiden

22 C h a l l e n g e d r i v e n r e s e a r c h

bio economy:

Enzymes for a Sustainable Community Biomass can be transformed into much more than just heat and electricity. It can also be used for a series of purposes with much higher value: Bio fuel for transportation, biomaterials, bio chemicals, animal feed, food ingredients, soil improvement products and biogas. In Copenhagen, a group of researchers from Aalborg University are looking for the best fungi and enzymes. Enzymes that can help make Denmark and the rest of the world more sustainable, completely according to the political goals in the Danish Parliament’s energy accord leading up to 2020 as well as the EU vision in “Horizon 2020”. - The projects in our group are examples of basic research and applied research, which will help improve our understanding of how biomass transformation takes place in nature and help select the most suitable new enzymes to upgrade the value of biomass. We use enzyme discovery as well as new bioinformatics methods that can predict the function of the enzyme very accurately directly from the gene’s/protein’s sequence, says Lene Lange, Professor and Research Director. The focus of the research group is to find new proteins and enzymes from fungi and bacteria that have other properties than those already known, to transform organic waste products into other materials. The goal is to find, understand and develop the right processes to transform organic waste products into new products of higher value – either in order to replace fossil energy sources, for the products to reenter into the food chain, to function as food ingredients or to make new materials such as bio plastic. Lene Lange sees great potential in research and technology development. They have shown that it is possible not only to reduce the amount of waste, but also at the same time to increase the value of waste. This transforma-

tion, resulting in higher value, is called Waste2Value or W2V. For several decades, Denmark has been famous for its waste treatment systems. The innovation in the W2V way of thinking is that Denmark – and the rest of the world – in the future should not just burn waste to produce heat and power. Instead, we should recycle and reuse more. In addition, we should upgrade our waste to achieve higher value. - All in all, it is the RRU principle, we are following: Reuse, Recycle and Upgrade, says Lene Lange. The research performed at Aalborg University can contribute with new enzymes that optimise the sustainable utilisation of nature and the industrial community’s large amounts of bi product biomass. The researchers are finding enzymes that are better and better suited as an efficient basis for optimising the benefits of the world’s important biological materials. This leads to increased sustainability and improved resource efficiency compared to the traditional value chain, where biomass is only used to produce heat and power. As an example, the researchers have developed a method for accurately predicting the enzyme’s function based directly on the protein’s sequence. This significantly speeds up the process of finding new, better enzymes. It is now realistic to find enzymes for the efficient transformation of a wide range of biomass types, not only straw, but also green biomass, fish waste, household waste etc. In a very near future, it will be possible to make even more valuable products from biomass such as fuel, bio materials, bio chemicals, animal feed, food ingredients, soil improvement products and biogas.

∞ Lene Lange | Professor Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry & Environmental Engineering Phone : +45 9940 2584 Email : lla@adm.aau.dk

Challenge driven research

bio oil:

Sustainable Bio Fuels Aalborg University is working strategically on infrastructure-ready, sustainable bio fuels. By using thermo chemical processes, the researchers have produced bio oil from a series of organic waste products such as sludge, manure, straw and wood.

One of the current global grand challenges is to create a sustainable platform for the transportation sector. The challenge is not only to reduce CO2 emissions, but also to avoid affecting the availability of food for the population of the world. Part of the solution for air, sea and heavy land traffic will be based on liquid bio fuels. Huge amounts of it. This makes demands on the resource and energy efficiency of the process used to produce the bio fuels. At the Department of Energy Technology, Professor Lasse Rosendahl and his group are focusing on hydrothermal liquefaction, a technology using high pressure and medium high temperatures (approx 300 bar and 400 degrees Celsius) to utilise a catalyst process in water to

24 C h a l l e n g e d r i v e n r e s e a r c h

break down the biomass and make raw oil with low oxygen and high energy content. The researchers are expecting at least 80 % of the heat from this process to be recycled using internal heat exchange. This will contribute to making the hydrothermal liquefaction process considerately more energy efficient. - Our goal is to make this oil compatible with fossil raw oil so that it can be added in growing portions as more is produced â&#x20AC;&#x201C; this is the essence of an infrastructure-ready bio fuel, says Lasse Rosendahl. As part of a public-private partnership, the Department of Energy Technology has built the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s presumably most advanced research platform for developing the process, consisting of an advanced, progressive proces-

sing plant as well as an analytic laboratory for characterisation of biomass and raw bio oil. Furthermore, the department has built facilities for refining the product to the state of finished quality fuel and for testing the fuels in diesel and jet engines. - We have worked very hard on this project for many years, and as a researcher, it is a dream come true when we can help along such a ground-breaking project with great positive consequences for both man and the environment, says Lasse Rosendahl. The perspectives on a global scale are huge, if the process can be brought to a commercial stage. Obviously, there are large potential savings to be made by implementing sustainable bio fuels in the end

user technology without investing in new infrastructure. By using wood to represent so-called ligno-cellulose biomass (i.e. non-edible such as straw, certain grasses, forest waste), very promising and world leading results have been achieved: An oxygen percentage down to 5 % (versus typically max. 2 % in fossil raw oil) and an energy content of up to 42 MJ/kg (versus approx 45 MJ/kg in fossil raw oil). - We are very concerned with ensuring that our research aims at getting us as close as possible to fossil specifications. Also, we are continually striving to optimise the process in terms of its energy consumption as well as broadening the spectre of usable biomass types, says Lasse Rosendahl. Whereas the class of lingo-cellulose biomass

types (foliage, wood etc.) covers most of the Earth’s non-edible biomass resources, there is a large variation in the different types, and at the same time, there is organic waste available locally and regionally, which would be interesting – financially and societally – to use for making raw bio oil. The local resources in question are e.g. sludge, agro-industrial waste such as manure etc. and in the future also algae and seaweed. - This is why it is a big challenge to identify the “coproduction potential”, i.e. the amount of these other biomasses that can be used in coproduction with wood without compromising the oil quality or the efficiency of the process, says Lasse Rosendahl.

