IMO 2.0 advances cutting-edge fundamental and applied research in the social sciences and contributes to two smart specialisation areas in Estonia: digital solutions across all fields of life and smart, sustainable energy solutions (mobility, building renovation). A comprehensive infrastructure integrating mobility and location data has already been developed and is available via the user portal at imo.ut.ee. To further develop this infrastructure, researchers from the Centres of Excellence in Energy Efficiency and Well-being Sciences will collaborate to elevate their research. To achieve this, IMO 2.0 will: (a) create new functionalities for mobility and location data based on the Centres' needs; (b) develop tools to support building renovation and well-being studies; and (c) seek synergies between the Centres in addressing key scientific and societal challenges related to human-environment interactions in buildings, mobility, public health, and well-being.
The project is strictly focused on producing new knowledge with high reliability potential to improve the durability, performance, and resilience of the renovated buildings. The project will contribute to the new EPBD objective of decarbonized building stock and CPR requirement on sustainable use of natural resources (reuse, durability, envir. friendly materials) so that renovated buildings will be future-proof.
It will be achieved by:
• identification of the vulnerability of buildings and development of degradation models of building envelopes in typical semi-boreal climatic hazards
• development of renovation solutions to ensure the durability and performance of building envelope structures and/or with biobased materials in the renovation of high-energy-efficient/zero emission buildings
• evaluation of the durability and heat loss of building envelope structures under conditions of climate change
• pursuing cost-effectiveness and emissions reduction
• delivering decision support solutions
Research infra aims to consolidate and develop facilities needed for energy efficiency and renewable energy research in close cooperation of units located in Tallinn and Tartu. It will be formed based on Centre of Excellence in Energy Efficiency and cooperation with Estonian University of Life Sciences. It covers main components of energy consumption such as buildings and batteries of electric vehicles, distributed generation of renewable energy, transformation, conversion and distribution of electricity with the aim to develop an optimal energy system with widespread use of renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements. Research infra contributes to achievement of Estonian climate neutrality targets by seeking affordable solutions for energy efficiency, electrification, electricity grid, renewable energy and storage integration and for avoiding useless energy conversion. Research conducted with this infrastructure will help to implement the energy efficiency first principle.
The aim of the project is to find ways to continue using existing buildings and their components, thereby reducing the environmental impact of built environment and the need for virgin raw materials. The project focuses on creating, developing, testing, piloting, and refining a methodology for auditing existing buildings to identify opportunities for extended use, adaptation, or renovation. If this is not feasible, the available elements from donor buildings will be inventoried and their reuse potential analyzed for use to construct next transfer buildings. During the project, a digital platform will be developed to support carring out auditing as well as to manage the entire process — from pre-demolition assessment of buildings to the reuse of components. The platform will enable architects and engineers to see which parts of existing buildings can be used in the construction of new ones. The system will link audit results with a material bank to facilitate the movement of reusable building components between developers and builders. This is an important step towards circular construction, where buildings are considered as material banks rather than one-time-use objects. A significant part of the project is the analysis of and proposals for a regulatory framework enabling circular construction, as well as the development of standards for reusable materials. In addition, existing similar methods and business models will be analysed, on the basis of which a suitable business solution will be created for the commercialisation of the auditing methodology developed within the project.
