Narrative
The National Center for Research and Development (NCBR) is developing a package of 9 research and development undertakings supporting implementation of the European Green Deal strategy. These undertakings are based on the problem-driven research model developed in previous years and implemented in the pre-commercial procurement (PCP) mode.
1. Energy- and process-efficient construction. The main objective of the project is to develop innovative 2D (prefabricated) and 3D (modular) technologies in the construction of single-family and multi-family buildings with the best possible, optimally zero or positive annual energy consumption, using supporting installations. The buildings will be constructed largely from recycled materials, with the aim of reducing CO₂ emissions as much as possible during the manufacture of building materials. The implementation of the project will reduce the carbon footprint over the entire life cycle of the building. The development of energy-efficient, modular and prefabricated technologies will reduce construction and operating costs and bring buildings into use more quickly. Nine contractors were selected in 2021, three in each of the streams: Stream 1 - Social Housing, Stream 2 - Senior Housing, Stream 3 - Single-family Housing. After evaluation of the R&D results, 2 contractors will be selected in each stream to carry out the work in the next stage. Five ready-to-live demonstration buildings (1 social, 2 senior and 2 single-family) will be built in Mysłowice (multi-family building), Rumia, Rabka, Żywiec and Włocławek.
2. Innovative biogas plant. The aim of the project is to develop and launch a full-scale self-sustainable and automated biogas plant as a demonstrator of a hydrogen-free, yet versatile technology in terms of the substrates used. The main product of the biogas plant will be high-quality biomethane, which will be able to be fed into the gas distribution network in Poland, or compressed and then used in transportation. In addition, the digested mass will produce organic fertiliser for agricultural and horticultural applications. The new technology will ensure a closed cycle of biogens (phosphorus and nitrogen compounds). Around 100 agricultural biogas plants have been built in Poland, but so far none of them produce biomethane. They all carry out the same process - methane fermentation - and convert the resulting biogas into electricity and heat. In addition, odour emissions, which are a nuisance to humans, very often cause intense protests and make it impossible to locate the plant in a favourable location. In 2021, three contractors were selected. After evaluating the results of the R&D work, a one contractor was selected to carry out the work in the next phase. Poland's first biogas plant producing biomethane, which will not emit offensive odours, will be built in Brody in the Lwówek municipality, in the Wielkopolskie Voivodeship.
3. Treatment plant of the future. The project focuses on a new look at the municipal wastewater stream as a resource for water, energy and recyclable materials, while maintaining the basic requirements of wastewater treatment plants, such as ensuring sanitary safety and optimising plant operating costs. The innovations developed as part of the project will enable the removal of micropollutants such as pharmaceuticals or pesticides present in treated wastewater directed into rivers, as well as the efficient management of sewage sludge. The sewage sludge will be used as a natural fertiliser for agriculture, and the treated water will be used for municipal or agricultural purposes. The biogenic elements recovered will consequently reduce the load of these substances on watercourses. The innovation will be to provide a closed cycle of nutrients in nature, which will make it possible to reduce the production of artificial fertilisers and build ecological agriculture with reduced greenhouse gas emissions, as well as to provide a closed cycle of water for industry and the city's municipal infrastructure. Three contractors were selected in 2021. Following the evaluation of the R&D results, a one contractor will be selected to carry out the work in the next phase.
4. Electricity storage. The aim of the project is to develop an innovative electricity storage system based on galvanic cells, which can be used to store electricity in stationary storage facilities for domestic and industrial applications. Currently, the energy storage market is dependent on the availability of scarce raw materials, so the venture will make extensive use of raw materials found in Poland. In 2021, five contractors have been selected and are competing against each other as part of the R&D work, aiming to create the best solution. After evaluating the results of the R&D work, Contractors will be selected to carry out the work in the next stage.
5. Heat and cold storage. The aim of the project is to develop energy-efficient systems to provide heat and cold for a single-family and office building, using innovative heat and cold storage technologies by, among other things, drawing the maximum available energy from RES at any given time and distributing it according to the building's needs. The systems will be characterised by high efficiency, minimal energy losses, stability of heat/cool distribution, optimal cubic capacity for the final application, and must be environmentally friendly. The systems developed will reduce the heating and cooling costs of buildings by drawing and releasing energy from RES in an optimal and efficient way. In 2021, nine contractors were selected for the R&D work. Once the results of the R&D work have been evaluated, Contractors will be selected to carry out the work in the next stage.
