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Within an ERC starting grant award on the topic of “Smart Monitoring, Inspection and Life-Cycle Assessment of Wind Turbines”, the chair of structural mechanics is leading a comprehensive measurement campaign on a field wind turbine in Winterthur, Switzerland.

Hydro-abrasive turbine wear caused by sediments in the water has negative effects on hydroelectric power generation. Desanding facilities are adequate countermeasures, but often do not meet the design requirements. An improved design concept was developed using both numerical simulations and field experiments to limit scale effects with fine sediment modelling.

A/S Research Group develops a thermally active building system for a vaulted floor element that allows to harness energy from low temperature sources while at the same time ensuring thermal comfort of the occupants.

Many future electricity scenarios, including those developed for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE), use natural gas to bridge the transition to renewables. But such scenarios are inconsistent with the need to completely decarbonize energy supply. This study examines whether natural gas is indeed necessary or useful.