Overview

It is broadly recognized that the transition towards a sustainable energy system will occur through the massive deployment of strongly distributed generation like wind and solar as well as storage to deal with the intermittent character of these sources.

Energy and ICT: A Crucial Combination for Deploying a Sustainable Energy System
April 17th - 18th, 2018

It is broadly recognized that the transition towards a sustainable energy system will occur through the massive deployment of strongly distributed generation like wind and solar as well as storage to deal with the intermittent character of these sources.

In this context the exploitation of Information & Communication Technology (ICT) for massive data communication, data storage and data analytics is essential to control the balance between generation, demand and storage. The Seminar intends to inform the participants with an overview of the hard and software development at imec and EnergyVille, including the collaboration with Kuwait R&D stakeholders, to develop performing and cost-effective solutions to enable the transition towards a sustainable energy system.

More specifically, the seminar will feature presentations on the latest developments in the domain of photovoltaics: Crystalline Silicon as well as new Thin-Film Photo Voltaic (PV) materials, and battery storage with focus on solid-state batteries for higher reliability and safety. Besides the generic technology development, room will be given to system-related developments such as the integration of PV-elements in buildings and the integration of new battery cell architectures with Battery Management Systems (BMS) for improved State-of-Charge and State-of-Health estimation. Given the Direct Current (DC) nature of PV and batteries, the deployment of DC-grids in the context of residential and commercial buildings is highly attractive from investment and operational point of view. Imec and EnergyVille are involved in the development of more efficient power devices based on Gallium Nitride (GaN) and their use in power electronic circuits required for the control of DC-nanogrids at building level.

Furthermore, the seminar will cover how the broad expertise on Data Communication & Analytics is applied to offer and demonstrate solutions enabling efficient management of the (Multi-) Energy Network including the cybersecurity aspects to ensure the resilience and interoperability aspects of such network.

To download the presentations of the Second Kuwait imec Symposium, please click here.