In the near future, the aim is to produce a sustainable and sulphur free alternative to the marine sector’s use of bunker fuel, a low quality product from oil refining. Tight regulatives concerning ships’ emission of sulphur are driving a trend, where raw bio oil made from wood will be a particularly well suited alternative.

∞ Lasse Rosendahl | Professor Department of Energy Technology

Phone : +45 9940 9263 Email : lar@et.aau.dk

Challenge driven research

biomass:

From Biomass to Biogas If biogas really is to break through as a competitive alternative fuel in the complete energy system, it is all about understanding how the fermentation process in a biogas plant is optimised. Both as a fuel for busses and cars but especially as a supplement to the existing natural gas network.

26 C h a l l e n g e d r i v e n r e s e a r c h

At Aalborg University’s department in Esbjerg, a handful of researchers are trying to gain a deeper insight into the mysteries of the fermentation process in biogas plants. They analyse both input and output of a biogas plant. Understanding the relations between e.g. manure, straw and other renewable biomass products is of crucial importance to the performance of the plant. - It’s a challenge that we have lots of manure, but manure in itself is not very good for gas production. It has to be mixed with other cheap carbon sources in order to optimise the biomass mix. Cheap carbon sources is an important terminology to understand – it’s primarily residual and by-products from agriculture and nature management areas, says Jens Bo Holm-Nielsen, Manager of the Department of Energy Technology’s branch in Esbjerg. A large part of their research also concerns monitoring what is going on inside the fermentation tanks at the biogas plants – how is the fatty acid composition (VFA, volatile fatty acids) and the relation between organic solids and total amount of solids (TS). This has a large impact on the quantity and quality of gas that a biogas plant is able to produce. It is important that the researchers find the optimal mixtures and compositions because the Danish Parliament has decided that the number of biogas plants in Denmark is to be extended significantly during the coming years in order to supplement the other renewable energy sources. - Our research is focused on being among the best at micromanaging biogas plants at a high level and on optimising the processes with renewable biomass for use in cities and vehicles, explains Jens Bo Holm-Nielsen. Aalborg University is careful to use “renewable” biomass which means organic (residual)

products that have not been used for food. This is, however, very common, allowed and supported in Germany where large areas are used to cultivate corn for biogas plants. Consequently, a large part of their research revolves around a comprehensive GIS mapping of natural grass and agricultural areas. Harvesting the grass also contributes to a greater biodiversity in nature. A large, unexploited biomass potential, which has great derived values, is about to take form. The most effective way to integrate biogas is to upgrade biogas to natural gas quality and integrate it into the natural gas network. Today, a well-functioning biogas plant is able to produce approx 8 million m3 biogas – equal to the yearly power and heat demand of a city of around 3700 households. - We’re pleased that the energy settlement of 2012 has opened up for both fields of application for biogas – partly for local combined heat and power production and partly for biomethane in the natural gas network. This has great perspectives in Europe, says Jens Bo Holm-Nielsen. Concurrent with the biogas plant research, the department is involved in bio-refinery projects that aim to obtain high-value products from biomass. This could e.g. be to ferment grass juices into high-value proteins which could be used for compound feed on farms. The concept of bio-refineries entails endless opportunities and Jens Bo Holm-Nielsen predicts great challenges for both students and researchers within this field.

∞ Jens Bo Holm-Nielsen | Assoc. Prof. Department of Energy Technology

Phone : +45 2166 2511 Email : jhn@et.aau.dk

Challenge driven research

Revealing the Secrets of Bacteria The Center for Microbial Communities at Aalborg University is home to 30 researchers who are amongst the best in the world when it comes to understanding how bacteria act. They are experts in optimising bacteria’s role in cleaning waste water, and in increasing the gas emissions from biogas plants. This is in line with the government’s energy targets for 2020.

Beyond our normal field of vision there is a whole world of bacteria, consisting of millions, or perhaps even billions, of different species. Bacteria are fundamental to environmental and human health and wellbeing, yet we know very little about how 99 % of them function.

terial communities. The researchers at Aalborg University have an indepth understanding of this complexity, and the boundless potential it holds in helping to secure a sustainable future for the planet through biotechnology.

In nature bacteria rarely grow as individual cells, instead forming microbial communities in the shape of aggregates or clinging to surfaces, so-called biofilm. - Bacteria play a vital role in human health and disease, being both indispensable to the digestive system, while also posing serious risks associated with infectious diseases, explains Professor Per Halkjær Nielsen, who heads up the Center for Microbial Communities at the university.

Until recently it has been impossible to isolate the individual cells in order to study them, leaving us unable to study over 99 % of the species.

