Energy Testbed

National Sustainable Building Energy Test-bed (NSBET)

Nimbus Centre manages the “National Sustainable Building Energy Test-bed (NSBET)”. This test-bed is a whole-building energy and power management technology demonstrator, available to industry and academic institutions to develop and trial smart energy solutions.

Key Features

The test-bed project establishes a critical mass of building energy, energy systems, and power systems researchers, allowing Nimbus to sustain cutting edge research in the energy space.

Key Technologies of the Energy Test-bed

  • Building demand-side and supply-side energy management
  • Building energy diagnostics
  • Pervasive wireless sensing for low energy buildings
  • Microgrid power electronics and power control

Demonstrating Smart Energy and Power Management

The Nimbus Centre building was selected as the optimum location for the test-bed facility from both human resource and structural perspectives. Nimbus Centre houses a wide range of expertise, providing business-oriented teams with enormous technical and research experience capability. We also have an open floor layout which is ideal for retrofitting power management systems and deployment of smart energy solutions.

The system includes an energy microgrid consisting of multiple non-dispatchable and dispatchable renewable energy sources, and energy storage, integrated with existing HVAC and building management systems to be installed in the demonstration building. Non dispatchable sources are renewable energy generators which produce energy in an unpredictable and variable manner, such as wind turbines, wave energy or photovoltaic panels (PV). Dispatchable sources are energy generators which may be switched on or off when required. Examples of these are diesel generators or combined heat and power (CHP) plants.

Often, energy is generated when it is not required at night or over weekends. We are developing energy management systems which have the capability to capture and store energy generated by non dispatchable sources. Use of non-dispatchable sources leads to savings in energy costs and a reduction in the overall use of non-renewable energy sources.

Industry

The test-bed is open to industry as an enabler to develop and trial Research & Development work in the energy space, helping Ireland meet clean targets and reduce energy costs. We provide access to diverse expertise at Nimbus Centre from numerous application areas and there is potential for collaboration with other companies in the energy sector through linked projects. A huge benefit to industry is our ability to generate real test data on emerging technologies.

Academic Institutions

The test bed is a strategic resource for academic institutions to develop new, industry-focused, energy research which can lead to curriculum development, enhanced teaching capability and tools, postgraduate-level research, and the potential for commercialisation of advanced technologies.

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Contact us to see how the Nimbus Gateway can help your business!

Please contact Sinead Rodgers, Industry Links Program Coordinator