R&D
Solar

TOP10 Innovations
Inno
Title

French-German partnership achieves 46% PV
conversion efficiency in the lab
Organization

PeriodSoitec, CEA-Leti, Fraunhofer ISE

Dec/2014

France-based semiconductor maker Soitec and technology firm CEA-Leti in partnership withGermany-based Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems have tested a multi-junction photovoltaic
cell that converts 46% of solar light into electrical energy.
The achievement marks a new world record for PV conversion efficiency.
The new cell is a four-junction cell, with each of its sub-cells converting one quarter of the incoming
photons in the wavelength range between 300 nm and 1,750 nm into electricity. A special challenge that had
to be met by this cell was the exact distribution of the photons among the four sub-cells. This has beenachieved by precisely tuning the composition and thicknesses of each layer inside the cell structure.

New record solar cell on a 100mm wafer yielding
approximately 500 concentrator solar cell devices.
Source ©Fraunhofer ISE/Photo Alexander Wekkeli(https://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/en/press-and-media/press-releases/press-releas
es-2014/new-world-record-for-solar-cell-efficiency-at-46-percent )Compared to conventional solar cells, multi-junction solar cells are more expensive to manufacture.
However, by using concentrating optics to focus the sunlight onto these cells, it is possible to minimize cellsize to only a few square millimeters. This principle enables these modules to be manufactured
inexpensively.

GHG emissions reduction potential

InnovativenessFeasibility

The IEA technology roadmap (2014)envisions PV’ s share of global
electricity increasing to 16% by 2050.
Advances in conversion efficiency will
have a strong impact on reducing GHG.

The project has achieved thehighest PV conversion efficiency byresolving issues that prevented
efficiency increase in the past.

The technology has not reached
the commercialization stage.
However, a production line has
already been installed in France toproduce the new cells.

ICEF2015

Comments by the Top10 Working GroupA conversion rate of 46% of solar light into electricalenergy is indeed an outstanding R&D result.
High impact potential, large market potential anddemand.
High marks for taking on construction sector energy
savings.

R&D
Others (carbon capture)

TOP10 Innovations
Inno
Title

Researchers develop high-performanceionic-liquid-based membranes to capture CO2.
Organization

Period3M Company (US),University of Colorado, Boulder (US)Dec/2014

The University of Colorado at Boulder and its partner The 3M Company, have developed andfabricated innovative new thin-film composite (TFC) membranes that can capture CO2 at a cost ofless than $15 per ton—a level that is significantly lower than today’ s best carbon capture
technologies. The research was conducted through ARPA-E’ s program.
The researchers have demonstrated the first example of TFC gas separation membranes, which are
created by coating room-temperature ionic liquid (RITL) - polymer composites as thin layers onto porous

Cross-sectional SEM image of the thin-film composite membrane
Source http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ie5040682

support structures in such a way that the membrane has good mechanical strength. This new membranepulls CO2 out of coal-derived flue gas at twice the rate of current technologies, while restricting the flow ofother materials through it. The higher permeance of the TFC reduces the membrane material required,
thereby reducing the capital cost of the process.

GHG emissions reduction potential

InnovativenessFeasibility

If CCS projects steadily increase and if around
10% of existing coal-fired power generationin the US and Canada is replaced with CCS,
CO2 emission reduction is estimated to bearound 150 million t-CO2/year.resources, but
use renewable energy are an importantmeasure to reduce GHG emissions.

This is the highest CO2 permeancevalue reported for a membrane withsuch high selectivity.

Even though there remain some researchquestions such as the effects of coating
variations and the durability of membranes, the
new membranes can potentially reduce thecost of capturing CO2 to an economically viablelevel of <USD15/t-CO2.been confirmed.that, so
commercialization looks like a good bet.

ICEF2015

Comments by the Top10 Working GroupThe new membrane may be a real innovation.
Current technologies increase the cost of electricity anddecrease the power output, so they have little commercial
viability. With further development of this new membrane
technology, there is significant potential to reduce costs andrenew interest in capturing CO2 from coal-derived flue gas.

