About MiniStor
Minimal Size Thermal and Electrical Energy Storage System for In-Situ Residential Installation is a 54 months long project funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme to offer a sustainable solution to harness the energy efficiency potential of the European building stock.
Our Objectives
Multifunctional thermal energy storage
Design and application of an integrated, high performing, versatile, durable and multifunctional thermal energy storage system that reduces net energy consumption for heating and cooling.
Methods for decreased installation time
Design and construction methods to decreased installation time with minimum maintenance needs. Utilize time and cost-effective construction methods, reducing on-site installation time and disruption to occupants.
Integrate self-harvesting RES options
Integrate self-harvesting RES options, electrical energy flexibility and response to grid signals, offering increase of self-consumption and better synchronization of energy flows at a building level.
Minimum environmental impact
Develop an effective storage solution with minimum environmental impact. Economic, social and environmental issues, including comfort/indoor quality, safety and time effectiveness adopting a life-cycle approach.
Improvement of building performance
Deploy an automation framework to manage efficiently energy flows within the system and building. A home energy management system is used to improve energy efficiency in building thermal equipment.
Circular economy-driven business models
Elaborate and validate circular economy-driven business models (BMs) and market design to stimulate market penetration of the developed and validated integrated storage system at European level.
PARTNERS
COUNTRIES
MONTHS
DEMONSTRATION SITES
demonstration sites
The MiniStor system is to be demonstrated and validated in five demonstration sites located in Ireland, Spain, Greece and Hungary to test its effectiveness at different local climatic conditions, facilitating market replication while offering an innovative, efficient and clean thermal and electrical energy storage solution for all Europeans.
demonstration sites
The MiniStor system is to be demonstrated and validated in five demonstration sites located in Ireland, Spain, Greece and Hungary to test its effectiveness at different local climatic conditions, facilitating market replication while offering an innovative, efficient and clean thermal and electrical energy storage solution for all Europeans.
Our Partners
Seventeen partners across the European Union, Switzerland and the UK work together to harness the large potential of EU buildings to increase its energy efficiency performance by providing a new and innovative solution.
About IERC: The International Energy Research Centre (IERC) is an industry-led collaborative research centre in the field of integrated sustainable energy systems. It is hosted by Tyndall National Institute, a leading European research centre located in Cork, Ireland. The IERC delivers world leading collaborative research to meet global societal needs for secure, affordable and sustainable energy services. It enables partners to develop new products and services that will ensure real energy demand reductions across society. The centre provides an energy research environment that combines business innovation with research excellence for energy demand side efficiency and systems integration challenges. The IERC develops its portfolio of research projects in the following priority areas: Smart Cities and Sustainable Communities, Low Carbon Heating and Cooling, Monitoring, Measurament and Analysis of Energy, as weel as Embedded and Distributed Generation Systems.
About CERTH: The Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH) is one of the largest research centres in Greece. It was founded in 2000 with its head office located in Thessaloniki. CERTH consists of five Institutes, two of which, the Information Technologies Institute (ITI) and the Chemical Process & Energy Resources Institute (CPERI) collaborate in the MiniStor project. Since its creation, it has the mission to promote the triplet Research – Development –Innovation, by conducting high-quality research and developing innovative products and services while building strong partnerships with industry and strategic collaborations with academia and other research and technology organisations. CERTH employs more than 800 people. It has received numerous awards and distinctions such as the European Descartes Prize, the European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant, Microsoft International Contest Prize, the Trading Agents Competition Award and many more while is listed among the Top-25 of the EU’s Research Centres with the highest participation in H2020 competitive research grants. Its research results (more than 350 publications/year) have a significant scientific impact (about 7,100 hetero citations/year) and focus on the transfer of high-quality research knowledge and advanced solution development trends, by taking into consideration the needs of industry and society.
About CNRS-PROMES: The National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) is the largest public research organisation in France, accounting for around 1 100 services and/or research units throughout the country. With more than 32 000 people (researchers, engineers, technicians and administrative staff), a 2009 budget of 3.367 billion euros, an implementation on all national territory, the CNRS is an active multidisciplinary institution that covers all fields of scientific research driving various programs and actions designed to address society and industry expectations. CNRS conducts research in all scientific, technological and societal like mathematics, physics, communications, nuclear physics, chemistry, social sciences, environmental sciences or engineering. The CNRS administration at the local level relies on its 18 Regional Delegations. Should the current proposal be retained for funding, the EU contribution will be handled by the CNRS Regional Delegation Occitanie Est (in Montpellier), which operational capacity has been largely proved (management of more than 150 EU-funded FP7 projects and 70 EU-funded H2020 projects). The research unit CNRS-PROMES (UPR8521 – PROcesses, Materials and Solar Energy) involved in this project is a key laboratory belonging to the Institute for Engineering and Systems Sciences (INSIS) and is closely associated to the University of Perpignan. CNRS-PROMES is located in three sites: Odeillo-Font Romeu (1 MW CNRS Solar furnace), Targassonne (5 MW Themis solar tower) and Perpignan. It has been involved in solar energy for more than 50 years.
