Energy systems

In the energy system of the future, much electricity will be generated using solar panels and wind turbines. This renewable energy has one drawback: it is weather-dependent. If the sun does not shine or the wind does not blow, no electricity is generated. The supply of energy is going to fluctuate. Energy demand, on the other hand, has its own cycle. Supply and demand no longer naturally match. To overcome this problem, various (partial) solutions are being developed. For instance, stimulating supply-driven demand, additional ways of generating electricity, or energy storage.

E-Lunch session

Watch back on the KIVI YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/2TdA5R2aYvk

In this lunch webinar, Mr F. Bliek, CEO of Groningen-based Ocean Grazer, gave a presentation on the Ocean Battery. Ocean Grazer is a Dutch start-up and a spin-off from the University of Groningen. The Ocean Battery has been in development since 2014. This is an underwater battery for offshore energy storage, which the company believes can significantly accelerate the energy transition. More than 80 graduate students have so far worked on relevant topics: developing predictive models, building experimental prototypes and more. And still students in various fields of knowledge are involved in further development.
A prototype trial in Eemshaven has shown that the system works as intended and expected! The next step is a demonstration project in a sand excavation where floating solar fields have been installed.

How does the system work?

The Ocean Battery is a hydropower plant placed on the seabed close to the source of energy production, i.e. in an offshore wind farm.

Excess energy from wind turbines is used to pump water from underground reservoirs to a reservoir on the seabed. When energy is in demand, the water runs back to the underground reservoirs and drives water turbines that generate electricity. A total storage system can consist of several connected small self-contained units. This allows maintenance to be carried out without shutting down the entire system, and a failure of one unit has a limited effect. Moreover, the storage capacity can grow with it as the wind farm expands.

The total storage system consists of several connected small stand-alone hydropower units. This makes it easy to carry out maintenance without shutting down the entire system and not too dependent on outages. In addition, storage capacity of the system can easily grow with it if wind farms expand. The system is based on hydropower technology, which has proven to be highly reliable and efficient for more than a century.

The Ocean Battery recently won the CES 2022 Innovation Award in the Sustainability, Eco-Design & Smart Energy category in Las Vegas!

Earlier on 22 January20219, several energy systems with storage were presented at KIVI Electrical Engineering' s New Year Meeting, including that of the underground hydropower plant with storage byir. Jan Huynen the Blue battery for green energy

Collaboration

This project Ocean Batteryis realised through collaboration with Groningen Seaports, the University of Groningen and OWIC. The project was partly funded by a grant from SNN (EFRO).

The speaker:

USEF Experts - Usef Energy ir. Frits Bliek is CEO of the Groningen-based company Ocean Grazer B.V.

He is a graduate of the University of Groningen

Left:

Ocean Grazer B.V.: https://oceangrazer.com/
NWEA: Successful test results for Ocean Battery
Greenmatters: https://www.greenmatters.com/p/ocean-battery
RUGventures: https://rugventures.com/ocean-grazers-ocean-battery-to-continue-its-journey-after-successful-test-results
RTVNoord: https://www.rtvnoord.nl/nieuws/886301/investeerders-staan-in-las-vegas-in-de-rij-voor-groningse-slimmeriken

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