Pilot & Start-up
Wave

TOP10 Innovations
Inno
Title

CETO 5 Wave Energy Farm commences
operations in Australia
Organization

PeriodCarnegie Wave Energy Limited (Australia) Mar/2015
The Australian company Carnegie Wave Energy Limited has announced that a three-unit array of its CETO
5 wave energy generator has been completed and is operating at the Perth Wave Energy Project, located off
Garden Island in Western Australia.
The CETO system differs from other wave energy systems because it operates under water where
it is protected from severe storms and is invisible from the shore. The fully submerged buoys candrive seabed pump units to deliver high-pressure fluid onshore through a subsea pipe to standardhydroelectric turbines, generating zero-emission electricity. The high-pressure water can also be used

Source Carnegie Wave Energy Limited(http://www.carnegiewave.com/ceto-technology/what-is-ceto.html)

to supply a reverse osmosis desalination plant, replacing or reducing reliance on the fossil fuel power driven
pumps usually required for such plants. If successful, construction is expected to start of a larger
commercial-scale version - 3 MW CETO 6 wave farm - in 2016.

GHG emissions reduction potential

InnovativenessFeasibility

Carnegie Wave Energy hopes to expand
commercialization of this technology and istargeting 1,000 MW of capacity installed by
2020. With an assumed CO2 emission factor(0.823 t-CO2/MWh, Australia) and capacity
factor of 30%, emissions will be reduced byapproximately 2,200,000 t-CO2 annually.

CETO is a novel wave energy generator,
whose characteristics include: converting
ocean wave energy into zero-emission
electricity and desalinated water, being
environmentally friendly with minimal visual
impact, being fully submerged in deep
water, unaffected by storms.

Feasibility is relatively high because thistechnology is close tocommercialization with the CETO 6
planned for 2016.

ICEF2015

Comments by the Top10 Working Group
Highly innovative and unique.
In spite of the abundant potential of wave energies,
few activities have been undertaken to date.
Interested and would like to know the results.

Pilot & Start-up
Energy Storage

TOP10 Innovations
Inno
Title

World's largest Superconducting Flywheel Energy
Storage System test machine is developed
Organization

PeriodRailway Technical Research Institute,

April/2015

Kubotek Corporation, Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd.,
Mirapro Co., Ltd., Public Enterprise Bureau of Yamanashi Prefecture (Japan)
The Railway Technical Research Institute (RTRI) has developed a superconducting flywheel energy storage system, as anext-generation power storage system, with support by NEDO. This is the world's first superconducting magnetic
bearing which uses superconducting material both for its rotor and stator, and is capable of supporting heavy
weight, although it is a compact-sized system.
The flywheel energy storage system is capable of storing energy in the form of kinetic energy by rotating a flywheel, andconverting the rotating energy again to electricity. RTRI developed a superconducting magnetic bearing composed of ahigh-temperature superconducting coil and high-temperature superconducting bulk for the developed system. These
enable the flywheel to be levitated by the superconducting magnetic bearing without contact.
It is a very practical system, which enables stable fluctuating power generation such as PV over a long period. It

System configuration of demonstrated flywheel

has been connected to a solar power system and power grid of Tokyo Electric Power Company in Yamanashi Prefecture.

GHG emissions reduction potential

InnovativenessFeasibility

Compared to hydro pumping, superconducting
Flywheel Power Storage System will improve storage
efficiency from 70% to 85%. With assumption that
1.2 million kW of flywheels will be deployed by 2040,
the improvement by Superconducting Flywheel would
bring about a 400 million kWh reduction of electricity
consumption (around 200 thousand t-CO2) a year.

The project is innovative in that it is thefirst demonstration to use
superconducting material both for rotor
and bearing.

The project demonstrates thetechnological feasibility of applying a
superconducting magnetic material for
rotor and bearing.