Bacteria carry out a number of processes both individually and collectively which are important to humans. Bacteria are also vital to our eco systems where they recycle the biomass in the soil, lakes and oceans. Furthermore they perform important functions within biological plants for wastewater treatment and in the transformation of waste into biogas. Complex Communities Scientists are gradually starting to grasp the complexity of these bac-

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- That’s why we have had to take a different approach. We study them individually “in situ”, meaning while they are still in their natural habitat in amongst their usual cohort. This is one of the big new fields within microbiology, as there is a lot of knowledge to be gained by understanding these more natural environments, says Halkjær Nielsen. This new form of research requires more advanced and indirect methods. Using these new techniques, the bacteria can be studied without prior isolation and cultivation. With advanced microscopy and fluorescent markers, the individual bacteria can be studied directly in their biofilm. The new methods also allow us to study their DNA, which reveals in detail the functions of each cell, helping us to map out the individual functions of the cells that make up these microbial communities.

- Understanding these processes provides us with vital knowledge that is useful in, for instance, the ambitious expansion of biogas plants, which the government is working towards in their 2020 targets, says Halkjær Nielsen. This means that Per Halkjær Nielsen and his colleagues are able to make biogas plants produce more and cleaner gas by adjusting the bacteria systems that exist in the plants. Increasing the efficiency of wastewater plants to not only clean the water better, but to also utilise and recycle excess biological materials such as phosphor, is another focus area for the Center. The commercial potential here is enormous, with many new biogas plants underway, in addition to the hundreds of thousands of wastewater treatment plants that currently operate globally.

∞ Per Halkjær Nielsen | Professor Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry & Environmental Engineering Phone : +45 9940 8503 Email : phn@bio.aau.dk

Challenge driven research

Danish waters are to an increasing extent becoming the scene for important activities in the energy industry, but the Achilles heel of the offshore sector are the high costs related to establishing and running the oil, gas and wind turbine activities at sea. The Department of Civil Engineering is looking at the options for reducing these costs, thereby increasing the sectorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s competitiveness.

â&#x2C6;&#x17E; Anders Schmidt Kristensen | Assoc. Prof.

Department of Civil Engineering, Esbjerg Phone : +45 4218 0842 Email : ask@civil.aau.dk

30 C h a l l e n g e d r i v e n r e s e a r c h

During past years, the energy sector has helped create many jobs in Denmark, and energy is an important business area for Danish companies. They specialise in the development of advanced technology, produce equipment and tools or offer consultancy services based on unique knowledge and know-how about green solutions. Recently, the offshore sector has seen remarkable growth, and there is reason to believe that this trend will continue. But the enormous costs related to offshore activities are stunting the growth. Durability an Important Factor Today, most wind turbines are erected at sea where they can be higher and thereby more efficient. But service and maintenance on wind turbines constitute up to 25-30 % of the price of the electricity that they provide. The costs of installation and service at sea are high, because these activities are highly dependent on the so-called weather windows. At the same time, safety is a recurring theme at sea where the lives and health of workers must be protected. - In general, building, transporting and repairing things at sea is expensive, partly because the structures are difficult to access, partly because the weather dictates the speed at which activities can be carried out. And the meter is ticking for every hour that a wind turbine, an oil rig or a pipe system is not in operation. At the same time, the biggest players in the energy market are demanding that the cost of energy be reduced. This is why the entire energy sector is talking about COE â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Cost of Energy, explains Anders Schmidt Kristensen, Associate Professor at the Depart-

the Offshore sector:

The costs are the biggest challenge

ment of Civil Engineering at Aalborg University and continues: - Establishing for example pipe systems for oil and gas purposes or foundations for offshore wind turbines and oil rigs are more expensive and more difficult than establishing similar structures on land, because the weather plays such an important part and special equipment is required. Finally, specific safety precautions have to be taken, complicating work further. This is why it is very important which materials are used and how long a lifespan, we can anticipate. Virtual Tests The Department of Civil Engineering performs research to do with offshore structures such as the bearing parts of oil or gas rigs or wind turbine structures and different types of transport vessels. The department specialises in advanced calculations of strain and lifespan and has in-depth knowledge about materials, their qualities and how they act under strain. One of the department’s special skills is computer simulations where data about strain and different weather and wave conditions are included. These simulations can be used as a type of test before large structures at sea are constructed. Safety and durability are issues of vital importance. Computer based calculations are to an increasing extent being used as a tool to simulate different solutions, thereby reducing the need for expensive tests as well as the risk of making wrong decisions. There are several examples of projects where the Department of Civil Engineering in Esbjerg has cooperated with the industry on calculations

that have made an important difference. The latest project was a cooperation between the department and Ramboll Oil & Gas aiming to find a durable substitute for a pipe system that needed replacing every two years at very large costs. Today, a pipe system has been established that – according to the computer simulation – will last for 25 years. Equipment should be Recycled Another reason for the large costs in the offshore industry is expenses for replacing tools and equipment. For safety reasons, large amounts of equipment are discarded after single use, and even though this process is carried out in a way that does not affect the environment negatively, the costs of buying new equipment constitute a growing budget post for offshore companies. This is why the Department of Civil Engineering is working on methods to recycle equipment, and computer simulations can help determine what is possible without compromising safety precautions. The calculations are based on data such as wave heights and the subsequent strain on the equipment that holds wind turbine parts down during transport at sea. - The automobile industry is very good at recycling the production machinery, and we would like to transfer that way of thinking to the offshore sector. This sector’s main challenge is that safety is a whole other issue, and that’s why we’re discarding equipment that isn’t worn, only because we don’t really know what condition it’s in after single use. This is very price raising for the processes and worth taking a closer look at, says Anders Schmidt Kristensen.