About HSLU: The Research Group Thermal Energy Storage www.hslu.ch/tes is a part of Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (LUASA) – a university for applied science in central Switzerland. The research group develops and optimises thermal storage systems and their integration in residential and process heating and cooling applications. The research group performs active research on all levels of thermal storage:
– Development of novel storage materials
– Integration of storage materials into system components
– Modelling of thermal storage systems on all levels from material interaction over component integration to whole thermal storage systems
– Design, implementation and characterisation of complete storage systems
– Optimised integration of storage systems into buildings, districts
– Energy data analytics
– Assessment of the optimum use of (thermal) storage in the (national) energy system
To perform this research in close collaboration with industrial partners the research group disposes of a modern laboratory for chemical analyses, a recent X-ray computed tomography system as well as a modern testing laboratory to test thermal storages under real-world application conditions.
About CARTIF: CARTIF is a horizontal, private and non-profit technology centre located in Boecillo Technology Park, in Valladolid (Spain). Its main mission is to offer innovative solutions to companies to improve their processes, systems and products, improving their competitiveness and creating new business opportunities.
CARTIF develops R&D projects, directly funded by companies or public funds raised through competitive calls for regional, national and international level. CARTIF also advises public authorities (municipalities and regional governments) in the planning and development of innovative projects with high economic returns.
CARTIF maintains the same values and objectives since its foundation in 1994 and its priority is to contribute to the development of its social and economic environment through the use and encouragement of technological innovation by the development and diffusion of research.
Its disciplinary teams work in five areas of knowledge that correspond to different economic and technological sectors: industry, energy and environment, construction and infrastructures, agrofood and health and life quality.
About USC: The USC is a public university dedicated to the preservation, generation, transmission and dissemination of knowledge in a socially responsible manner and in connection with the demands and challenges of Galician society, with wide academic offer and a powerful research capacity. It has been valued for its excellence as one of the best universities in Spain and in the European Higher Education Area. The USC is a pioneering institution in the development of entrepreneurship policies, the promotion of R&D&I and the transfer and valorisation of the results of its research. Some relevant statistical data about USC are: 25,532 students, 3294 teaching, research and administration professionals, 41 teaching centres, 50 departments, 28 research institutes and centres and 299 research groups, 184 undergraduate Master´s degrees and PhD programmes.
About EndeF: EndeF is a technology-based company, specialized in the development and application of solar energy solutions for residential, commercial and industrial sectors. EndeF was set-up in 2012 in Zaragoza (Spain) and it has developed new innovative photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) panels. Currently, EndeF manufactures, markets and installs two models of PVT panels: Ecomesh and Ecovolt, that permits to optimize the energy production (thermal and electricity) to different climatic zones and locations. With a strong commitment to “A better future”, our business strategy is aligned to transform the current energy model into a model focused on people: environmentally, socially and economically sustainable. To achieve this, it distributes its efforts in four strategic lines: Engineering, Manufacturing, Installation and Monitoring that together with our R&D area, give us the possibility of working under an integral method that, through synergies between the different departments, allow us to offer solar solutions in all those phases of the process.
About Enetech: Enetech is Polish company working in field of Energy efficiency and Energy storage. Founded in 2013 as a spin-off from AGH University of science and technology. We are focused on developing technology of thermal Energy storage in phase change materials (PCM). Our primary product is Mobile heat storage – solution based on PCM, that allows to transport Heat via road infrastructure instead of pipelines. Further more Enetech is also involved in work under stationary solutions of heat and cold storage in PCM.
Another area of activity of Enetech is Energy consulting. We provide highest quality Energy audits and solutions, that increases Energy efficiency of companies in Poland.
About SGS: SGS is the world’s leader in certification, inspections, verification and testing. It´s also a renowned multinational company with long experience in certifications for the energy sector.
The company work to achieve an improvement in the energy performance of its clients and partners.
