European Energy has secured research funding for the digitalisation of solar panels from the Danish Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Programme (EUDP).
The project to find new digital O&M tools and instrumentation will run from 2022-23 and is in collaboration with DTU Electro, Emazys and Fraunhofer CSP.
The funding will be €1.1m.
European Energy is expecting to integrate the new monitoring and fault-detection solution developed by Emazys into its O&M services offering for external asset owners.
“With this funding to find new digitalised operation and management tools for high-current and high-voltage solar panels, we will be able to further bring down the costs of green energy, said Jan Vedde, senior project manager in the innovation department at European Energy.
European Energy has been the first solar developer in Denmark to use bifacial solar panels as well as building a solar test centre in cooperation with Denmark’s Technical University (DTU) at the Risø Campus.
European Energy has also funded a PhD position at DTU.
The developer also secured funds from the EUDP to co-finance a test facility that can convert e-methanol to sustainable aviation fuel.
Søren Knudsen Kær, head of technology in the PtX department at European Energy, said: “If you look at the Danish usage of aviation fuel for domestic flights it is around 25,000 tonnes annually.
“This can be provided by one facility in Denmark that is linked to a 150-200MW nearshore wind farm and a solar park with an energy capacity of around 200-300MW.
“With this funding for a test facility, we are one step closer to realising the Prime Minister’s goal of making domestic flights in Denmark run solely on green fuels.”
In the project European Energy is partnering with Vertimass, Kosan Gas, Aalborg University, Port of Aalborg, Aalborg Airport and Hydrogen Valley.