Challenge driven research

There is no point in having more electric cars, if those cars will run on coal generated electricity. Conversely, it also does not make sense that we construct a bevy of wind turbines, if there is not enough demand for that power, for instance for electric cars. So where should we prioritise our investments? Associate Professor Poul Alberg Ă&#x2DC;stergaard, Department of Development and Planning

Optimisation can be achieved by utilising more locally accessible resources. This means replacing traditional raw materials such as oil with local energy resources such as wind power, solar power, biomass, geothermal energy and possibly wave power. Assistant Professor Karl Sperling, Department of Development and Planning

32 C h a l l e n g e d r i v e n r e s e a r c h

Challenge driven research

Transition to Renewable Energy Depends on Power Electronics In the not too distant future our power supply will be sourced exclusively from renewable energy sources. This commands two equally important fields of focus: Reducing our consumption and optimising our power production. This requires advanced power electronics.

Our everyday lives are ever more reliant on electricity. At the domestic level we see a continual increase in the use of smartphones, computers and other gadgets that run on rechargeable batteries. Heating, cooling and ventilation also use a lot of power, and our cars are being made to include more and more electronic functions. At the industrial level a high proportion of automation is run by electricity and the transport sector is also gradually becoming more electronic. Electricity Galore What all these things have in common is that their power supply requires conversion from one current type to another. Examples include a computer which is charged with mains electricity from off the power grid, requiring conversion from alternating current to direct current. Or solar energy which starts out as direct current being converted into alternating current before it can be transferred onto the power

34 C h a l l e n g e d r i v e n r e s e a r c h

grid. This conversion process is called Power Electronics. - In our society power conversion is required for a multitude of applications, making power electronics an absolute necessity of modern life. This includes both wind and solar energy which has to be transferred effectively onto the power grid, as well as computers, motors and other machines, where the power has to be adapted to the load. In actual fact, we estimate that around 70-80 % of our entire power consumption is converted through power electronics, explains Frede Blaabjerg, Professor at the Department of Energy Technology. Blaabjerg is convinced that this percentage of electrically based energy will continue to increase over the next two decades, making it essential that we have the capability to manage the electric power. Power electronics is crucial to achieving this in a smart and efficient manner.

Central to the Field of Energy Technology The continual development of Power Electronics is a key area of research at Aalborg University, where close cooperation with the relevant industries is seen as vital. This includes improving the electricity usage and durability of machines as well as individual components. On a broader scale it also includes the production of electricity through renewable sources such as wind turbines and solar cells. - In order to maximise the output from our energy, we need to act on the following: Increasing efficiency by consuming less, and optimisation by using that energy most effectively. We have around 75 PhD candidates who are researching these issues at all levels, including component, machinery and system level, says Blaabjerg. Power Electronics is a technology that is fundamental to energy research, and essential for the

entire transition to sustainable energy: - Power electronics forms the basis for many, if not all, the energy types that we research at Aalborg University. The reason being, if we are not able to convert an energy type into usable electricity in the power grid, then we quite simply won’t be able to implement a renewable energy model, says Blaabjerg. The Electric Car Will Spur the Breakthrough In Blaabjerg’s opinion, power electronics will make its great breakthrough when the electric car becomes a mainstream transport option. Electric cars rely heavily on power electronics in the motor, where alternating current is used, in the battery that needs charging, and not least in the large number of electronic functions that are increasingly stock standard in modern cars. - A lot depends on the electric car. Currently there are around 1 billion cars on the world’s

roads, all using fossil fuels. But the electric car is gaining popularity in California, and I think we will see that same development here in Denmark and across Europe in the near future as well, says Blaabjerg. The World Looks to Aalborg Over the last two decades, Aalborg University has established a global reputation in the field of power electronics, and though other international universities are catching up, Blaabjerg is confident that Aalborg University is still a global leader in this field. - There is no doubt that we are very advanced in this field at Aalborg University and that stakeholders across the globe follow our work closely. The main reasons for this is that we collaborate very closely with industry partners, which adds a very real and usable quality to our research, and also that our pub-

lication volume is very high. Furthermore we have a large research capacity, including globally renowned researchers and ultra-modern facilities. The Department of Energy Technology has several new initiatives underway, including an extensive upgrade of the facilities, in addition to expanding their research focus to include new fields such as electronic reliability, which is a developing field central to the industry.

∞ Frede Blaabjerg | Professor Department of Energy Technology

Phone : +45 2129 2454 Email : fbl@et.aau.dk

Challenge driven research

Smart energy systems:

Taking the Helicopter View At the Department of Development and Planning at Aalborg University, Professor Henrik Lund and his colleagues are working on an energy system model based on 100 % renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and waves. This has led to the development of a “Smart Energy Systems” concept that encompasses the electricity, heating and transport sectors.

