cte.fea.pl » Centre for Energy Technology Cluster

Centre for Energy Technology Cluster

Address:
2 Stalowa str.
58-100 Świdnica
Poland (Lower Silesian Voivodeship)

Contact person:
Krzysztof Brzozowski, Cluster Leader
(T) +48 74 6450133 (F) +48 74 6450132
Email: biuro@fea.pl
WWW: cte.fea.pl/

Mission and Vision

The CET Cluster is an innovative partnership of renewable energy and energy efficiency oriented entities, including businesses, R&D institutes, vocational schools and communities. The cluster has been set up as a bottom up non-political initiative. It combines formal and non-formal approaches. It is organized as a project based, independent association.

CET involves 123 partners (as of 31.12.2019), including R&D institutes and companies ranging from energy and heat producers and distributors, energy related systems and appliances manufacturers to renewable energy systems technology designers, engineers, installers and distributors, renewable energy consultancies and renewable project developers. Its flag-ship undertaking is the R&D centre completed in 2015, including testing, research, training and demonstration infrastructure under a set of facilities called CET (Centre for Energy Technologies – see more about it below)

CET Cluster was established in 2008 by Free Entrepreneurship Association (FEA), a non-government and non-profit organization acting as a technology transfer agency focused on innovative technologies promotion, with a track of active involvement in a multiple national and international projects. FEA has its origins dating to 1992 with its headquarters in Świdnica, SW Poland.

FEA, still providing a legal and organizational umbrella for the CET Cluster operations, founded it with two major goals:

as a source of collaborative expertise in diverse fields contributing to energy efficiency (EE) and renewable energy (RE) enhancement
as a vehicle allowing to build a multi stake-holder consensus and support around innovative projects initiated by FEA with the purpose of finding right mixes of technologies, processes and business models.

Sectoral Focus - ENERGY

Sectorial belonging

energy efficient buildings (design, technologies, construction services, development)
heat production and distribution, co-generation,
RES based systems designing, implementation and distribution (incl. photovoltaics, solar thermal, heat pumps, biomass production and gasification systems),
HVAC design and servicing,
Intrumentation, control and protections,
Mechanical and electrical goods manufacturing

Thematic focus/competences of the cluster

brokerage for innovative technologies designed to enhance energy efficiency and renewable energy use
building new business models for energy technologies to enter the Polish market
integrated designing of low energy buildings, architecture, HVAC installations and dedicated prosumer energy sources
solar energy systems design, implementation and monitoring

Main activity areas of the cluster organisation

What we do

R&D Facilities

CET – experimental building, R&D facility for testing and developing microgeneration and low energy building technologies – 1,200m2, 13 technologies, 70 energy meters

Centre for Energy Technologies (CET) – a newly built 1200m2 demonstration and testing “living lab” serving as an R&D facility for the CET Cluster members to develop, test and commercialize a set of energy efficiency, low energy building and micro-generation technologies. Under the CET’s roof there is also a microgeneration technology transfer hub with a team of FEA’s consultants dealing with innovative technology commercialisation and business development.

Experts

– two interdisciplinary teams (more than 30 experts) working under auspices of FEA and based on the CET infrastructure and focused on designing solar systems and model energy efficient buildings

Products and Services

– MODEL BUILDING DESIGNS – a catalogue of model low energy buildings integrated designs, incorporating technologies and systems verified in the CTE facilities first. Being offered commercially to a wider market in Poland under the brand name of Domy Czystej Energii (Clean Energy Houses), the designs are conceived as a primary technology transfer vehicle for CTE. So far, more than 80 of them have been developed through a concerted effort of architects, engineers, scientists and builders under the CET interdisciplinary experts.

– NEW TECHNOLOGIES DELVELOPMENT – an example being the AccuSun, an absolutely pioneer clean energy technology to set-up energy autonomy in residential buildings. It brings together solar thermal generation and inter-seasonal heat storage in high-temperature solid thermal mass (with temp. up to 400oC)

PHOTOVOLTAICS and HEAT PUMPS – our technology focus

Photovoltaics at CET

There are 18 PV systems representing the world leading PV technologies put to ongoing field performance tests at the CET facilities. The assessment methodology employs a three level measurement concept starting from 18 pairs of different PV modules, then being scaled up to a number of ca. 3 kW and 30 kW systems, all connected to a joint tailor-made measurement systems. The PV research field is primarily located in the direct vicinity of CET while a number of 30 kW ground and roof installations are also hosted by a few larger industrial companies, to additionally verify compatibility of their other energy sub-systems as well as put to test their overall engineering procedures and services.