The Polish, Romanian and Estonian PRE-ActiVer (PREfabricated Active wall system using Verolith®) project is dedicated to developing, constructing and investigating the lightweight wall panel equipped with interconnected PV panels and a heat dissipation system. The ActiVer façade system should be prefabricated, easy to assemble and maintain, with replaceable PV elements and be environmentally friendly. The project aims to develop, optimize, and test a lightweight PV modular element for application on the s building’s external walls. The basis for the module is a rigid board made of mineral perlite granulate, hardened as a result of special thermal treatment. The structure and size of the plate itself allow the development of prefabricated PV light wall system technology. The assumption is that the entire thermal and electrical system will be made within the slab structure and can be installed on any external wall, with the possibility of easy installation, disassembly, and the ability to perform service work. One of the challenges is to create the system in such a way that it can be integrated with the ETICS system or similar without the need to use substructure elements. Additionally, application of a rigid board with structure of hollowed out channels behind the PV will allow heat dissipation or its utilization (based on the assessment of the amount of heat possible to be harvested). The energy produced from building integrated PV systems became popular because of easy integration with internal/building electricity grid, slight use of electric power transmission network and possibly high level of energy self-consumption. Such on-site, PV installations are mainly designed to cover energy requirements for end users where the systems are applied. On the other hand, the existing technologies are mainly based on detached systems (roof or façades) which are based on heavyweight, stiffed and mechanically mounted panels. The ActiVer system's advantage lies in its integration of PV with a passive heat dissipation system, along with its lightweight and fully prefabricated design. The new ActiVer system will be versatile (applicable on different façade systems), entirely prefabricated (based on Sto Verolith® system) and easily serviceable and maintenance (with exchangeable PV panels). Moreover, the system will undergo comprehensive experimental and computational testing covering its physical behaviour (heat and mass transfer), energy performance and management (including heat dissipation), environmental performance (Life Cycle Assessment and Carbon Footprint analyses), and cost-effectiveness (in close cooperation with industrial partner), considering the needs of the stakeholders, effects and potential impacts on the environment and society (RRI analyses). Regarding the experiences from previous projects, the consortium will be able to start the project with TRL4 when the proposed system will be validated on the laboratory scale. After the phase of research investigations, numerical simulations and detailed design the prefabrication technology will be developed and proposed. This phase will allow validating the system in the relevant environment (TRL5). The last phase will be a demonstration in the relevant environment which will lead to the target TRL6. The experimental installation will allow for confirmation of the proper operation of the ActiVer under real conditions during the last year of project execution. The measurements will be continued in the following years after the project ends, to determine the long-term performance of the ActiVer. The project is planned for 36 months and will be executed by partners from 3 universities with the cooperation with the industrial partner. The added values of the cooperation also comes from the local differences between Northern Europe (Estonia), Central Europe (Poland) and South Europe (Romania), which apparent themselves, among others, in climatic differences and construction technologies.
The energy and building sector are vital to Europe’s environment and energy policies. In the current energy transition, the building sector is recognized as a cornerstone due to the possibility to easily adopt advanced control strategies and smart management systems. Thereby cost-effectively increasing buildings’ energy efficiency and flexibility, while improving building users’ comfort, productivity, and health. This cost-effective energy use reduction will render faster implementation of on-site and nearby renewable energy sources, facilitate demand electrification, hence reducing Europe’s energy dependencies. Achieving the building sector energy transition demands an improvement of the interoperability of European buildings with energy carriers and non-energy services. Buildings must play an active role in ensuring the reliability, resilience, and sustainability of the energy system, particularly in the face of evolving challenges such as climate change, resource constraints, and other threats (e.g., cybersecurity, geopolitical, etc.). Therefore, the aim of ENTRANCE is to enable smart-grid-ready and decarbonized buildings through the integration of energy efficiency, flexibility, on-site renewables, mobility, empowerment of end-users, and interoperability between buildings and district heating and electricity grids. The ambition of ENTRANCE is to develop and demonstrate solutions that promote building integration and active participation in the energy system and market through guaranteeing end-users’ comfort and empowerment while creating value for the economic actors of the energy landscape. Through four core principles based on integrated technology, digitalization, user engagement, and performance-driven economics, ENTRANCE solutions will be demonstrated in relevant environments. To generalize the solutions for different geographical regions, ENTRANCE includes demonstration sites from six different countries around Europe.
