EasyDC-FOS
Towards a wide-spread HVDC-based power system enabled by new highly efficient cable & fibre optic monitoring systemsAbout the project
To achieve a dominant position in renewable energy generation in the EU, it is key to modernise transmission systems to transport the energy produced efficiently. The deployment of high voltage direct current (HVDC) systems plays a crucial role in enabling electricity transmission over long distances with minimal losses. There is a need to bring new cable technologies that can improve the life cycle of future HVDC systems and enable longer reach. Moreover, more precise, easy-to-install sensor-based technologies to analyse cable status and locate potential faults are needed.
Project Objectives
EasyDC-FOS project commits to demonstrating a new generation of high voltage direct current (HVDC) cable systems with optimised energy transport capability and longer life period, due to the use of an alternative XLPE insulation material, paired with the development of a series of smart tools for monitoring ageing and efficient fault detection in transmission networks, and reaching a TRL5 by the involvement of 3 demonstrators, 1 test bench and 2 real-world use cases, in different EU countries. This will be achieved by:
- optimisation of insulation materials for HVDC cables with operating temperatures over 90ºC
- development of predictive models of physics and ageing behaviour of new cable system in response to thermal, acoustic and electric field stress stimulus
- prototyping of a set of fibre-based DTS, DAS, point vibration, and PD monitoring systems for long-distance cable corridors
- integration into a cybersecure Edge Infrastructure that will allow real-time monitoring of cable conditions, as well as immediate response from TSOs, satisfying the KPIs in terms of system efficiency and stability, lifetime and thermal capacity assessment, and the accuracy of the sensors.
In addition to technological and scientific goals, the project aims to reduce the environmental impacts of the newly developed cable system. More specifically, the carbon footprint is to be reduced by 15%. The technological outcomes of the project will be supported by the results of the life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA), guiding the future deployment of the HVDC cable system by the industry.
GreenDelta in the project
Within the EasyDC-FOS project, GreenDelta is leading task 4.4 (LCA and sustainability of conventional and novel cable system) and contributing several other tasks. In general, the following work is being done for the project by GreenDelta:
- Development of a regulatory framework to guide the innovation process and deployment of the HVDC cable system. This framework defines indicators, thresholds, and rules for applying them.
- Performing Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCA) covering beginning-of-life (BoL) to end-of-life (EoL) phases for the novel cable system. The maintenance and operational efforts during the use phase are included in the assessment.
- Benchmarking the novel cable system against the conventional one, making use of the data collected from the consortium as much as possible, while utilising the background data at GreenDelta’s disposal to cover the data gaps.
- Assessing the broad range of indicators, including EF3.1 impact categories for environmental impacts, making use of the PSILCA database for the evaluation of social impacts and assessing economic sustainability via the life cycle costing methodology.
- Providing guidance to the decision-makers by reporting on the LCSA findings in two deliverables. The LCSA findings will be used to assist in environmental impacts reduction and design and cost of manufacturing optimisation.
Partners
EasyDC-FOS is bringing together a wide experienced consortium led by Lumiker, involving leading industrial technology developers of cables systems, a cable original equipment manufacturer (OEM), academic institutions, two transmission system operators (TSOs), a key sector association, and sustainability and management experts at the European level. The following organisations participate in the project:
- Lumiker Aplicaciones Tecnologicas Sociedad Limites (Spain)
- Ampacimon (Belgium)
- AP Sensing GmbH (Germany)
- Barbara IoT SL (Spain)
- Cluster de Energia (Spain)
- Energinet Eltransmission AS (Denmark)
- GreenDelta GmbH (Germany)
- Nexans Norway AS (Norway)
- RDT Ingenieros Madrid, S.L. (Spain)
- Statnett SF (Norway)
- Universidad de Cantabria (Spain)
- Universidad de Valladolid (Spain)
- Zabala Innovation Consulting SA (Spain)
Links and resources
Funding received from the tender call HORIZON-CL5-2024-D3-01.
Grant Agreement ID: 101172806
Duration: September 2024 – August 2027
Website: https://easydcfos-project.eu/
Linked-in: https://www.linkedin.com/company/easydc-fos-eu-project
CORDIS page: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101172806