The goal is to increase the reliability and the optimized performance of photovoltaics in Poland. By providing environmentally specific energy ratings and tailor made monitoring system and data processing this project will help form one of the best available data sources in Poland on the performance of PVs in moderately cold climates. Verification of a range of PV technologies foreseen in the installation is not only aimed to optimise the long term performance of PV technologies. Equally important is to instill greater consumer, investor and public decision-makers’ confidence in PV technologies through creating a hub of solar expertise that will offer design advice, product knowledge and technical standards and enable the PV sector in Poland to perform to its highest potential

Testing PV modules and systems in natural outdoor conditions

(click on the cover below to read)

See our offer for Testing PV modules and systems in natural outdoor conditions

Heat pumps at CET

There are 4 separate heat pump installations that are tested on an ongoing basis. Three of them are air source and one bore hole based. They are uses in a number of ways depending on a testing purpose, an HVAC zone at the CET building they are supposed to contribute to as well as a heat and/or cooling distribution system (some CET zones have both the under ceiling and floor systems). All of them are being monitored through the CET dedicated BEMS (Building Energy Management System – see the presentation in the PL section: BEMS – System zarządzania budynkiem Centrum Technologii Energetycznych). Ground source installations are subject to additional multiyear tests in-depth research to verify performance effect on bore holes through regeneration using summer season waste heat. The boreholes are supplied with measuring sensors to check the heat output of subsequent hydro-geological strata down to 80 m deep. Only two boreholes are being regenerated while others are left as benchmark.

Other SERVICES:

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER & BROKERAGE – bringing together technology developers, providers, distributors with demand side partners; marketing programmes development; active supporting in funding acquisition for technology development and commercialisation schemes

CLUSTERING and NETWORKING – cluster mapping, value chain analyses, action plans development, culster initiatives development involving businesses, R&D institutes and municipalities,

TESTING ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES:

TESTING Power, Heating and Cooling technologies for energy efficient buildings. The technical and performance assessment infrastructure of the CET building is prepared to host and flexibly exchange components for a whole range of micro-generation installations incl. solar thermal collectors, PV modules, heat pumps, biomass boiler, several ventilation and heat recovery systems. All being part of the CET testing facilities and connected to our dedicated BEEMS (Building Energy Management System – see the presentation in the PL section: BEMS – System zarządzania budynkiem Centrum Technologii Energetycznych)
TESTING Photovoltaics systems. See our offer for Testing PV modules and systems in natural outdoor conditions
– Development of
PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGIES
for microgeneration technologies and installation services

NEW TECHNOLOGIES DEVELOPMENT – an example being the AccuSun, a pioneer clean energy technology to set-up energy autonomy in residential buildings and support industrial processes requiring large amounts of heat (ex. for drying purposes). It brings together solar thermal generation and inter-seasonal heat storage in high-temperature solid thermal mass (with temp. up to 300oC). The technology has already a verified proof of concept with a small scale and fully operational demonstration system in place.

SOLAR PROJECTS – distributed solar energy projects to involve solar stand-alone and building integrated innovative technologies – integrated into the Model Building Designs as above or being developed under large scale solar community programs (with current budget of ca. 13 Mio Euro)

PROMOTION and MARKETING agreements to promote and introduce low energy building technologies and microgeneration technologies into the Polish market:
- through extensive energy audit programmes understood as a tool for well tested technologies to be spread
- through a number of focused educational and awareness campaigns including events, dedicated workshops, stake holder and journalist panels, training courses, e-learning, webinars) addressed for potential investors, local governments, media and decision makers
- through exhibition and demonstration facility of CET (incl. a spacious internal hall as well as external infrastructure to showcase technologies)
- through proprietary integrated energy model designs for low energy buildings marketed by an Internet platform and backed by performance data from the CET’s testing facilities

RENT of fully equipped specialized design studios and office spaces with access to the CET facilities (based on flexible time arrangements),

ENERGY CONSULTANCY:
- energy audits for businesses and communities with a countrywide scheme under way to run the audits for nearly 300 companies in Poland (buildings performance assessments, energy efficiency of production processes with technology recommendations)
- energy strategies, action plans based on RES and EE rules for a number of Polish councils, complemented by a set of energy savings plans with an input drawn on practical experience from the cluster members
- extended training and advisory programmes to set up a network of community energy managers working for local governments in the SW Poland and responsible for RES and energy efficiency actions taken by the communes

Concepts

AER – the autonomous energy region, a project to set up the operational model and coordination centre for a group of 21 Lower Silesian communes with a purpose to design and implement a number of joint initiatives to significantly decrease dependence on external energy sources in the long term