CoE ENER covers 53% of final energy use in Estonia as well as major energy saving measures with highest investment volumes. CoE aims to contribute to Estonian societal and economic challenge to transform 75% of existing building stock with poor energy performance to zero emission buildings (ZEB) with maximized co-benefits and improved life quality by 2050. The scientific aim is to extend the excellence in ZEB technologies to become the top research centre in equity-enhancing deep renovation, driving disruptive changes and initiating systemic reforms encompassing innovative technologies, novel governance models, novel participatory and collaborative approaches to engage citizens. Interdisciplinary CoE combines engineering, social, data sciences and economics with central focus on energy performance of buildings and districts, electrification and flexibility, renewable energy generation and storage, energy saving measures and business models with their socioeconomic and regional impacts.
CoE ENER covers 53% of final energy use in Estonia as well as major energy saving measures with highest investment volumes. CoE aims to contribute to Estonian societal and economic challenge to transform 75% of existing building stock with poor energy performance to zero emission buildings (ZEB) with maximized co-benefits and improved life quality by 2050. The scientific aim is to extend the excellence in ZEB technologies to become the top research centre in equity-enhancing deep renovation, driving disruptive changes and initiating systemic reforms encompassing innovative technologies, novel governance models, novel participatory and collaborative approaches to engage citizens. Interdisciplinary CoE combines engineering, social, data sciences and economics with central focus on energy performance of buildings and districts, electrification and flexibility, renewable energy generation and storage, energy saving measures and business models with their socioeconomic and regional impacts.
CoE ENER covers 53% of final energy use in Estonia as well as major energy saving measures with highest investment volumes. CoE aims to contribute to Estonian societal and economic challenge to transform 75% of existing building stock with poor energy performance to zero emission buildings (ZEB) with maximized co-benefits and improved life quality by 2050. The scientific aim is to extend the excellence in ZEB technologies to become the top research centre in equity-enhancing deep renovation, driving disruptive changes and initiating systemic reforms encompassing innovative technologies, novel governance models, novel participatory and collaborative approaches to engage citizens. Interdisciplinary CoE combines engineering, social, data sciences and economics with central focus on energy performance of buildings and districts, electrification and flexibility, renewable energy generation and storage, energy saving measures and business models with their socioeconomic and regional impacts.
The Skills4Deca project addresses the objectives of the Digital Europe programme by providing strategic advanced digital skills and ensuring the use of digital technologies across the economy and society for a greener environment. The initiative will help meet the skills needs for decarbonisation of housing in the Baltic states. The targeted stakeholders are housing managers, landlords, certified construction engineers, evaluators of the technical condition of buildings, energy auditors and construction designers who do not have the required digital background. To achieve this goal, the project will complete and enrich existing bachelor and master programmes of 3 Baltic universities with housing decarbonisation digital skills by developing and incorporating micro-learning, bachelor level and master level e-content for the existing programmes.
The renewed EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EBPD) makes renovation mandatory in all member states, targeting to save 60–90% of energy by renovating 75% of the EU building stock. In addition, the national and local authorities are expected to orchestrate the transition towards climate-neutral cities and buildings. However, current strategies, approaches, and methods to address built environment climate challenges and scale the renovation are too simplistic. This research aims to develop the renovation governance framework and management model for building clusters by modeling and simulating at the national, city, and neighborhood levels the social, economic, and environmental impacts of the renewed EBPD. This is essential for governments, cities, organizations, and individuals to plan effective and efficient use of limited resources in medium (2035) and long-term (2050) perspectives.
This proposal focuses on new ventilation methods and fundamentals with the aim to develop design methods and ventilation systems for future zero emission buildings. EU Renovation wave strategy planning to renovate about 75% of EU building stock provides an excellent opportunity to improve indoor air quality (IAQ) at the same time. Relying on multidisciplinary consensus postulating that ventilation is the main engineering measure ensuring airborne infection control this proposal aims to develop a new infection-risk based ventilation design method as well as ventilation effectiveness measurement method applicable with point contaminant source corresponding to infector. As future buildings should offer IAQ regulation, data driven continuous IAQ performance monitoring algorithms would be developed to ensure reliable operation of demand-controlled ventilation systems. If successful, this proposal can change the way how ventilation would be designed and implemented in future buildings.