Maintenance drones and robots to enhance renewable energy systems in the Atlantic Area

Programme 2014 - 2020 INTERREG VB Atlantic Area

Date of latest update: 2023-03-02

Description

Description (EN):

Aerospace and robotic technologies together with composites and additive manufacturing will be interweaved to produce full innovative solutions for a more efficient energy production. The use of support robots on solar panels and windmill engines will boost these clean energies in the area. DURABLE will accelerate the deployment of renewable energies in the Atlantic Area through the validation and demonstration of previous developed aerospace technologies applied in robotics for operation and maintenance activities in wind and solar energy systems. The supporting robots will be adapted to perform tasks of inspection/surveillance and reparation reducing the high costs of these activities favouring regional renewable energy production conditions. The project will create an innovative institutional and technical cooperation network that will reduce the operation & maintenance costs in the renewable energy production, merging key technological and institutional actors from these critical sectors.

Description (PT):

DURABLE irá potenciar a utilização das energias renováveis no Espaço Atlântico através da validação e demonstração de tecnologias aeroespaciais aplicadas na área da robótica para suporte e manutenção de sistemas de energia eólica e solar. Os robôs de apoio serão adaptados para executar tarefas de inspeção, monitorização e reparação, reduzindo os elevados custos dessas atividades, favorecendo as condições de produção local de energia renovável

Description (ES):

DURABLE va a acelerar el desempeño de las energías renovables en el Espacio Atlántico mediante validación y demostración de tecnologías aeroespaciales previamente desarrolladas, aplicadas en robótica para actividades de operación y mantenimiento en sistemas de energía solar y eólica. Los robots de apoyo se adaptarán para realizar tareas de inspección/vigilancia y reparación reduciendo los altos costes de estas tareas favoreciendo las condiciones regionales de producción de las energías renovables.

Description (FR):

DURABLE accélèrera la performance des énergies renouvelables dans l'Espace Atlantique grâce à la validation et démonstration de technologies aérospatiales déjà développées, appliquées en robotique pour exploitation et maintenance des systèmes d'énergie solaire et éolienne. Les robots de soutien seront adaptés pour effectuer des tâches d'inspection/surveillance et réparation, réduisant les coûts élevés de ces tâches, favorisant les conditions régionales de production d’énergie renouvelable

Achievements (EN):

“Drones and Maintenance Robots for the Promotion of Renewable Energies” is born as an ambitious project to tackle the needs of the Atlantic Area in terms of competitiveness in renewable technologies and resilience against climate change. Overall, it is an ambitious project whose goal is to reduce the pollution generated by the current methods for producing energy in the wind and solar farms in the Atlantic Area. Partners in DURABLE are working on the validation and demonstration of aerospace technologies such as aerial robotics or additive manufacturing and their application to organisation and maintenance. With the technologies developed within the project, improvements such as the automation of inspection and repair tasks or the rapid replacement of parts are achieved, reducing costs, and improving the productivity of the new plants. Some of the most promising technologies developed by the partners are the following: intelligent navigation technology using drones for high-precision damage assessment and reporting; novel technologies for the inspection of wind turbines with a fleet of drones; a methodology of ultrasonic inspection for wind blades; portable low-power Radio Emission Spectroscopy technology; unmanned Ground Vehicles (land robots equipped with advanced sensing and actuation technologies); and an immersive 4D virtual cockpit for remote operations. The last step of the project will be to implement these technologies into two pilot sites in Portugal and France for their validation. "Any technology that will allow industry to remotely check wind and solar farms, and indeed do so on aerial systems that are themselves based on sustainable rechargeable battery technologies, will be a huge bonus in developing Europe’s Green Economy in the Atlantic Area”. Dr. Alessio Di Liberto Electronic Engineer at DCU.

Website: https://www.atlanticarea.eu/

Expected Results (EN):

The application of robotics and aeronautic disruptive knowledge and technologies to the renewables sector will generate a reduction of O&M costs (automatic inspections repair, safer operations) in a long-lasting way as both sectors are in continuous evolution. The co-development of technologies will generate long-lasting relations among sectors so the benefits for renewable energy, but also to robotic and aeronautics, will last during the years allowing the implementation of the innovation of one area into the other. The benefits will be demonstrated to end-users at transnational level. Different workshops and working sessions will be held to guarantee the transfer of the exploitation opportunities beyond the lifetime of the project to private sector and local and regional organizations. In terms of replicability, EDF Group is owning a large assets fleet in the Atlantic Area and will consider the application of the most promising technologies / solutions across its entire fleet, made out of several hundreds of solar and wind assets in the Atlantic Area.

Expected Outputs (EN):

• Develop a mapping of the needs of solar and wind farms, creating a robotic technology catalogue to detect applications in Operation & Maintenance for renewables. • Deploy new applications of UAVs to be tested in several case studies in renewable energies facilities for inspection tasks demonstrating the impact of non-contact monitoring. • Deliver of case studies for application of automated composites repair in renewable sector to demonstrate the viability of Additive Manufacturing in maintenance for energy facilities. Identification of key aspects for implementing a demonstration site and analysis of the impact of the use of robotic innovative platforms for Operation & Maintenance operations in solar and wind farms.

Thematic information

Renewable energy

Specific Objective: Fostering renewable energies and energy efficiency

Thematic Objective: (04) supporting the shift towards a low-carbon economy in all sectors by:

Investment Priority: (04a) promoting the production and distribution of energy derived from renewable sources

Partners (12)

Lead Partner: Ecole Supérieure des Technologies Industrielles Avancées

Address: BIDART, France

Legal status: private

Total budget: EUR 649 148.00

ERDF budget: EUR 486 861.00

EDF EN Services

Name: EDF EN Services

Address: Colombiers, France

Legal status: private

Total budget: EUR 228 800.00

ERDF budget: EUR 171 600.00

INSTITUTO SUPERIOR TÉCNICO

Name: INSTITUTO SUPERIOR TÉCNICO

Address: Lisbon, Portugal

Legal status: public

Total budget: EUR 380 400.00

ERDF budget: EUR 285 300.00

Alerion Technologies S.L.

