Super-HEART: a fault-tolerant and highly efficient energy hub with embedded short-term energy storage for high availability electric power delivery

Introduction

Power electronics (PE) is spreading through society, including in mission-critical applications. However, PE devices are prone to failure, and high availability is usually ensured using redundancy, which is expensive and bulky. In the meantime, PE allows hybrid (AC & DC) electric distribution, which is key to the integration of solar power and the use of hydrogen as an energy carrier. But loads can be affected by the limited dynamics of power sources like fuel cells and by disturbances carried by the network.

Project Overview

With Super-HEART, we want to build an energy hub connecting power sources and loads, and able to deliver uninterrupted power. To this end, we will develop a multi-port modular converter with fault ride-through capability.

Fault Tolerance Strategies

This will be ensured using fault-tolerance strategies already proved in the ERC PoC Project "U-HEART", improved by the integration of supercapacitors (SC) to allow using reliable and low-cost mechanical switches to isolate the faulty parts instead of semiconductor switches, leading to a significantly higher Technology Readiness Level (TRL).

Supercapacitor Integration

Super-HEART will use SC also for compensating disturbances and the low dynamics of hydrogen-based storage. However, commercial SC have power and energy densities too low to be practically considered here. Therefore, previously developed high-performance and environmentally friendly SC will be further optimized in this project and embedded in the converter by optimal co-design.

Monetisation Strategy

In parallel to the technological development, we will prepare the monetization of the intellectual property (IP), comprising:

1. A market analysis
2. The development of a solid business model and tech-to-market transition plan
3. The search for clients and partners

Expected Outcomes

Ultimately, a power converter with embedded SC with availability, power density, cost, and losses, 20% better than state-of-the-art will have been developed, with reduced environmental impact. It will be ready for qualification and have undergone field tests. Potential clients and partners for the development and distribution will have been found.