- Smart Energy Systems is a holistic approach that goes beyond thinking of ‘electricity’, ‘heating’ and ‘transport’ as isolated sectors, and instead allows us to examine our energy needs as a whole. The goal is to find better and more cost effective solutions for integrating renewable energy, says Lund. According to Lund, it is possible for Denmark to deliver an energy system based on 100 % renewable energy by 2050. Many of the necessary measures are already in place or underway, but some further investments are still necessary. Wind is Weather Dependent An energy system based entirely on renewable energy sources (which in Denmark will be primarily wind power) is challenged by the lack of production consistency that you get from burning oil or coal. Some days are windier than others, and this variability of supply impacts on the rest of the supply system. As we install more wind turbines, we need to ensure better overall regulation of the supply system. - When Denmark integrated 20 % wind power into our electricity production, we reached a point where our power plants had to start regulating their productions based on the weather forecast, explains Lund. - Today, 30 % of our electricity is wind powered, and we are nearing a point where alternative strategies are needed to balance our power production. Our many wind turbines are generating more power than we can consume, leading us to seek alternative solutions, such as considering electricity and heating more holistically. Two Sides of the Same Coin Storing electricity is difficult and costly, and also incurs a considerable amount of energy loss. In more progressive areas, the problem is currently solved by utilising the excess power to heat water.

36 C h a l l e n g e d r i v e n r e s e a r c h

Hot water is used to heat homes, and an excess of hot water is easier and cheaper to store than excess electricity. But another more effective solution is to employ heat pumps that can convert the electricity into heating. - In Denmark we could increasingly use heat pumps to our advantage, says Henrik Lund. - In areas where it is not feasible to lay district heating pipes, we could instead install heating pumps in apartment blocks and individual dwellings. This is a viable alternative to natural gas or oilfuelled heating, which will be phased out as part of establishing an energy system run solely on renewable power. In areas where district heating already exists, large heat pumps can be added to the supply network. A heat pump has a greater output than input, meaning it produces more heat than it uses electricity, explains Lund. By 2020 we will reach our goal of 50 % wind power generated energy supply, which of course means that we will be producing less electricity through the existing coal and natural gas fired power plants. This in turn also means that these fossil fuelled power plants will be able to deliver less heating to the heating supply network. Here heat pumps provide a flexible solution allowing us to maintain power efficiency while simultaneous incorporating a greater proportion of wind power. This illustrates why it is important to think holistically about heating and electricity, and is the main tenet of Smart Energy Systems. Not to Forget Transport To achieve an energy system completely free of fossil fuel demands, it is impossible to neglect the transport sector. It would be relatively simple to shift personal transport onto wind power via the mass utilisation of electric cars. Larger trucks and airplanes however are not able to run on electricity. In these instances a possible solution would be to produce a biomass derived gas or liquid fuel such as methane or methanol. While biomass is a sustainable source of energy, it is not a renewable source, and there is insufficient biomass in Denmark, nor globally, to run the entire transport sector on. - You have to consider gas and electricity production as a whole, in order to find a viable solution. Again this is the fundamental thinking behind the Smart Energy Systems concept – that the best and least costly solutions are to be found when you take a holistic approach, says Lund. - A huge buzzword right now is “Power to Gas”, which is the idea of using electricity to boost the production of biofuels through electrolysis. Just as with the use of electricity in our heating supply, this is advantageous because it means we can achieve a greater flexibility, as biofuel and gas are easier and cheaper to store than electricity, concludes Lund.

∞ Henrik Lund | Professor Department of Development and Planning

Phone : +45 9940 8309 Email : lund@plan.aau.dk

Challenge driven research

By using more district heating, Europe can very quickly create more than 200,000 jobs using known technology, and at the same time reduce the costs related to achieving the ambitious CO2 targets for 2050.

â&#x2C6;&#x17E; Brian V. Mathiesen | Professor Department of Development and Planning, CPH

Phone : +45 9940 7218 Email : bvm@plan.aau.dk

â&#x2C6;&#x17E; David Connolly | Assoc. Prof. Department of Development and Planning

Phone : +45 9940 2483 Email : david@plan.aau.dk

38 C h a l l e n g e d r i v e n r e s e a r c h

The Department of Development and Planning at Aalborg University has, in cooperation with Halmstad University and the consulting and engineering company PlanEnergi, written two reports, Heat Roadmap Europe I and II, which give precise recommendations for reaching the ambitious climate targets as well as achieving positive side effects. This is part of the work on Smart Energy Systems carried out by the Research Group for Development and Planning. - By analysing heat savings and energy efficiency, by investigating local conditions and by making energy system analyses, we are able to identify a balance between heat savings and key infrastructural changes in the energy supply. Lowering the energy consumption in buildings is essential. However, here we combine heat savings in the buildings with higher energy efficiency by expanding district heating in the future heat supply in the EU27, says David Connolly, Associate Professor at the Department of Development and Planning. Large Savings are Possible The European target is to reduce the CO2 emission by 80 % before 2020. Heat Roadmap Europe II (HRE-II), the latest report from the parties behind the study, shows how an overall investment in district heating in Europe can significantly reduce the costs of reaching this target. - The report is based on a comprehensive study of the need for heating in Europe as well as a detailed analysis of the opportunities of reducing costs. The EU has previously published an energy efficiency scenario. Compared to this scenario, the recommendations in the HRE-II report suggest

Heat Roadmap Europe II:

