DESC0025000
Project Grant
Overview
Grant Description
Digital twins for canal, hydrokinetic turbine and array power modeling & optimization
Awardee
Grant Program (CFDA)
Awarding Agency
Funding Agency
Place of Performance
Atlanta,
Georgia
30308-1080
United States
Geographic Scope
Single Zip Code
Related Opportunity
Emrgy was awarded
Project Grant DESC0025000
worth $200,000
from the Office of Science in July 2024 with work to be completed primarily in Atlanta Georgia United States.
The grant
has a duration of 9 months and
was awarded through assistance program 81.049 Office of Science Financial Assistance Program.
The Project Grant was awarded through grant opportunity FY 2024 Phase I Release 2.
SBIR Details
Research Type
SBIR Phase I
Title
Digital Twins for Canal, Hydrokinetic Turbine and Array Power Modeling & Optimization
Abstract
Emrgy Inc. (ôEmrgyö) is a Woman-Led Business Enterprise that develops, designs, builds, and deploys
distributed hydrokinetic power systems to harvest energy from existing waterways for distributed clean
power generation (Figure 1). Emrgyĺs modular turbines (5-25 kW ea.) are specifically designed for canal
waterways where no impoundments or dams are necessary. Man-made water infrastructure also offers a
streamlined path to market with minimal permitting requirements. Each turbine module is a self-contained
unit that includes all structural, mechanical, and electrical equipment to operate. An Emrgy HK
array will range from as few as 10 twin-turbines (~100 kW) spaced along 1 km of canal to hundreds of
turbines (>1 MW), all interconnected like solar PV arrays.
Emrgyĺs market research and other previously published data regarding water transport infrastructure
has identified 300,000 miles of technically feasible man-made waterways worldwide, constituting a ~$240
billion market opportunity. As a sustainable competitive advantage, Emrgy has built a robust proprietary
database detailing over 30,000 miles of pre-screened canals in the US. This immense opportunity is further
prioritized by collecting canal geotechnical and historical flow data. Energy production predictions, rooted
in analytical models of the man-made infrastructure and turbines, drive the precision and innovation
behind MHK systemsĺ project development.
Emrgy has gathered extensive data on canal geometry, historical flows, and turbine performance.
Furthermore, upcoming project deployments will maintain consistent collection of water hydraulics data,
including depth and velocity in canals. Currently, synthesizing canal, water resource, and turbine
performance data from MHK distributed systems poses challenges. In Phase 1 of this project, Emrgy aims
to develop a framework for Canal, Turbine, and Array data & physics based digital twins. Such
development enables Emrgy to optimize turbine performance, conduct proactive maintenance, and
devise optimal control strategies for existing sites. This holistic approach enhances Emrgyĺs product
readiness and increases the value proposition for canal owners and irrigation districts, more effectively
leveraging their existing infrastructure. The project in Phase 1 will also set the stage for more large-scale
ML and AI models that utilize the digital twins to improve canal prospecting and energy production
forecasting over a projectĺs lifespan.
Through the outputs of the Digital Twins and ML Modeling, Emrgy anticipates more accurate predictions
for overall energy productions for potential project sites. This enhanced insight will enable Emrgy to
identify the most profitable projects and regions for developing MHK distributed systems. Furthermore,
the models and Digital Twins will create opportunities for Emrgy to collaborate with irrigation districts
and canal owners to optimize water flows to farmers, ultimately increasing the energy production at sites
and generating higher revenues and more value for districts and canal operators. The tools will make data
analysis more efficient and scalable, enabling Emrgy to assess more sites quickly and capitalize on
available market opportunities.
Topic Code
C58-19b
Solicitation Number
DE-FOA-0003202
Status
(Complete)
Last Modified 9/30/24
Period of Performance
7/22/24
Start Date
4/21/25
End Date
Funding Split
$200.0K
Federal Obligation
$0.0
Non-Federal Obligation
$200.0K
Total Obligated
Activity Timeline
Additional Detail
Award ID FAIN
DESC0025000
SAI Number
None
Award ID URI
SAI EXEMPT
Awardee Classifications
Small Business
Awarding Office
892430 SC CHICAGO SERVICE CENTER
Funding Office
892401 SCIENCE
Awardee UEI
K889KH4C8GS8
Awardee CAGE
76GS2
Performance District
GA-05
Senators
Jon Ossoff
Raphael Warnock
Raphael Warnock
Modified: 9/30/24