Approach

TOWARDS A MORE
ENERGY-EFFICIENT AND SUSTAINABLE PATH

TOWARDS A MORE
ENERGY-EFFICIENT AND SUSTAINABLE PATH

Challenges

Large-scale research facilities such as particle accelerators are usually energy-intensive systems, which during their operations can have a yearly average energy consumption of up to hundreds of GWh. This is comparable to the consumption of large metropolitan cities in Europe.

Considering the current energy mix in Europe, where the renewables cover only half of the power production, the carbon footprint of accelerators is not negligible. In addition, the large quantity of raw materials required for their constructions and operations has an impact on the environmental sustainability of these infrastructures. Previous studies targeted the reduction of energy consumption, carbon footprint emission or material sustainability, but they were limited to specialized studies on specific technical topics.

Solutions

RF2.0 will design, develop and on-field validate novel solutions for components and systems, that allow to transform particle accelerators into more sustainable and energy efficient research infrastructures.

Following the RF2.0 approach, the focus lies on:

  • New highly-efficient components: permanent magnets for beam guiding and focusing magnets for accelerators, Solid-State Amplifier for accelerator high power RF systems.
  • AI-assisted power management: optimized operations during beamtime, accelerated start-up and shut-down operations, digital twins for accelerator design and operations.
  • Low carbon technologies integration: renewables and energy storage systems integration, power electronics-based transmission.
  • Power consumption flexibility approaches for providing grid services: power-flexible high power computing, fast-dynamic monitoring systems.

Through 4 demonstrator projects, the energy saving of the proposed solutions will be validated under realistic conditions

Impact

Thanks to its holistic approach, RF2.0 addresses all expected outcomes of the Horizon Europe programme for the development of new technologies and solutions for reducing the environmental and climate footprint of research infrastructures within Europe.

The achieved innovations within RF2.0 will not only benefit research infrastructures, but go far beyond. Medical centres, data centres, industrial plants, and High-tech companies have very similar characteristics and face the same challenges.
RF2.0 develops a methodology for addressing those challenges, offering a flexible and multi-disciplinary energy management strategy as well as new technologies and solutions for such energy-intensive facilities of high societal relevance.

Energy Lab at KIT: large-scale research infrastructure for renewable energy

Approach The project partners have identified several bottlenecks towards the RF2.0 goal: at component and system level, involving both the physics and the energy technology topics in an interdisciplinary and unique approach

Energy Lab at KIT: large-scale research infrastructure for renewable energy

Approach

The RF2.0 partners have identified several bottlenecks towards this goal: at component and system level, involving both the physics and the energy technology topics in an interdisciplinary and unique approach

RF2.0
Approach

Al-assisted load management

  • New energy management approaches using AI
  • Digital twins of accelerator components and systems

New highly-efficient and reliable components

  • Permanent magnets
  • Semiconductor technologies
  • Solid-State Amplifier

Power consumption flexibility approaches for providing grid services

  • Power electronics
    and DC grids
  • Fast measurement systems
    (Phasor Measurement Units)
  • Energy costs and resources analysis

Sustainable low carbon technologies integration

  • Energy storage systems and technologies (batteries, supercaps, hydrogen)
  • Flexible power consumption as for HPC centres / Renewable power-driven scientific computing

RF2.0
Approach