District Heating Creates Jobs and Helps the European CO2 Targets the possibility of reducing planned investments by approx EUR 170 billion per year, while the suggested extra investments in district heating and renewables will only cost approx EUR 70 billion per year, says Professor Brian Vad Mathiesen from the Department of Development and Planning and continues: - This is an example of our research on smart energy systems. The concept we have developed is about utilising synergies by operating and using infrastructure and storage across sectors, thereby making it possible to achieve a more energy efficient system while lowering the costs. HRE-II is a clear example of how we can save money and still have ambitious climate and environmental targets. District Heating and Renewables These cost reductions are to be achieved by installing more district heating. This will provide the opportunity to save fuel by a more efficient use of the CHP production, which is to be supplemented by heating pumps and industrial surplus heat. Furthermore, more renewable energy sources such as geothermics, solar power and waste incineration are to be included in the system. Finally, the report puts into figures how district heating with heat storage facilities can increase the integration of wind power in Europe, an important issue. The report specifically recommends that district heating in Europe is expanded from covering 12 % to 50 % of the need for heating. Sweden, Iceland, France and Denmark are in the lead when it comes to having the best district heating and cooling systems in the world. Pipe

systems lead hot or cold water between buildings in cities, distributing the energy between houses. According to the HRE-II, it would be advantageous to introduce this system in other European countries. Sharing the Heat - If we can implement these district heating and cooling systems in cities all over Europe, then we can save lots of fossil fuel sources, especially imported natural gas. Instead of wasting heat from industry companies, the energy sources can be recycled in a district heating system. Instead of using individual heating units, we are going to share the units, since it is cheaper for everyone to share the infrastructure with one another. If we look into the future Europe, we will have decarbonised energy systems. In this future, our energy will primarily be based on sources with no carbon emissions, such as wind power and solar cells, says David Connolly. - It is, however, important to stress that district heating goes hand in hand with initiatives to reduce our heat consumption. This is the only way to reap the many benefits, says Brian Vad Mathiesen. More Jobs, No Extra Costs Maybe the most exciting conclusion in the report is that by investing in district heating, Europe can create up to 200,000 jobs here and now without increasing energy expenditure. - This is why we recommend that the EU includes district heating actively, not only in analyses of future opportunities, but also in future political initiatives in the area of energy and environment â&#x20AC;&#x201C; there is money to be saved and jobs to be created, says Brian Vad Mathiesen.

Challenge driven research

Strategic Energy Planning to Ensure a Green Future The energy scenarios of the future are looking bright if the state, the regions and the municipalities can work together to implement a new, green energy system in Denmark. Strategic municipal energy planning is about developing the skills to think long term and across sectors to develop an energy system that can be a driver for growth both locally and regionally.

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The goal for the Danish Energy Agency’s strategic municipal energy planning is to achieve a more flexible system with less consumption and more renewable energy. The Department of Development and Planning at Aalborg University contributes with consultancy services based on three main areas of expertise, namely energy system analysis (including GIS), socioeconomic analysis and the development of public governance of the energy system. Both large regions such as the capital of Copenhagen as well as small North Danish municipalities such as Frederikshavn and Mariagerfjord make use of the Department’s input for development. - A reorganisation of the energy system is a technological as well as an organisational change process. It is not only a municipal duty, but also a process, which the state, the regions and other players such as local citizens and industrial companies must all take part in, says Karl Sperling, Assistant Professor at the Department of Planning and Development. Frederikshavn, an Energy City To begin with, the parties involved in the project “Energy City Frederikshavn” only considered energy planning within the city of Frederikshavn. But during the process, the city council and the city administration realised that it was necessary to include the surrounding areas. This led to a research project called “Princip” that addresses the entire municipality as one energy system. - The energy scenarios we developed are meant to be specific examples of how a fossil free energy system in the municipality might look like in 2030. The project should support the development of a shared, municipal vision and action plan for the energy system. The scenarios are mainly based on savings, optimisation and the use of local, renewable energy resources. Savings is about focusing on energy savings, i.e. lowering the fuel need in the energy system. As an exam-

ple, the energy need in buildings and homes can be reduced by renovating, says Karl Sperling. - Optimisation can be achieved by utilising more locally accessible resources, e.g. by reducing the net loss and recovering waste heat. Strategically, this means replacing traditional raw materials such as oil, fossil fuels, natural gas and waste incineration with local energy resources such as wind power, solar power, biomass, geothermal energy and possibly wave power. Mariagerfjord, a Heavy Industry Municipality Mariagerfjord is a heavy industry municipality and challenged in terms of covering its energy needs with only local resources. If Mariagerfjord is to achieve a green energy stamp, the large consumption of industrial fuel must be reduced and replaced with renewable energy. This is not easily done, because there is not the same amount of biomass resources available all over the country. - Mariagerfjord is a good example of a place where it is necessary to think across municipal borders in order to achieve real strategic energy planning. In 2010, Mariagerfjord spent approx 1 bn. DKK on fuel. A lot of this money will never make its way back into the town. If it were possible instead to supply the town with natural local resources or to install locally and municipally owned wind turbines, money would be generated that would stay in the town. Developing local energy scenarios and implementing them with local investments will benefit the entire local community in the long term, says Karl Sperling.

