TO FACE THE CHALLENGE OF INTERMITTENT RENEWABLE ENERGY, SEAPOWER HAS LAUNCHED THE PROJECT MULTI ENERGY COMPENSATOR SYSTEM (MECS). A MICROGRID THAT INTEGRATES WIND, SOLAR AND TIDAL CURRENT ENERGY. THIS INNOVATIVE SYSTEM AIMS TO ENSURE A MORE STABLE AND RELIABLE ENERGY SUPPLY, OPTIMIZING COSTS AND EFFICIENCY.
The MECS Project
He is born MECS the new project of Seapower to compensate for the unpredictability of the energies from renewable sources. The MECS (Multi Energy Compensator System) project has as its general objective the development of a complex system (microrete) capable of integrating and managing the energy produced by multiple systems that exploit different renewable sources, such as wind, sun and tidal currents, optimizing overall costs, efficiency and reliability. The integration of these sources makes it possible to reduce variations in energy production, improving overall stability and optimizing management costs.
Support for a sustainable future
Financed byEuropean Union through the project Ecosister, MECS is part of the Spoke 2 “Clean energy production, storage and saving” call. Project aimed at promote innovations in energy production and conservation. The project is led by Seapower scrl, a research center associated with theUniversity of Naples “Federico II”, and involves several partners, including the Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria and the Elettra srl companyactive in the design of energy systems.
The role of tidal currents
«The innovativeness of the project presented», explains the Prof. Domenico Coiro, president of Seapower«lies mainly in the integration of a perennial and highly predictable renewable energy source, such as tidal currents, with sources of a more random nature, such as sun and wind, in order to compensate for the variability of other sources and reduce the need for storage . Indeed, it can be said that tidal currents can be considered as enormous “natural batteries”.». Our center was a pioneer in developing the Gemstar, The Kite of the Sea, a system that exploits tidal currents.
GEMSTAR, an innovative conversion project
The GEMSTAR consists of a underwater floating system. This is connected by a mooring cable to the seabed, on which two marine turbines are installed (one on each side of the float). The submerged floating system is designed to allow the turbines to be aligned with the direction of the current. This allows for a effective operation of the system in flows with variable direction, as observed especially in the case of tidal currents, which present a cyclical reversal of the direction of the current. By controlling the length of the mooring cable using a winch, the system can be easily brought back to the surface, reducing maintenance and installation costs. Due to its submerged configuration, the GEMSTAR also has low sensitivity to wave action and reduced interference with maritime activities.
Towards a sustainable microgrid
Alongside the continuation of the development of the tidal current system, the project includes a number of key activities. The development of an integrated management system for the energy produced by various microgrid systems (tidal energy, wind energy, solar energy); the conduct of experimental tests in a real marine environment of a small-scale prototype of the developed micro-grid. During the project, a small-scale prototype of a microgrid will be developed and built, including a digital integrated management system and a storage system, which will be tested in a real environment. The tests will be conducted in the Renew-Mel laboratory of the Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria.
An effective project
The development of the combined management system of production from different renewable sources aims to guarantee a regular supply of power to a user system. This allows us to reduce intermittencies and the use of storage or the network, thus increasing the overall efficiency in the exploitation of the various integrated sources.
For more information, you can visit the website (www.seapowerscrl.com)