Robust energy systems in an unstable world
With continued electrification and the transition to renewable energy, the energy system of the future will be far more complex than what we know today. At the same time, recent geopolitical developments place demands not only on security of supply, but also on resilience to new types of threats – both physical and digital.
To meet these challenges, the RT Centre (Real Time Computing Centre) is planned as a new infrastructure linked to the existing PowerLabDK. The infrastructure will enable the simulation of energy systems in very high resolution and in real time. Whereas second-scale simulations have been sufficient until now, the electricity system of the future, based on power electronics and digital control, will require simulations at the micro- and millisecond level.
With advanced computing power and specialised models, the RT Center will support the development of secure and resilient energy systems through research into new control and design methods, including the use of AI. A key focus is stress testing the energy system against extreme weather events and hybrid attacks in a secure environment so that vulnerabilities can be detected and remedied before hackers and others can exploit them.
The centre will also make it possible to connect physical components to the digital simulation so that, for example, a new type of wind turbine can be validated to meet the specifications required by the electricity grid. This process, which currently requires lengthy and expensive testing of a full-scale test turbine, will thus be able to be carried out much faster and at lower cost.
The centre will be the first of its kind in Europe and will be led by DTU with Aarhus University, Aalborg University, the University of Copenhagen and Copenhagen Business School as co-proposers and a number of Danish companies as partners.
The RT Centre has a total budget of DKK 165 million, of which DKK 60 million is being applied for from the Ministry of Higher Education and Science.
Read more about DTU’s research into energy systems here.
Modern nuclear power
The Nuclear Salt Loop Facility will be a laboratory for research into molten salt loops under conditions characteristic of the operation of molten salt reactors – a type of nuclear reactor that is under development in several places around the world, including Denmark, and is a candidate for the next generation of nuclear power. Molten salt reactors are also thought to have the potential to play a role in the development of new types of energy storage.
Specifically, the laboratory will contain loops in which molten salts containing nuclear fuel circulate. Advanced sensors and measuring instruments will make it possible to examine the fuel, the salts and the structural materials from which the loops are made. The experiments will enable interdisciplinary research at a high international level in reactor physics, molten salt chemistry, radiation physics, materials technology and other fields.
The laboratory will also combine experimental data with models to develop and validate safety systems for molten salt reactors.
The Nuclear Salt Loop Facility will be established at DTU Campus Risø in collaboration with Aarhus University and the University of Southern Denmark.
The budget for establishing the laboratory totals DKK 33.3 million, of which the Ministry of Higher Education and Science is contributing DKK 14.9 million. The funding will be provided immediately.
Read more about DTU’s research into nuclear power technologies here.
Leading fusion research
Danish Fusion Infrastructure, DFI, will be a unique test facility for research into fusion energy based on a so-called Stellerator-Tokamak hybrid reactor, which is being built at DTU. Fusion energy is a type of nuclear power in which atomic nuclei fuse together, releasing very large amounts of energy.
With this infrastructure, Denmark joins a small club of countries that have the equipment and capabilities to develop fusion power technology at the highest technical level – for the benefit of Danish researchers, students, and businesses.
The facility will have four primary focuses within development and research:
Methods for driving plasma in the reactor. This is one of the fundamental problems for tokamak reactors, which today can only drive the plasma for short periods at a time. New and promising methods have been proposed, and these can be tested experimentally at DFI.
Development of plasma diagnostics. A key part of the development of fusion energy is being able to measure, record, and understand particles and radiation that occur in a fusion reactor. DTU has played a leading role in the development of alpha particle diagnostics in the world's largest international energy project, ITER.
Investigation of materials for fusion reactors. The conditions in a fusion reactor are extreme in every way. The materials that are in closest contact with the plasma must therefore be able to withstand both very high temperatures and an intense bombardment of particles and radiation. DFI will enable the world-leading Danish research community within materials characterisation and development to work intensively with materials for use in future fusion power plants.
Robot technology for remote-controlled maintenance of the reactor. When a future fusion power plant is in continuous operation, it will be necessary to replace components in a safe and efficient manner using robot technology. Part of the DFI will therefore be a test facility at SDU Center for Large Structure Production, where technology for lifting and manipulating components weighing up to 180 tonnes can be developed.
The DFI has a total budget of DKK 68 million, of which DKK 30.6 million is financed by the Ministry of Higher Education and Science. The funding will be disbursed immediately.
The infrastructure is operated by DTU with the University of Southern Denmark, Aarhus University and Aalborg University as partners.
Quantum chips on Danish soil
PHODESIK - Photonic Process Design Kit - will make it easier and faster to develop and produce advanced photonic chips in Denmark. At the heart of PHODESIK is a so-called Process Design Kit (PDK) – a kind of toolbox – which makes it possible to design and produce photonic circuits for both top-level research and new commercial products. PHODESIK will be an extension of DTU Nanolab and will involve strong research environments at DTU Electro and DTU Physics.
Photonic chips are used, among other things, in the development of quantum computers, but are also expected to be crucial for a number of other technologies, such as lightning-fast and secure global communication.
The so-called Process Design Kit will consist of guidelines and tools for designing photonic circuits on chips, physical infrastructure such as machines, instruments and clean room facilities, as well as access to DTU Nanolab's existing expertise and technologies in nanofabrication.
The design and production of advanced microchips is a central part of the global technology race. Today, a large proportion of the world's chips are designed in the USA, while the majority are produced in Taiwan. Quantum chips in particular, which PHODESIK will be equipped to develop, are often highlighted as a particularly critical technology that could revolutionize encryption, communication and other fields in the future.
The ambition with PHODESIK is to enable Danish researchers and companies to develop and produce high-quality photonic chips quickly and efficiently. At the same time, the facility will play a central role in the education and recruitment of students.
PHODESIK will be based at DTU Nanolab with Aarhus University, the University of Copenhagen, the University of Southern Denmark and Danish Fundamental Metrology as partners.
The infrastructure has a total budget of DKK 161 million, of which DKK 80 million is being applied for from the Ministry of Higher Education and Science.
Read more about DTU Nanolab here.
