The first SOUR call complements the SWEET Call 1-2020 and its guiding theme, Integration of renewables into a sustainable and resilient Swiss energy system. With SOUR, the SFOE has created an instrument to give unconventional, riskier projects a chance. The format was well received, with a total of 77 project proposals submitted. Independent experts evaluated the submissions. The four best-rated projects were awarded:
The ULISSE project (the acronym stands for: Under Lake Infrastructure for thermal capture and Storage of Solar Energy) aims to improve the performance of hydrothermal networks with heat storage. In summer, heated lake water is to be pumped into storage tanks at the bottom of the lake.
A similar topic is being investigated in BILS (Bubble In the Lake Storage). Here, however, the focus is on the feasibility of a cost-effective, large-volume underwater storage facility. The aim is to reduce land use for heat storage.
The ProdUse project focuses on how and why decision-makers select, interpret and use energy scenarios. With the help of these findings, knowledge gaps between producers and users of model-based energy scenarios are to be closed and the visibility and usability of energy scenarios improved.
In the fourth project, TMSG (Training Multiagent Strategies for the Grid), machine learning methods are applied with the inclusion of unconventional game theory. The project aims to develop decentralised smart grid control agents for managing appliances under complex rules.