ICEF2015

Source Railway Technical Research Institute(http://www.rtri.or.jp/eng/news/pdf/nr20150415e.pdf )Comments by the Top10 Working GroupThe first flywheel power storage using a
superconducting magnet bearing.

Commercialization
Next-generation Cars

TOP10 Innovations
Inno
Title

Toyota launches first commercial FCV, MIRAI
Organization

PeriodToyota Motor Cooperation (Japan)

Nov/2014

Toyota has launched the MIRAI, the first commercial hydrogen vehicle poised for mass production.
After introduction to the Japanese market in December 2014, Toyota is launching the MIRAI in US, available
from the fall of 2015. More markets will follow. The offer includes complimentary fuel for 3 years,
compensating for the high upfront cost of the first model.
The MIRAI is a four-door, mid-size fuel cell sedan with a level of performance that fully competes withtraditional internal combustion engines; it refuels in 3 - 5 minutes, and travels up to 300 miles (482 km)
on a full tank, overcoming many of the hurdles that electric vehicles are currently facing in gaining
recognition from ordinary consumers. Furthermore, it accelerates from 0-60 mph (0-97 km/h) in 9
seconds.

Toyota MIRAI
Source Toyota Motor Cooperation(http://newsroom.toyota.co.jp/jp/detail/4197769/)

The MIRAI uses the Toyota Fuel Cell System (TFCS). The TFCS consists of both fuel cell technology andhybrid technology, including a fuel cell stack, a fuel cell boost converter and high-pressure hydrogen tanks.
The TFCS is more energy-efficient than conventional engines and emits no CO2 or pollutants when burnt in
the vehicle. Another important feature is safety. Toyota has designed a fail-safe system that prevents explosions.

GHG emissions reduction potential

InnovativenessFeasibility

If hydrogen is created emission-free
and assuming a conventional car travels
around 20,000 km/year releasing 120
g-CO2/km, 2,400 kg-CO2 would be
reduced a year for each FCV sold.

The first commercially available FCV
ever.

MIRAI is a commercial product. The
success of its public uptake depends on
creating hydrogen-related
infrastructure, and reducing productcost.

ICEF2015

Comments by the Top10 Working GroupThe move by TOYOTA is an important step indisseminating fuel cell technology and in creating
markets for hydrogen produced from renewable sources.
The first commercially available FCV for everybody.

Commercialization
Solar

TOP10 Innovations
Inno
Title

Hybrid power plant with 600 kW of solar power wascommissioned in Berlin
Organization

PeriodGE, Kofler Energies and BELECTRIC

May/2015

The project partners GE, Kofler Energies, and BELECTRIC have commissioned a hybrid power plantwith 600 kW of PV power, a 400kW gas CHP plant, and a battery array with 200 kWh charge capacity
at GE Power Conversion production site in Berlin-Marienfelde.
The conventional energy portion is not drawn from the grid, but is generated by the CHP plant on site.
The battery buffers excess energy, and an energy management system controls the output of the hybrid
power plant to meet demand. The plant will not only supply power and heat to the GE Power
Conversion production site in Berlin-Marienfelde, Germany, but it will also feed power into the grid.
The plant enables primary energy savings of around 30 percent compared to systems that generateheat and power separately through conventional heating and external electricity procurement.

Hybrid power plant at GE Power Conversion production site
in Berlin

Source GE(http://www.gepowerconversion.com/press-releases/ge-kofler-energiesand-belectric-take-highly-efficient-hybrid-power-plant-operation)

The project was planned by Kofler Energies and GE's planning office BLS Energieplan. According to thecompanies, the business model for self-sufficiency and feeding surplus energy into the grid can betransferred to other industrial applications, which can also be larger than the current implementation.

Comments by the Top10 Working GroupGHG emissions reduction potential

InnovativenessFeasibility

The plant enables primary energy
savings of around 30 percent compared
to using conventional heating andexternal electricity procurement.

The project is innovative in the way ittakes a collaborative approach toachieving a system that enables adecentralized energy supply.

The system can be adapted to otherlarger units.

