Islands are an ideal research ground for those willing to test out energy grid improvement solutions. Local communities usually favour renewable energy and face a wide range of challenges. The EU-funded SMILE project has been testing various combinations of new technologies to take these challenges on, for the benefit of island communities.
Too much waste ends up in landfill, removing potentially reusable resources from the economy. To address this, the EU-funded VOLATILE project has developed a process for transforming biological waste which can then be used in a range of industries. This could deliver products with real added value for EU citizens, such as biofuel and bioplastics, as well as soap and Omega-3 oils.
Until electric cars and other energy-efficient innovations are practical and affordable to all, the internal combustion engine will continue to be widely used, with the consequent greenhouse gas emissions. To help reduce pollution levels, EU-funded researchers have developed new laser ignition techniques, which have the potential to make combustion engines far more energy-efficient.
There are many factors that can influence a building's energy performance that a simulation cannot take into account. This is why one EU-funded project has gathered experience-based input from other building and energy stakeholders on what worked - and what didn't. The result is enbuibench, a platform where users can compare a building's energy use against other buildings with similar characteristics.
An EU, industry, national and regional-funded research project has developed the next generation of energy-efficient power semiconductors, using gallium nitride devices on innovative substrates. They can switch more quickly at high voltages and current densities and will power the smaller and cheaper energy-efficient applications of tomorrow.
Renovating energy-inefficient buildings is crucial if Europe is to reduce its carbon footprint. That is why an EU-funded project is making renovations faster and easier, helping homes to save energy - for the benefit of the general public and the planet.
With some 210 million buildings in Europe, most of them energy inefficient, the scope for sustainability gains is huge. How would Europe deal with the cost of all those renovations? An EU-funded pilot scheme that already involves 65 banks is proposing incentivised mortgages as a way to leverage the necessary funds, fast.
EU-funded researchers behind a breakthrough solar-energy technology have also laid the material foundations for a new generation of digital displays that could surpass latest-generation OLED screens in brightness, colour range and energy efficiency.
Amid an urgent need to cut carbon emissions to combat climate change, EU-funded researchers have developed a new generation of highly efficient power plants for generating heat and electricity from biomass.
By building a better picture of the complex activities and relationships between anaerobic microorganisms, EU-funded researchers aim to discover more sustainable ways of cleaning water and curbing greenhouse gas emissions.
