«Fisterra» Project

The Fisterra Project aims to create a power electronics converter that will drastically reduce the consumption of fossil fuels on ships during their arrival, docking and departure from ports. With this commitment to innovation, Galician work teams will provide a solution to the challenge of decarbonising maritime transport. In fact, 80% of freight transport takes place by sea and accounts for 15% of annual nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions and 13% of sulphur oxide (SOx) emissions.

The project will be divided into four phases that will be developed between 2024 and 2026, giving rise to different milestones within an iterative process. Firstly, the state of the art in multi-megawatt converters will be investigated, in order to reach a common consensus among the partners on the expected final prototype. In the second stage, a digital twin will be created and the first test converter will be designed, while in the third phase, the use cases created in the second milestone will be evaluated and the digital twin created in the second milestone will be implemented. Finally, the prototype will be validated in a controlled environment and the converters will be manufactured using smart factory techniques.

Although this advance is intended for use in maritime transport, its benefits can revert to other sectors. The energy sector will be able to achieve greater autonomy in the supply and manufacture of critical elements in the development of energy projects. In particular, in the port sector, in the production of green hydrogen and the use of the catenary network for the deployment of ultra-fast vehicle charging infrastructure.

FEATURES OF THE INNOVATIVE MULTI-MEGAWATT CONVERTER

This converter will offer features that have not been detected in the market to date, innovating in power electronics and manufacturing to transform the maritime and port sector, with an emphasis on sustainability and energy efficiency. In terms of competition, the main novelty of the new nGM series will be:

An ultra-efficient design based on a converter cooling system, which will improve the dynamic response to offer around double what is currently on the market.

Incorporation of cutting-edge algorithms for converter control and communications that will reduce response times.

Additional functionalities that will allow the following advantages in any electrical ecosystem: the integration of renewables, reactive compensation and increased reliability and stability of the network on both sides of the converter.

ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL IMPACT OF FISTERRA

Sustainability is central to FISTERRA, through the following five objectives, of which the first two have a direct impact on maritime transport and the rest involve all electro-intensive sectors:

Decarbonisation of maritime traffic.

Reduce dependence on fossil fuels in port operations through electrification.

Minimising the environmental footprint throughout the entire life cycle of the products developed, from manufacturing to deployment and operation.

Increasing the contribution of renewable energies and alternative fuels, such as green hydrogen, in electricity production.

Developing sustainable and inclusive industrialisation thanks to the cost reduction provided by this type of multi-megawatt converters, also guaranteeing global electricity access.

The European Commission identified 319 seaports (out of more than 1,200 commercial ports in Europe) that are essential for the proper functioning of the internal market and the European economy. Assuming that only 10% of these ports are reached, FISTERRA would mean the decarbonisation of approximately 32 ports, a reduction of more than 583,000 kg of SO2 annually, equivalent to what more than 47.8 million cars would emit in one year.

FISTERRA will have a significant impact on the competitiveness of the Galician production model, integrating innovative industrial technologies, such as advanced and intelligent manufacturing in the value chains, through the use of artificial intelligence, additive manufacturing and blockchain, and the implementation of enabling technologies, such as automation, robotics, artificial vision, machine learning, deep learning or iOT.

The results of FISTERRA can be commercially exploited internationally, which reduces economic dependence on the outside. FISTERRA will also promote the creation of qualified employment in Galicia. Seven new hires are expected to be made, all of them technical research and manufacturing profiles, with preference for women with previous experience.

Over the course of these two years of research, FISTERRA will produce more precise results and estimates of the final impact that the innovative multi-megawatt converter will have on the environment, the national and international economy and society.

FISTERRA PROJECT FIRST ANNUALITY

From the Norvento Tecnología side, the contribution to the Fisterra project during the first year has been focused on the analysis of the different power electronics topologies that can best adapt to the purpose, which is to have a power supply system for ships in port. In the same way, synergies have been sought with other markets that allow us to take advantage of the development in product diversification. Additionally, the minimum requirements of the control unit have been established at a computational level and research has been carried out to optimize the control and communications system between the converter and the ship.

The completion of these tasks has allowed us to establish the requirements to begin with the design tasks in which we are currently engaged, advancing both in the detailed design of the converter and in the simulations of the behavior for the defined uses.

Norvento nED Factory’s participation in the first year of the Fisterra project focuses on the study of tools that help us transform our converter manufacturing process.

In order to move from a low-volume semi-industrial model to a high-volume industrial one, we need to implement analysis and manufacturing methodologies that ensure scalability, traceability, flexibility and digitalization.

Within the framework of this first year, we have explored different options to help operators carry out the assembly, review and testing tasks of the equipment, making progress above all in the creation of final equipment review instructions by operators with the help of augmented reality.

On the other hand, and at a higher process level, we have made progress in defining the basic assembly steps of the converter and the global layout of the factory to make a first production estimate of the future process, with the help of the digital twin.

CTAG has worked on two main lines of research that have allowed it to initiate, on the one hand, the Design and Construction of a production model that serves as a basis for the development of the DIGITAL TWIN, based on previous experiences of similar products and a review of the competition, considering the different use cases of the converter, and on the other, the development of a parameterizable AUGMENTED REALITY System based on an ANDROID solution for Tablets and for application in final validation testing tasks of the converter.

UVigo has begun the activity of analysis and design of the power converter control strategy based on initial base specifications, previous experience in similar systems and a review of the competition.