ICEF2015

There are a lot of hybrid power plant projects in theworld. The Berlin project is special because of theconsortium of companies.
Very unique technology - High impact - Easy toreplicate in future energy systems.

Commercialization
Next-generation Cars

TOP10 Innovations
Inno
Title

Mazda releases the most fuel efficient diesel car
ever - the Demio
Organization

PeriodMazda (Japan)

Oct/2014

Mazda has released version 4 of its Demio series, which won the car of the year Japan award
2014-2015. The compact Demio car comes in both diesel and gasoline versions, and delivers extremely
high fuel efficiency, with the diesel engine topping 30 km/L, which is unrivaled by its non-hybrid
brethren. The new car builds on Mazda’ s original concept of fuel-efficient SKYACTIV technology.
The Demio features SKYACTIV series technologies. The model is equipped with the newest 1.5 liter diesel
engine, the SKYACTIV, a SKYACTIV-DRIVE automatic transmission system or a SKYACTIV-MT manualtransmission system, and the SKYACTIV-BODY and CHASSIS for the structure of the vehicle. The
SKYACTIV technology series aims at producing a car that emits minimal CO2, while ensuring good handling

Mazda Demio
Source Mazda (http://www.mazda.co.jp/cars/demio/feature/design/)

and an excellent driving experience. All of its parts are extremely light, and it is one of the smallest diesel
engines in the world.
The Demio will be sold at the relatively low price of ¥1,350,000 to ¥2,192,400 ($11,250 to $18,270),
ensuring the technology will spread.

GHG emissions reduction potential

InnovativenessFeasibility

For each liter diesel consumed, 2,640 g-CO2 is
produced. So, the Demio produces 88 g CO2/km
based on a mileage of 30 km/l of diesel. Assumingthat a conventional car travels around 20,000
km/year releasing 120 g-CO2/km, 640 (2,400-1,760)
kg-CO2 would be reduced a year for each Demio sold.

The result of years of continuous
research to improve the diesel engine,
the Demio is a showcase for the state ofinnovation in engine technologies.

Diesel engines have been on the market
for over a century, and the uptake of
fuel-efficient cars has been very good
lately. Furthermore, the low price of thevehicle will help its diffusion.

ICEF2015

Comments by the Top10 Working Group
Promising market potential; integrates well into themarket. Accessible to consumers

Commercialization
Wind

TOP10 Innovations
Inno
Title

MHI Vestas V164-8.0 MW breaks power
production record
Organization

PeriodMHI Vestas Offshore Wind A/S (Denmark) Oct/2014
The MHI Vestas V164-8.0 MW prototype turbine broke the record for power production by a windturbine during a 24-hour period from 6-7 October 2014 when the turbine produced 192,000 kWh understeady wind conditions at a test site in Østerild, northern Denmark. The power produced by theturbine in one day was enough to supply the energy needs of approximately 13,500 Danish
households.
The world's most powerful turbine combines a mix of cutting-edge and innovative solutions in a largely

Source MHI Vestas Offshore Wind A/S(http://www.mhivestasoffshore.com/innovations/)

evolutionary design and scaling process. It is driven by MSG-PMG (Medium-Speed Geared Permanent
Magnet Generators) drivetrain, which is a very compact, light-weighted, slower speed solution offering thehighest efficiency with low maintenance needs.
MHI Vestas Offshore Wind has already signed a stream of contracts for the turbine to be used in a large
number of offshore wind projects, such as 450 MW for the “Borkum Riffgrund 2” project in Germany and
630 – 970 MW for the Navitus Bay project in the UK

Comments by the Top10 Working GroupGHG emissions reduction potential

InnovativenessFeasibility

The turbine can produce up to 192 MWhin a single day. With an assumed CO2
emission factor (0.352 t-CO2/MWh, EU)emissions are reduced by approximately
25,000 t-CO2 annually per unit.

The innovative V164-8.0 MW windturbine is the most powerful windturbine in the world, which is achieved
by cutting-edge and innovative
solutions in a largely evolutionary
design and scaling process.