Learning through integrated design process

An example being The Eco-Creatives project – an entrepreneurship development scheme launched to involve young under-graduate and graduate engineers, architects and designers representing diverse faculties of technical and non-technical universities in interdisciplinary teams for integrated design process of low energy buildings as a start-up activity

Education and promotion as a marketing tool for energy technologies

FEA has gathered substantial experience as a result of a range of measures and actions carried out through 5 different public funded projects to increase public awareness for eco-innovation and energy technologies, demand side management and micro-generation approaches in smart grid context, and promote low energy and passive building designs

Verified energy technologies

Development of performance assessment methodologies and validated test protocols for microgeneration technologies and installation services, based on the CTE testing infrastructure. Building up a code of practice for construction and solar industries

Legal Form

Association
Name(s) of the shareholders of the cluster organisation
The main shareholder is Free Enterprise Association

The CET Cluster snapshot
Members*:
– 123 companies (93 small and micro ones, 16 medium sized, 7 large ones)
– 4 R&D institutes (based at Wroclaw Technical University)
– 3 vocational schools focused on building, electrical and RES technologies
*as of 31.12.2019,

Centre for Energy Technologies CLUSTER
Product / Market Value Chain

Definition of geographical focus/area
Basic area: Lower Silesia (SW Poland)
Extended area: some project involves national and international partners

Cluster initiatives developed by FEA – paving the way to public and private investors

References of projects
(national/international level)
developed between 2010 and 2020

Project 1: Making energy and technologies tangible.

Centre for Energy Technologies (CET) – living lab and testing facilities for microgeneration and efficient building technologies

Project 2: Paving the way for PV onto the Polish market

CET’s technology focus, research PV installation a project to set-up the leading PV expertise hub in Poland.

Project 3: Accredited vocational education centre and hands-on promotion of energy technologies through interactive training programmes

The CET advanced outdoor and indoor facilities allowed to establish the top training centre for installers of PV systems and heat pumps. The centre has been accredited since 2015 by the Urząd Dozoru Technicznego (Central Office for Technical Inspection – a Polish national government agency) and is granted permission to run officially certified and recognized courses for PV and HP professionals.

Indoor multimedia systems, visualising energy through the CTE’s building energy management system (BEMS) for the CET running installations, used also as a practical training tool; professionally equipped training and conference rooms, all together enabling a unique and comprehensive educational experience during presentations of innovative ideas about using new RES and energy efficiency concepts in buildings

Projects 4.1-4: Four large-scale solar community grant programmes

managed by FEA in partnership with altogether 30 communities and local governments. As a result 530 new PV roof mounted installations were provided to homeowners from Lower Silesia, SW Poland. Additionally, under three newly launched projects by FEA, ca. 600 old home boilers and furnaces will be replaced by modern heating systems like biomass, heat pump or PV/heat pump hybrid installations). A significant number of the CET Cluster are being involved in these projects, making use of the knowledge gathered through the Cluster as well as of the technologies being tested at the facilities of the Centre for Energy Technologies in Świdnica. Overall budget of the projects run into 13 Mio Euro.

Project 5: Energy audits for 220 businesses

throughout Poland in the field of energy efficiency and renewable energies

Project 6: From Prosumer audits to prosumer investments

– RES audits for communities, building cooperatives and residents throughout Poland
– scope: RES potential assessments for residential and commercial buildings with technology recommendations along with a selection of funding opportunities

Project 7: Education and promotion as a marketing tool for energy technologies

– a set of 5 projects designed to enhance awareness of technologies for energy efficient houses, prosumer attitudes and energy efficiency, small-scale installations working for end users of smart grids

Project 8: The Eco-creatives

– 10 competing teams of young engineers and architects learning through integrated design process while developing concept houses for specially selected investors

Project 9: “EcoCommunity”

– development of energy strategies based on RES and EE rules for 23 Polish communities complemented by a set of energy savings plans and feasibility studies with an input drawn on practical experience from the cluster members

Project 10: Local Energy Manager

– setting up a network of local energy counselors and energy managers working for local governments in the SW Poland and responsible for energy efficiency actions taken by the communes. Followed by an extensive competence development programme. The project target energy managers were recruited from local government master planners, architects, building and environment protection inspectors, infrastructure officers as well as local communities partnerships; more than 400 participants

Project 11: AER – Autonomous Energy Region

– Objective: to set up the operational model and coordination centre for a group of 15 Lower Silesian communes; – to design and implement a number of joint initiatives to significantly decrease dependence on external energy sources in the long term