∞ Karl Sperling | Assistant Professor

Department of Development and Planning Phone : +45 9940 7219 Email : karl@plan.aau.dk

A reduction in the energy consumption of our households and buildings demands further development of technologies on several levels. Materials, installations, integrated building concepts and not least the complete power infrastructure must be optimised in order to meet the demands of a modern energy system. Coordinated Consumption Arne Skou, Associate Professor at the Department of Computer Science, is part of a research team who are developing a planning system for buildings in order to fully utilise their energy demand. The team is especially focused on the development of an IT infrastructure which allows all units to be managed and coordinated in such a way that they use the least amount of power possible without any waste. The researchers are looking at two areas in particular: › ›

1. Units, e.g. heat exchangers and domestic appliances which use energy, or solar cells and geothermal heat which produce energy 2. Energy consumption over time which demands intelligent tools that calculate and coordinate the various units and sets them to operate at the most beneficial times of the day

- It’s a technological challenge because we have so mange different devices in our buildings, all of which play a big role in the energy system of a house. We have to have an intelligent planning system in order to coordinate and minimise the consumption of energy, explains Arne Skou. An intelligent planning system includes both the infrastructure of the individual house but also the general power grid which must be able to handle the great power strain. - Our power consumption continues to increase, and I can only imagine what it’ll look like in the near future when 15 out of 20 Danes have electric cars that need charging. The existing power grid would not be able to handle the strain if everyone decides to charge at the same time. Consequently, the future energy

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infrastructure must relate to the individual consumer, the individual household and the collective supply system. Such an infrastructure requires advanced analysis tools for the vast amount of measurement data that will be generated. New and Existing Buildings While the Department of Computer Science researches future IT infrastructures and systems, the Department of Civil Engineering takes a closer look at how new building concepts and technologies can change the energy consumption of houses and buildings. Their research takes place at four levels: › Component: Development of new building materials and components such as windows, ventilation or insulation › System: Development of innovative facade solutions › Concept: Development of turn-key solutions that combine constructions, technical installations and renewable energy › Process: Project design processes where components, systems and concepts all come together New building concepts and technologies not only concern new constructions but to a great extent also existing buildings: - If we are to reduce the energy consumption of our buildings with 50 % over time, it is essential that we also develop solutions for existing buildings which account for the bulk of our buildings, explains Per Heiselberg, Professor at the Department of Civil Engineering. Collaboration Across Competencies Energy efficient constructions are a multifaceted undertaking which involves a wide variety of competencies. AAU is the university in Denmark that has the most activities and the broadest expertise within this field. The development of energy efficient building work takes place across several departments:

- For instance, the Department of Civil Engineering researches new component solutions within windows, ventilation or insulation, whereas the Department of Computer Science has the competencies to develop an IT infrastructure for intelligent energy systems. In this way, energy efficient building research involves many versatile competencies from different research teams. Still Too Costly The biggest challenge within energy efficient building work today is actually not developing innovative solutions: - Basically, it’s not the development of durable technologies that poses the biggest challenge right now. It is rather the financial aspect because the cost of renovation and the related energy cost savings don’t add up just yet. Energy efficient solutions must be made cheaper, but we should also promote other qualities that motivate renovation such as how new, larger windows bring much more light and atmosphere into a room, concludes Per Heiselberg. Both the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Civil Engineering work closely together with Danish and foreign companies in order to optimise existing solutions and to develop new, intelligent technologies within energy efficient building work.

∞ Arne Skou | Assoc. Prof. Department of Computer Science

Phone : +45 9940 8851 E-mail : ask@cs.aau.dk

∞ Per Heiselberg | Professor Department of Civil Engineering

Phone : +45 2023 4660 Email : ph@civil.aau.dk

Our Buildings Guzzle Power and Heat About one third of the total energy consumption in Denmark goes towards households and building work, making the building sector an obvious target for energy optimisation.

Challenge driven research

The Department of Development and Planning proposes concrete technologies and policies as to how society can move from a stable â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but scarce and heavily polluting â&#x20AC;&#x201C; energy supply to a supply system based upon 100 % renewable energy and energy conservation.

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Towards 100 % Renewable Energy in Denmark The Sustainable Energy Planning Research Group propose concrete suggestions, both technical and in relation to energy policies, to the political body at the Danish Parliament, the public and to the government officials who help frame and implement the Danish energy and climate policies. - We suggest technological solutions and political means that are necessary in order to implement a financially efficient and socially balanced transition to renewable energy sources, says Frede Hvelplund, Professor at the Department of Development and Planning. The Sustainable Energy Planning Research Group consists of both young and experienced researchers across Aalborg University’s many specialist competencies within energy. Frede Hvelplund has studied the subject since 1975 and he believes that it is necessary for researchers to propose very concrete suggestions to a strengthening of the energy policies. A key issue is the balance between the role of the market and the governmental planning and regulation. When e.g. many energy plants and infrastructures, including buildings, have a long service life, the State should enhance their role in terms of long-term societal planning and regulation. - An extensive energy renovation of the building stock is currently a clear energy political wish; however, the necessary policies are not yet being pursued, says Frede Hvelplund. As an example, Frede Hvelplund says that, depending on heat company, between one-third and two-thirds of the heating bill is fixed, and thus independent of the consumption. This means that it does not pay for households to energy renovate their houses in order to realise the target of cutting heat consumption by half up until 2050. - That’s why we’re suggesting legislation which ensures that the heating rates are 100 % consumption-dependent, says Frede Hvelplund. In combination with this legislation, Frede Hvelplund suggests that heat supply

companies give security for 30-year energy renovation loans with a fixed interest of below 3 % pa, combined with a 10-15 % investment subsidy up until 2020 – as long as the energy renovation is recommended and “inspected” by an energy consultant. The energy and heat supply companies should finance the above policies. Another challenge for more efficient planning is how to achieve an effective coordination between investments in power, transportation and the heating sectors. In this matter, there are also several institutional barriers in the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, e.g. in relation to market structures which support technologies based on fossil fuels. The Sustainable Energy Planning Research Group at Aalborg University also believes that another barrier in Denmark is the Treasury’s demand that public investments, e.g. in energy plants, must give a minimum return of 5-7 %. Today, countries such as Germany, Great Britain, Norway and Sweden apply return demands of between 3-3.5 %, after which, for many countries, it gradually decreases to 1 % for a long period of time. In Denmark, the State applies a return on public investments of 5 %, corresponding to a loan rate of approx 7 %, while you can get 30-year loans with a fixed interest of below 3 % pa. The Treasury’s return demands prevent investments in a number of both green and clearly socio-economic projects that would provide growth, jobs and a significantly higher return than the present market rate. For further description of proposed technical systems and policies, see the CEESA project www.ceesa.plan.aau.dk.

