Innovations: from startups to unique classics

A robot in a pipeline

According to Ekaterina Petrova, director of the GenerationS corporate accelerator on the basis of RVC, in the energy sector, due to the trends of environmental friendliness and sustainable development, the focus is on the technologies improving the work of power plants.

— The specific feature of some of our startups in the energy sector is that they can easily "reformat" their solutions and make them applicable in any segment of the energy sector, be it hydro, thermal power plants, or renewable energy, - said E. Petrova. - Currently, the accelerator’s infrastructure includes more than 16 thousand startups from more than 30 countries, as well as about 400 corporate and ecosystem partners. Over the seven years of GenerationS' existence, we have accumulated a large number of startups in our portfolio, representing absolutely different technologies.

The In-pipe Robot company is engaged in diagnostics of process and main pipelines with the help of special robots. This technology can prevent emergencies, raw material loss and environmental pollution at customers’ facilities, reducing their excessive costs.

— The products of our company can be used, for example, in hydropower, - commented Artur Kolesnikov, CEO of In-pipe Robot. - The robot could be placed into the pipeline to perform combined diagnostics, i.e. detect the defects that are visually visible with a camera, and the defects that cannot be detected visually, such as changes in the wall thickness, using special sensors. Diagnostics are carried out in automatic mode. The advantages of our solution are high maneuverability, including the passage of vertical sections, and combined diagnostics, which allows the customer to greatly reduce costs and time needed for servicing pipeline networks.

Detector in an enclosed space

Video analytics systems for industrial safety based on artificial intelligence are increasingly in demand by industrial companies, and energy companies are no exception.

— Taking into account the high security requirements at the production facilities of the energy sector, as well as the requirements for information security, in-house solutions would be more suitable for this category of customers, - said CEO of NVI Solutions Filipp Belyaev. - They can perform the tasks related to the detection of violations in a closed circuit without transmitting data beyond the perimeter of the internal IT infrastructure. Our company specializes in the development of industrial recognition systems that are tailored for specific tasks and peculiarities of the customer and take into account the high requirements for information security. The main advantage of our R&D products in the field of industrial visual recognition systems is their work in industrial conditions, high reliability, independence from weather conditions, lighting, as well as staff qualification.

Hydrophobic dielectric

Kavaca is an innovative technology for comprehensive protection of the structures, machinery and equipment of tidal power plants.

— The multifunctional composition of Kavaca Industrial prevents the formation of corrosion, icing, residue buildup, contamination of hydraulic structures, cooling pipelines, power lines and equipment, - explains CEO of Kavaca Industrial Georgy Kazakevich. - The technology ensures the reliability of drainage and waterproofing devices, aeration and ventilation ducts, turbines and rotors, as well as maintains the high-quality energy properties of hydraulic units and main transformers. As a dielectric, Kavaca Industrial has a hydrophobic effect, significantly reducing friction. Using the Kavaca technology makes it possible to optimize the budget and ensure the safety, reliability and uninterrupted operation of the equipment.

Solar panels at hydropower plants

A unique facility for hybrid RER-based power generation was created by RusHydro. Solar panels with total capacity of 1,275 kW were launched at the Nizhne-Bureyskaya HPP. The modules manufactured by Hevel will generate 1.4 million kWh of electricity per year. The solar unit uses modern Russian-made heterostructure-based modules, 370 W each. The new generation solar cells with cell efficiency of over 23% generate 20% more electricity than traditional polycrystalline silicon modules and operate efficiently at high and low temperatures.

The panels will reduce electricity costs for the operational needs of the Nizhne-Bureyskaya HPP, which will result in an increase in the net electricity supply and improve the efficiency of the HPP.

— With the introduction of the solar modules, we created a unique facility for hybrid RES-based power generation, - said the head of RusHydro Nikolay Shulginov. - Within less than a year, together with our partners from the Hevel company, we implemented this project, unparalleled in Russia: for the first time in the domestic power industry, solar panels were installed at a hydropower plant.

— Hybrid generation backed up by the existing network infrastructure makes it possible to achieve maximum energy efficiency with minimal costs. I am sure that such projects have a great future", Igor Shakhrai, CEO of the Hevel Group, pointed out.

Solar modules with a total area of 6,700 square meters are installed on the territory of the HPP. Thus, no expansion of the HPP power grid and land allocation was required to set up the solar power unit.

As regards the development of solar power generation, the Amur Region is a favorable place with a high level of insolation, having an average of 240 sunny days per year. When placing the solar modules over the HPP site, the maximum solar activity was taken into account.

According to RusHydro, similar projects to create hybrid generation facilities are currently being implemented at HPPs in many countries. Such facilities can use the existing electricity network and transport infrastructure, and do not require new territories.


Source: Power and Industry of Russia