Feasibility is very high because theprototype installation showed excellent
availability, and MHI Vestas has alreadysigned a large number of contracts forvarious offshore wind farms.

ICEF2015

The most powerful offshore wind turbine.
There is an urgent need to reduce generation costs,
which are still more than twice those of onshore
generation. Perhaps the development route Vestas
has taken will contribute to solve thisTOP10 Innovations
Inno

Challenging
Solar

Title

Researchers at Michigan State University
develop transparent solar windows
Organization

PeriodMichigan State University

Jan/2015

Researchers at Michigan State University (MSU) have developed a technology that uses transparent,
uncolored plastic, which can be placed over windows or smartphone screens, to produce electricity
from sunlight. The new technology is called a transparent luminescent solar contractor and absorbs
non-visible wavelengths.
For the new solar harvesting system, the research team developed organic molecules that absorb specificwavelengths, which are not visible to the human eye. Afterwards, those are transported to thin strips ofphotovoltaic cells at the side of the plastic, which then convert the light into electricity. Because theabsorbed wavelengths are not visible to us, the material looks transparent.
If the technology can be scaled up, a whole new spectrum of photovoltaic applications will open up. The

A transparent luminescent solar concentrator module.
Source ©Yimu Zhao/Michigan State University(http://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2014/solar-energy-that-doesnt-block-th
e-view/)

current conversion efficiency is around 1%, however the group is aiming to reach an efficiency of 5 %when the invention is fully optimized.

GHG emissions reduction potential

InnovativenessFeasibility

The IEA technology roadmap (2014)envisions PV’ s share of global electricity
increasing to 16% by 2050. If this technology
develops, it could dramatically increase theshare of electricity from solar power by 2050.

The project is innovative in a way that it
opens the first commercial-scale carbon
capture and utilization facility.

The technology has the potential to bescaled up for commercial or industrial
applications at an affordable cost.

ICEF2015

Comments by the Top10 Working Group
Great innovation for a multipurpose solution.
The economic costs may be prohibitive and theimpact may not become significant. Still attractive
market niches may exist.

Policy & Standardization
Smart Grid

TOP10 Innovations
Inno
Title

Europe creates a unified gas and electricity market
Organization

PeriodEU transmission companies (EU)Apr/2015

The European Union has been aiming for the creation of a common energy market (Internal Energy
Market, IEM) since the 1990s. Connections are increasing, and the latest projects include the Italy-France
transmission line (1.2 GW) and the U.K.-Norway transmission line (4 GW).
Apart from ever increasing transmission capacity, most of the western and northern European electricity
markets were price coupled in late 2014, with the rest of the markets slated to join in 2015 or 2016. Thismeans that electricity can be traded between markets using the same rules, and buyers and sellers
won’ t have to take into consideration transmission constraints, maximizing the use of available
transmission capacity, and the possibility of sending energy that originates from variable generation
between regions.

The European Energy Market
Source © European Union 2015 - EC,Photo : Maout Christophe
http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/photo/photoDetails.cfm?ref=P-027638/00-01&sitelang=en#0

IEM increases the ability to send electricity between markets. This, in turn, increases the possibility of
sending variable generation between markets, thus reducing the need to stop renewable energy power
plants when they produce more than is needed in a local market.

Comments by the Top10 Working GroupGHG emissions reduction potential

InnovativenessFeasibility

This increases the possibility of sending
variable generation between markets,
thus reducing the need to stop renewableenergy power plants when they produce
more than is needed in a local market.

This is the first example of multiple
countries harmonizing their rules, so it
is considered to be highly innovative.

Achieving the IEM is seen to be an
important building block in creating aseamless European Union, and because
most of the reforms are underway, thefeasibility of success is deemed to be high.

ICEF2015

This is an important step towards finalizing the so-called
single European electricity market by 2015/2016. The
single market improves the substitution of conventional
power stations by renewables.
Practical and thinking big.