∞ Frede Hvelplund | Professor Department of Development and Planning

Phone : +45 9940 8380 Email : hvelplund@plan.aau.dk

Challenge driven research

ENERGY PLANNING:

More Wind Turbines, More Challenges How will the energy systems of the future look? Where should we invest? What do we do when there is too much or too little wind, and our many wind turbines generate too much or too little power? Which technologies should we prioritise? What is better overall? These are some of the questions that the staff and students grapple with at the Department of Development and Planning at Aalborg University. Here, various scenarios are investigated in order to provide decision makers with the necessary information to plan for the country’s future energy needs.

- Sometimes our work can resemble the question of the chicken or the egg, says Associate Professor Poul Alberg Østergaard from the Department of Development and Planning. - For example, there is no point in having more electric cars, if those cars will run on coal generated electricity. Conversely, it also does not make sense that we construct a bevy of wind turbines, if there is not enough demand for that power, for instance for electric cars. So where should we prioritise our investments?

turbines are unable to supply sufficient energy to meet the country’s demands. Conversely, if it is too windy, an excess of energy will be generated, which will need to be exported, stored or utilised in the production of an alternate form that is better able to be stored.

Across a variety of scenarios these are the types of questions that formulate the Department’s projections to assist policy decisions regarding energy planning. It is a complex field where a variety of factors inter-relate, and where even the slightest imbalance can have significant impacts.

- When there is not enough wind, we need an alternative energy system to help meet our electricity demands. That could be our fossil fuelled power plants, but the bigger question is whether we envisage those at all in the future. If we do, we need to ensure that they are still a financially viable option, otherwise they will cease to exist. And if that happens, we need to be ready with viable alternatives to supplement our wind energy and make up for potential shortfalls due to weather variability, says Østergaard.

One of our most pressing questions is how to best and most efficiently reach our target to increase Denmark’s total energy from wind generated sources to 50 %. The main challenge posed by wind turbines is the unpredictable nature of the weather – if it is not windy enough, the wind

The Department of Development and Planning works with multiple potential scenarios in the context of this challenge to investigate potential solutions and limitations. - There are a range of possible strategies that we can employ to regulate the input and output in our energy system,

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explains Poul Alberg Østergaard. - One example would be to adopt a more flexible pattern of energy consumption, by creating incentives for people to plan their high energy activities, such as laundry and charging electric car batteries, to coincide with windy weather. It is also possible to imagine large parts of the transport sector running on electricity, for instance by use of trains and electric cars. Generally speaking, electric cars have huge potential in a society run primarily on wind power. This is because the battery of an electric car can store large amounts of electricity, and say we were able to tap into that stored power for use at times of low wind, then that opens up to a range of interesting possibilities, concludes Østergaard.

∞ Poul Alberg Østergaard | Assoc. Prof. Department of Development and Planning Phone : +45 9940 8424 Email : poul@plan.aau.dk

Energy Optimisation:

Greener Ships on the Blue Waves Pollution can be minimised and money saved when researchers at Aalborg University optimise and streamline the energy consumption aboard ships.

When it was built in 2006, Emma Maersk was the world’s largest container vessel. On average – depending on its speed – it daily consumes the same amount of heavy oil as a large provincial town. That is why research performed by Associate Professor Kim Sørensen and his colleagues at the Department of Energy Technology can make a huge difference with even tiny improvements to the efficiency and optimisation of ships’ engines and propulsion systems. - The goal is to show the way to more energy efficient and less polluting ships to transport goods around the world, says Associate Professor Kim Sørensen, Department of Energy Technology at Aalborg University. Their research covers most elements on a ship that are significant to its energy consumption or emission – either how effectively the ships’ systems make use of the infused energy or how much the ships’ smoke emissions pollute the surroundings. - Our research is a mix of theory and practice. One day, we may be working on complicated models and calculations, the next day we may be getting our hands dirty deep inside a ship’s engine, explains Kim Sørensen. Their latest project is about how to make the most of the energy in the engine’s exhaust gasses in order to improve total efficiency. Almost all

the research has taken place in close cooperation with companies that deal with these problems on a daily basis when delivering products for the shipping industry – companies such as Alfa Laval, MAN Diesel, Mærsk and Haldor Topsøe. - Shipping is and will continue during the coming years to be constantly challenged by increasing demands on the efficiency of the equipment on board. This affects the maritime industry which needs solutions that can help meet these new demands, says Kim Sørensen. Recently, Aalborg University has made a contract with the maritime college Martec in order to help strengthen education, know-how and knowledge in the maritime sector.

∞ Kim Sørensen | Assoc. Prof. Department of Energy Technology

Phone : +45 9940 3813 Email : kso@et.aau.dk

Challenge driven research

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