Name: Alerion Technologies S.L.

Address: Donostia – San Sebastian, Spain

Legal status: private

Total budget: EUR 242 750.00

ERDF budget: EUR 182 062.50

Electricité de France

Name: Electricité de France

Address: Paris, France

Legal status: private

Total budget: EUR 279 450.00

ERDF budget: EUR 209 587.50

Dublin City University

Name: Dublin City University

Address: Dublin, Ireland

Legal status: public

Total budget: EUR 235 052.60

ERDF budget: EUR 176 289.45

Cluster Vasco de Energía

Name: Cluster Vasco de Energía

Address: Bilbao, Spain

Legal status: private

Total budget: EUR 198 250.00

ERDF budget: EUR 148 687.50

Universidad de Sevilla

Name: Universidad de Sevilla

Address: Sevilla, Spain

Legal status: public

Total budget: EUR 155 400.00

ERDF budget: EUR 116 550.00

LORTEK S. COOP.

Name: LORTEK S. COOP.

Address: Ordizia, Spain

Legal status: private

Total budget: EUR 414 850.00

ERDF budget: EUR 311 137.50

Corporación Tecnológica de Andalucía

Name: Corporación Tecnológica de Andalucía

Address: Seville, Spain

Legal status: private

Total budget: EUR 182 000.00

ERDF budget: EUR 136 500.00

Fundación Andaluza para el Desarrollo Aeroespacial – Centro Avanzado de Tecnologías Aerospaciales

Name: Fundación Andaluza para el Desarrollo Aeroespacial – Centro Avanzado de Tecnologías Aerospaciales

Address: Sevilla, Spain

Legal status: private

Total budget: EUR 600 000.00

ERDF budget: EUR 450 000.00

University of the West of England, Bristol

Name: University of the West of England, Bristol

Address: Bristol, United Kingdom

Legal status: public

Total budget: EUR 312 634.44

ERDF budget: EUR 234 475.83

Partners map

Partners and Projects info

EDF EN Services

Maintenance drones and robots to enhance renewable energy systems in the Atlantic Area

Partners and Projects info

Ecole Supérieure des Technologies Industrielles Avancées

Maintenance drones and robots to enhance renewable energy systems in the Atlantic Area

Partners and Projects info

Instituto superior técnico

Maintenance drones and robots to enhance renewable energy systems in the Atlantic Area

Partners and Projects info

Alerion Technologies S.L.

Maintenance drones and robots to enhance renewable energy systems in the Atlantic Area

Partners and Projects info

Electricité de France

Maintenance drones and robots to enhance renewable energy systems in the Atlantic Area

Partners and Projects info

Dublin City University

Maintenance drones and robots to enhance renewable energy systems in the Atlantic Area

Partners and Projects info

Cluster Vasco de Energía

Maintenance drones and robots to enhance renewable energy systems in the Atlantic Area

Partners and Projects info

University of Seville - Thermothecnics Group at Thermal Energy Engineering Department

Maintenance drones and robots to enhance renewable energy systems in the Atlantic Area

Partners and Projects info

LORTEK S. COOP.

Maintenance drones and robots to enhance renewable energy systems in the Atlantic Area

Partners and Projects info

Corporación Tecnológica de Andalucía

Maintenance drones and robots to enhance renewable energy systems in the Atlantic Area

Partners and Projects info

Fundación Andaluza para el Desarrollo Aeroespacial – Centro Avanzado de Tecnologías Aerospaciales

Maintenance drones and robots to enhance renewable energy systems in the Atlantic Area

Partners and Projects info

University of the West of England, Bristol

Maintenance drones and robots to enhance renewable energy systems in the Atlantic Area

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Maintenance drones and robots to enhance renewable energy systems in the Atlantic Area

Project name (PT): Drones e robôs de manutenção para a promoção de energias renováveis no Espaço Atlântico

Project name (ES): Drones y robots de mantenimiento para el fomento de las energías renovables en el Espacio Atlántico

Project name (FR): Drones et robots d'entretien pour la promotion des énergies renouvelables dans la région Atlantique

Project acronym: DURABLE

Project start date: 2019-01-01

Project end date: 2021-12-31

Project status: closed

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 3 878 735.04

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 2 909 051.28

Co-financing sources:

ERDF: Amount, EUR 2 909 051.28.

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2014 - 2020 INTERREG VB Atlantic Area

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2021-08-01

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

71 / 71 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

718 / 718 (100%)

Notes on the data

Information provided by the Programme. Achievements were retrieved by Interact from the Programme website (http://www.atlanticarea.eu/), or a website directly linked from it, on 2021-12-03, 2023-02-02 and 2024 01 30. Fields project name and description (from 23 projects) translated from Spanish into English using the European Commission's eTranslation machine translation service.

The projects which fields include an eTranslation English text are the ones with the following acronyms: @BluePortS, 4H-CREAT, ACCESS2SEA, AGEO, AGRITOX, ALERTOX-NET, AtlanticFoodExport, ATLANTIC-KET-MED, AT-VIRTUAL, AYCH, CABFishMAN, CircularSeas, COCKLES, CONSORTEX, FAN-BEST, iFADO, IN 4.0, JONAS, MONITOOL, NANOCULTURE, PROTOATLANTIC, SIRMA and USER-FACTOR.

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Maintenance drones and robots to enhance renewable energy systems in the Atlantic Area

Description

Thematic information

Partners (12)

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Summary

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

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