SGS TECNOS belongs to SGS Group, a multinational company with presence in more than 100 countries and more than 94.000 employees worldwide.
As energy efficiency and certification is one of the core business of SGS work, the enterprise seeks to improve the energy performance of its clients and partners, by assuring the safety and effectiveness of energy facilities.
SGS offers a portfolio of services focused on efficiency, optimization, asset integrity and innovation. As well as, providing support across the entire energy sector with a comprehensive range of independent inspections, audits and business enhancement services.
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One of the main research pipeline of WOODSPRING is the improvement of energy efficiency of buildings. The company have participated in more building processes of test houses and development of the innovative elements such as seasonal storage system, intelligent windows system, and thermal reflecting insulation system. The controll units was developed also by the staff. The company is committed itself to prefering green and environment friendly and sustainable technologies for reducing carbon dioxid emission. |
About Cork City: |
About DUTh: Democritus University of Thrace (DUTh) was established in 1973, it is located in Northern East Greece and currently operates in Xanthi, Komotini, Alexandoupoli and Orestiada with 8 Schools and 18 Departments. DUTh is listed among the biggest Universities of Greece with respect to the active student population.
The Mechanical Design Laboratory (MeDiLab) was established in 2004 and it currently employs 8 research associates. Its main focus is enhancing the engineering curriculum, of the Department of Production Engineering and Management, and providing research and development solutions to the industrial sector. Over the years, MeDiLab has participated in various research programs many of them European funded.
About FEUGA: The Galician Enterprise-University Foundation (FEUGA) is a non-profit, private-law entity, founded in 1982 and specialised in transferring knowledge, innovation and technology from the Galician university system to the business world and society in general.
The Foundation is a benchmark in the management of business-university relations; in the promotion and execution of collaborative R+D+i projects and in the implementation, improvement, management or certification of business innovation.
About R2M: R2M Solution is an integrated and multi-disciplinary innovation and consulting company that aggressively targets filling the gap between research activities and market implementation.
We excel at helping companies grow and acting as an accelerator for bringing technologies and services to the market across the fields of Innovation, Engineering, Energy, Sustainability, ICT and Innovative Products.
We invest in opportunities, conduct research, and offer pure engineering, energy services, and ICT consulting services. R2M is a strategic innovator itself and as part of its business model helps organizations and projects plan and execute the strategic use research funding carried out over a comprehensive development strategy from idea to market. In doing so, R2M provides leadership, links high performance exploitation-oriented networks, and leverages public and private funding instruments.
We actively seek spinoff creation opportunities, showcase promising technologies and build clusters for their uptake.
About Sofrigam: For more than 40 years, Sofrigam has been designing, manufacturing and marketing cold chain solutions meeting the most demanding needs of the pharmaceutical and biotech industry. Sofrigam is a historical European leader in vaccine coldchain packaging solutions. Its passive and active temperature-controlled solutions and its full integrated services use the best energy efficient technologies available with major advantages. Sofrigam has been supplying the TOP 10 pharmaceutical companies in the world and is now an international group, comprising of companies meeting the needs of the cold chain management throughout the whole pharmaceutical supply chain, from the production of medication to last-mile logistics.
About Psyctotherm: Psyctotherm is a SME founded in 1969, specialised in the design, development, and commercialisation of heat exchangers and heat pumps systems for the building, industrial and marine refrigeration. Moreover, PSYCTO develops engines for waste heat recovery based on Organic Rankine Cycles (ORC). The company has already participated in several EU and national funded projects, aiming to keep abreast the latest technological developments. Its R&D department introduces its scientific expertise to the company’s products, with the ability to develop high-performance units as well as custom-made components. The main topics of its activity include the studying, equipment procurement, installation and maintenance of the following systems:
• Space air-conditioning with special temperature and humidity requirements (such as offices)
• Space air conditioning with special purity requirements in accordance with US Fed. Std.
• Cooling chambers and latent heat storage systems
• Pipe networks for transferring and distribution of refrigerant, cool/hot water, steam, compressed air etc.
• Control and data acquisition systems
• Design and installation of small-scale ORC engines
• Energy savings applications in industry, buildings, and marine sector
The company operates on its own facilities at Piraeus, Greece, in total area of 1,800 sqm, covering activities such as commercial shop, storages, offices, and workshop with modern machinery equipment. PSYCTO has acquired ISO: 9001 certification for quality assurance from Bureau Veritas No:GR14.1450Q. All the products are manufactured under relevant ECC directives and EN standards.
