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DESC0025000

Project Grant

Overview

Grant Description
Digital twins for canal, hydrokinetic turbine and array power modeling & optimization
Awardee
Place of Performance
Atlanta, Georgia 30308-1080 United States
Geographic Scope
Single Zip Code
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
100% Complete

Funding Split
$200.0K
Federal Obligation
$0.0
Non-Federal Obligation
$200.0K
Total Obligated
100.0% Federal Funding
0.0% Non-Federal Funding

Activity Timeline

Interactive chart of timeline of amendments to DESC0025000

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
Modified: 9/30/24