Effectively, EERA Joint Programmes are ‘virtual centres ofexcellence’, drawing on the results of fundamental research to thepoint where they can be embedded in industry driven research.
Joint Programmes reduce the duplication of research activitiesacross Europe. Now in its fourth year, the EERA involves more than2 000 researchers from over 150 organisations, representing aninvestment of over EUR 200 million.
Six more JPs launched
At the November 2011 SET-Plan Conference in Warsaw, six additionalJoint Programmes were launched: Marine Energy, ConcentratedSolar Power, Advanced Materials and Processes for Energy Applications(AMPEA), Fuel Cells and Hydrogen, Energy Storage and SmartCities.
During the Conference, the Director of DG Research and Innovationreiterated the need for improved coordination: “The SET-Plan is a modelfor real public-private partnership, working in conjunction with MemberStates, to solve societal challenges. There are already several successstories: one of them being EERA.”
The newly approved Joint Programmes complement the seven,previously-launched, existing Joint Programmes. Now all thematicareas defined by the SET-Plan are covered by EERA JPs.
A growing Alliance
Each JP is based on clear and efficient coordination. This includesa long-term strategy and work plan; agreed objectives and milestones;descriptions of work and division of tasks and responsibilities.
The initial plans of EERA have already turned into results, and muchmore is planned. In one upcoming project, a thermal energy storagesystem will be developed. This system will store heat generated byconcentrating solar power during the day in tankscontaining molten salt, so the heat may be used during the night.
Another Joint Programme, Smart Grids, investigateshow electricity grids can be improved to handle the intermittent supplyfrom sources such as wind and solar. Research results from across theAlliance have been exchanged and compiled into reports, so participantsmay benefit from work of others instead of reproducing theirefforts.
The Joint Programme on Smart Cities has foursub-programmes, each with a focus on energy efficiency and integrationof renewable energy sources within urban areas. The main objective isto develop scientific tools and methods that will enable an intelligentdesign, planning and operation of the energy system of an entire cityin the near future.
The four sub-programmes are:
SP1: Energy in Cities
SP2: Urban energy networks
SP3: Energy efficient, interactive buildings
SP4: Urban city-related supply technologies (heat pumps,solar-thermal).
According to the Coordinator of the Joint Programme on SmartCities Brigitte Bach (AIT – Austrian Institute of Technology), thevision of the JP is to develop scientific methods and instruments forthe transformation of the urban energy system. This includesintelligent design, planning and operation of energy system at urbanscale.
“The planning and design has to include all layers ofinfrastructure, including buildings mobility and energy,” she said atthe November SET-Plan Conference. “We need to integrate, and not from asingle technology perspective. We must develop methods and tools tounderstand the morphology of a city and the dynamics of city-systems.Also, we need to provide tools for daily life – for urban planners, forexample.”
So far 60 research institutions from 14 European countriesparticipate in the Smart Cities Joint Programme.
The Fuel Cells and Hydrogen JP was also officiallylaunched at the Warsaw SET-Plan Conference. According to CoordinatorAngelo Moreno (ENEA, Italy), it aims to accelerate and harmoniselong-term research on fuel cells and electrolysers in Europe.
Moreno emphasised that the Joint Programme on Fuel Cells andHydrogen contributes to, and not overlaps with, the Fuel Cells andHydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) that was launched in 2008. Whereasthe FCH JU is a public–private partnership, the Fuel Cells and HydrogenJP is industry led.
One of the primary goals is to commercialise passenger vehicles inthe field of stationary application beginning in 2020, and, morebroadly, bring fuel cells and hydrogen to the market.
For more specific information on all of the EERA Joint Programmes,including downloadable fact sheets: