The overall objective of the ALION project is to develop aluminium-ion battery technology for energy storage application in decentralised electricity generation sources. ALION pursues an integral approach comprising electroactive materials based on “rocking chair” mechanism, robust ionic liquid-based electrolytes as well as novel cell and battery concepts, finally resulting in a technology with much lower cost, improved performance, safety and reliability with respect to current energy storage solutions (e.g. Pumped hydro storage, Compressed air energy storage, Li-ion battery, Redox Flow Battery...). The project covers the whole value chain from materials and component manufacturers, battery assembler, until the technology validation in specific electric microgrid system including renewable energy source (i.e. mini wind turbine, photovoltaic system…). Thus, the final objective of this project is to obtain an Al-ion battery module validated in a relevant environment, with a specific energy of 400 W.h/kg, a voltage of 48V and a cycle life of 3000 cycles.

COMPASsCO2 aims to integrate solar energy into highly efficient supercritical CO2 Brayton power cycles for electricity production. Concentrated solar radiation is absorbed and stored in solid particles and then transferred to the s-CO2. In COMPASsCO2, the key component for such an endeavor shall be validated in a relevant environment: the particle-s-CO2 heat exchanger. To reach this goal, the consortium will produce, test, model and validate tailored particle-alloy combinations that meet the extreme operating conditions in terms of temperature, pressure, abrasion and hot oxidation/carburization of the heat exchanger tubes and the particles moving around/across them.

Europe’s industry is facing many challenges such as global competition and the big change towards energy and resource efficiency. topAM can contribute to these demands by development and application of novel processing routes for new oxide-dispersoid strengthened (ODS) alloys on FeCrAl, Ni and NiCu basis. Novel ODS materials offer a clear advantage for the process industry by manufacturing e.g. topology-optimized, sensor-integrated high temperature devices (gas burner heads, heat exchangers) that are exposed to aggressive environments. Alloy and process development will be targeted by an advanced integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) approach combining computational thermodynamics, microstructure and process simulation to contribute to save time, raw materials and increase the component’s lifetime. Physical alloy production will be realized by combining nanotechnologies to aggregate ODS composites with laser-powder bed fusion and post-processing. The ICME approach will be complemented by comprehensive materials characterization and intensive testing of components under industrially relevant in-service conditions. This strategy allows to gain a deeper understanding of the process-microstructure-properties relationships and to quantify the improved functionalities, properties and life cycle assessment. This will promote cost reduction, improved energy efficiency and superior properties combined with a significant lifetime increase. The consortium consists of users, materials suppliers and research institutes that are world leading in the fields relevant for this proposal, which guarantees efficient, high-level, application-oriented execution of topAM. The industrial project partners, in particular the SMEs, will achieve higher competitiveness due to their strategic position in the value chain of materials processing, e.g. powder production, to strengthen Europe's leading position in the emerging technology field of AM in a unique combination with ICME.

RAISELIFE focuses on extending the in-service lifetime of five key materials for concentrated solar power technologies: 1) protective and anti-soiling coatings of primary reflectors, 2) high-reflective surfaces for heliostats, 3) high-temperature secondary reflectors, 4) receiver coatings for solar towers and line-focus collectors, 5) corrosion resistant high-temperature metals and coatings for steam and molten salts. The project brings together a broad consortium formed of industry partners, SMEs and research institutes of the concentrating solar thermal and material science sector. The scope has been significantly shaped by the leading EPC of solar tower technology, BrightSource, who constructed Ivanpah, the world’s largest solar tower plant. This unique constellation permits a direct transfer of the obtained results in RAISELIFE into new commercial solar thermal power plant projects within less than 5 years and helps to solve urgent matters of current commercial power plants (e.g. the high temperature oxidation of absorber coatings on metallic tower receivers). For this purpose several TRL6 functional materials are being tested in accelerated climate chamber tests, field-tests under elevated solar flux and in-service in BSIIs power plants, with the final goal of increasing durability and performance and in consequence reducing CAPEX and OPEX. We project that commercial implementation of the subject technologies could account for as much as 2.5-3 euro-cent Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) reduction per kWh of electricity produced for solar tower technology between 2015 and 2020.