Demonstration plants for education in new energy technologies - Capacity building between Sweden

Within the District Heating Group of Sustainable Sweden Southeast, SSSE, a joint project with the University of Kalmar, now the Linnaeus University, was initiated some years ago on building a test and demonstration plant for new energy technologies. The plant was designed for research and development purposes but would also be useful for education, especially on the use of renewable energy sources. At the Vocational Higher Educational School in Sulechów, Poland, a similar demonstration plant was planned to be built funded by EU. In 2007 a memorandum of understanding was signed by the Vocational Higher Educational School in Sulechów and the University of Kalmar regarding cooperation in new energy technologies (see Enclosure 1) and in May 2008 more detailed plans for some joint activities were laid down. The building of the Swedish demonstration plant has now been completed in March 2010. The building of the Polish demonstration plant began in February this year and will be completed in June 2011.

The purpose of present project proposal is to get financial support by SIDA for the Swedish participation in extending and deepening the knowledge exchange between the Linnaeus University in Kalmar and the Vocational Higher Educational School in Sulechów related to three areas of cooperation, namely (I) design of demonstration plants for new energy technologies, (II) use of the demonstration plants in education, and (III) initiation of European network on knowledge exchange on demonstration plants for new energy technologies. 

The expected results from the proposed project are (a) user-friendly Internet based system for data exchange between the energy laboratories at Sulechów and at Kalmar, (b) user-friendly data software for  calculation of thermal performance, economy, and climatic performance of combi-heating systems, (c) examples on how the demonstration plants can be used for educational purposes, and (d) workshop for initiation of an European network on capacity building on demonstration plants for new energy technologies.

The current project can be seen as a pilot project for international cooperation on how expensive equipment for education in new energy technologies can be shared by two partners. It is believed that this can be taken advantage of in various teaching duties in a more cost effective way compared to situations where two partners are working all by themselves.