6. Home retention technologies. The main objective of the 'Home Retention Technologies' project is to develop an innovative system for rainwater storage and treatment which will minimise the abstraction of water from the water supply system and also minimise the amount of wastewater discharged into the sewerage system. By using multiple circuits of stored water, properly treated at each stage, it will be possible to base water consumption entirely on rainwater. The system will provide the ability to store and retain water from driving rains, thus preventing increasing droughts and floods in Poland and helping to protect groundwater resources. In 2021, four contractors were selected for the research and development work. In August 2022. NCBR launched a competition to select single-family homes in which the developed systems will be installed and tested. Following the evaluation of the R&D results, Contractors will be selected to carry out the work in the next phase.
7. Ventilation for schools and homes. The aim of the project is to develop innovative, cost-effective mechanical ventilation technologies with supply air temperature control for existing residential buildings and schools. These will guarantee high air quality by: reducing CO2 concentration levels, microbiological pollutants, and filtering PM2.5 and PM10 particulate pollutants. Distributed solutions, i.e. solutions installed in individual flats or classrooms, will guarantee high air quality in these spaces. These types of ventilation/recuperation systems support the process of thermo-modernisation of buildings, as they will prevent heat from "escaping" through gravity grilles and open windows. In 2021, seven contractors were selected for the R&D work. Once the results of the R&D work have been evaluated, Contractors will be selected to carry out the work in the next stage.
8. The heating plant of the Future, i.e. district heating with RES. The aim of the project is to develop and demonstrate innovative technologies and process innovations that enable existing district heating systems to be modernised using RES technology, in order to confirm the research hypothesis of the market feasibility of a district heating system that will provide heat from renewable sources at a share of at least 80% while maintaining an acceptable price for the consumer. The solution will allow replicable adaptation in different housing estates. In 2021, seven contractors were selected. Following the evaluation of the results of the R&D work, a Contractor was selected to carry out the work in the next phase. The prototype installation will be built in Lidzbark Warmiński and will be 92% based on technologies using renewable energy sources.
9. CHP plant in the local energy system. The main objective of the project, which complements the aims of The heating plant of the Future project, is to develop and demonstrate an innovative technology for an all-purpose energy generation and storage system for heating purposes combined with cogeneration based on renewable energy sources to self-balance the local electricity system. Biomass combustion is excluded from the project. Such a system will make it possible to produce electricity when it is most expensive, i.e. when there is no sun or wind. At the same time, it will generate heat and store it for later use. In this way, it will become a stabilising element of the local energy system. In 2021, 10 contractors were selected. After evaluating the results of the R&D work, a contractor was selected to carry out the work in the next stage. An innovative system will be developed in Sokolow Podlaski, which will work with renewable energy sources at a level close to 96% and provide heat to residents at a price comparable to traditional systems using fossil fuels.
Financial data
Funding under non-competitive projects of the European Regional Development Fund, sub-measure 4.1.3 - Innovative methods of research management of the Smart Growth Operational Programme 2014–2020. Increasing the level of economy innovation by implementing research projects through innovative public procurement to implement the European Green Deal strategy Projects 1-7: Contract no POIR.04.01.03-00-0001/20-00. Project value:148 000 000,00 PLN (33 289 097,82 EUR); Co-financing from the EU: 148 000 000,00 PLN. Increasing the level of economy innovation by implementing new model of financing breakthrough research projects Projects 8-9: Contract no POIR.04.01.03-00-0001/16. Project value: 208 537 106,10 PLN (46 905 487,33 EUR); Co-financing from the EU: 208 537 106,10 PLN.
Recommendations
Positive lessons of the project: the projects are implemented in the form of innovative public procurement, as pre-commercial procurement (PCP). NCBR, as the contractor, defines an R&D problem resulting from the real needs of the Polish economy, and entities interested in solving this problem participate in the process, the final effect of which is the implementation of the developed solution, unavailable or exceeding the technologies currently available on the market. Negative lessons: not yet known - the project is in progress.
Information sources
https://www.gov.pl/web/ncbr/Other info
Information sources: https://www.gov.pl/web/ncbr/; https://www.gov.pl/web/ncbr/green-deal Other info: About demonstrator of technology in Mysłowice: https://myslowice.naszemiasto.pl/w-myslowicach-powstanie-demonstrator-technologii-budynek/ar/c1-8805947
