Plug-N-Harvest

Plug-n-play passive and active multimodal energy harvesting systems, circular economy by design, with high replicability for self-sufficient districts and near-zero buildings

Project details

Years: 2017-2022
Firm role: Lead of Work Package 4: Integration, Pilot Implementation and Evaluation
Category: European Projects

Partners:

The Plug-n-Harvest project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement number 768735 CEIM-UIC

Plug-n-Harvest website

The main strategic gosal of the PLUG-N-HARVEST proposal is to design, develop, demonstrate and exploit a new modular, plug-n-play concept for ADBE- Adaptable/Dynamic Building Envelopes, deployable to both residential and non-residential existing buildings. The system should be able to provide the maximum possible energy use reduction and the maximum possible energy harvesting from RES (Renewable Energy Sources), both at the single-building and the district scale, while requiring medium-to-low installation costs and almost-zero operational costs.

The coordination of all different PLUG-N-HARVEST RES and storage systems both at the building and at the district level while being cost-effective is expected to offer the ground basis for new active energy harvesting approaches, and is crucial for the success of the project. Moreover, the data generated during PLUG-N-HARVEST project lifetime will form a valuable asset and will lead to useful conclusions and directives.

By exploiting its modular and plug-n-play attributes, the PLUG-N-HARVEST system is designed and will be implemented considering circular economy principles, which will allow implementing new business models based on leasing and renting modes. The technical development is accompanied by social and economic strategies to achieve the established goals.

The implementation of the PLUG-N-HARVEST solution leads to the generation of important key exploitable results and the novel knowledge produced paves the way for the enhancement of energy harvesting and energy management systems. The benefits generated by the implementation of the system will guarantee the establishment of more holistic and energy efficient renovation methodologies for residential and commercial buildings, building blocks, districts, smart cities, etc. Our team is dedicated to contribute to achieve these results by coordinating the technical systems’ integration and the implementation of the ADBE solution in the pilot projects, and facilitating the communication between the various stakeholders (manufacturer, consultants, architecture, pilot owners, users).

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