SCARLET
Objective
The SCARLET project aims to assess the feasibility of HTS superconducting medium-voltage cables, based on HTS and MgB2 materials, which have the potential to become the preferred solution for energy transmission from many renewable energy sites to the electricity grid. HTS cables provide a compact design, which preserves the environment in protected areas and minimizes land use in urban areas where space is limited.
Comparing to conventional HVDC cables, offshore HTS cables compete on cost and have the clear benefit of eliminating the need for large and costly converter stations on the offshore platforms. Additionally, MgB2 cables in combination with safe liquid hydrogen transport directly from renewable energy generation sites to e.g. ports and heavy industries introduce a new paradigm for two key energy vectors to be used simultaneously in the future.
In a nutshell, the superconductor technology developments will accelerate the energy transition towards a low-carbon society via the direct key impacts of the project:
• 30% LCOE reduction for offshore windfarm export cables
• 15% reduction in total cost of entire offshore wind farms
• Possibility to transfer 0.5 GW in the form of H2 and 1 GW of electric energy in one combined system
• Installation of cables for 90 GW transmission capacity by the consortium partners by 2050
• Creation of 5 000 European jobs within the field of sustainable energy
WavEC Contribuition
WavEC’s team is composed of specialists with a broad range of experience in offshore installations. In SCARLET WavEC will lead the environmental and life-cycle assessment task, with the main goal of assessing how HTS cables can enable more sustainable electricity transmission without reducing life span, while featuring a minimal environmental impact.
WavEC will also be responsible for carrying out the Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE) risk assessment for the offshore operations related to the installation and maintenance of the HTS cable systems.
WavEC will also participate in the definition of use cases for offshore HTS cable systems, the functional specifications of offshore HTS cable systems, the modelling of intermediate offshore platform for submarine HTS cable systems, and the techno-economic assessment of offshore cable systems.
General Information
Funding: Horizon Europe
WavEC Coordinator: José Cândido
Total Funding (Requested Contribution): € 14,999,959.75
WavEC Funding: € 448,562.50
Duration: September 2022 – February 2027
Coordinator: Sintef Energy AS
Partners: Sintef Energy AS; Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies EV; WavEC Offshore Renewables – Centro de Energia Offshore; Institute of Electrical Engineering - Slovak Academy of
Sciences; Alma Mater Sturdiorum – Universita di Bologna; Absolut System SAS; Ecole Superieure de Physique et Dechimie Industrielles de la Ville de Paris; Supergrid Institute; Ricerca Sul Sistema Energetico – SER SPA; Rina Consulting SPA; Supernode Limited; Vision Electric Super Conductors GMBH; ASG Superconductors SPA; Nexans France; Nexans Deutschland GMBH;
Website: www.scarlet-project.eu