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FP6-SUSTDEV, Integration Photovoltaik - Modulintegrierter PV-Wechselrichter (PV-MIPS)

Entwicklung und Test von kostengünstigen AC-Modulen mit integriertem Wechselrichter. Technische Durchführung, Errichtung von Demonstrationsanlagen, Netzqualitätsmessungen, Erfassung und möglichst Abgleich von nationalen Normen und Regelwerken.

Catenary Interface Monitoring Coherent sensing technology for electrical railway infrastructure and rolling stock for interoperable cross boundary transportation (CATIEMON)

Objective: In a deregulated EU rail market monitoring of the vehicle and infrastructure interface is mandatory for enhanced availability of operation reducing costs. Especially when a rolling stock is crossing boundaries between independent infrastructure grids, cond ition monitoring becomes crucial. A monitoring tool on OCLs overhead contact lines - for infrastructure managers is needed for an separate measurement of contact force and surface condition of the vehicle current strip. The rolling stock operator needs a complementary device to measure not only the vertical contact force, but moreover the friction force, in order to analyse the vehicle and OCL interface condition. In SMITS a monitoring system for contact force on the interface current collector lt;- gt; c ontact wire has been developed. A sensor technology has been started to explore showing the potential for an extended range of rail monitoring tools. An innovative coherent sensor technology approach shall be investigated and two independent monitoring too ls for vehicle and infrastructure be developed. These shall be validated at new rail tracks specified for TSI interoperable cross boundary transportation: the Ltschberg Basis Tunnel, CH and the HSL Zuid high speed line, NL, both ready for operation in 2007 . Demonstration tests in operation will be performed along the Korridor X infrastructure passing through different countries rail networks. The outcome of the project will enable managers to specify driving conditions for the usage of their infrastructure to avoid excessive wear improving availability. Complementary rolling stock operators can monitor OCL condition giving them an informative argument in case of damage. Condition-dependent user fees as well as threat of penalty will force vehicle and infrast ructure managers to maintain the vehicle and infrastructure interface on a superior level of availability. The operational costs will be reduced and availability of transportation capacity enhanced.

Demonstration of direct Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) co-combustion in pulverised fuel plants and implementation of a sustainable waste-to-energy technology in large-scale energy production (RECOFUEL)

Objective: The use of Solid Recovered Fuels (SRF) derived from mixed-/mono waste streams is expected to result in a significant contribution to the generation of sustainable energy. The demand for alternative waste treatment is addressed by production and direct co-combustion of SRF in pulverised fuel fired power plants as an environmentally friendly, energy efficient, short-term available and cost effective technical solution. The project assists the implementation of EU policies (energy, environmental, economic and social goals) by sustainable energy production, CO2 emission reduction, preservation of natural resources and abatement of hazardous impacts on the environment due to landfill. The proposed project comprises large-scale demonstration of SRF co-combustion at a 450MWth brown coal/lignite boiler of RWE Rheinbraun AG in a continuous period of at least 12 months with the scope of permanent and reliable operation. A thermal share of 10% is envisaged (25.000 - 50.000 Mg/a SRF) resulting in a direct environmental benefit up to 50.000 Mg/a CO2 by the efficient use of the renewable share of SRF. With successful demonstration the implementation of the SRF co-combustion technology at further comparable and larger units of RWE is envisaged. Operational problems arising during former short-term co-combustion tests with hard coal could be successfully solved by an improved fuel production and a reliable quality control system. The interaction between a reliable quality control, quality management system and the combustion technology makes this technology competitive in the liberalised energy market without any additional subsidy. To achieve the ambitious goals partners of industry and research centres with substantial expertise in the areas covering the whole waste-to-energy chain created a consortium.

European Union Basin-scale Analysis, Synthesis and Integration (EURO-BASIN)

Objective: EURO-BASIN is designed to advance our understanding on the variability, potential impacts, and feedbacks of global change and anthropogenic forcing on the structure, function and dynamics of the North Atlantic and associated shelf sea ecosystems as well as the key species influencing carbon sequestering and ecosystem functioning. The ultimate goal of the program is to further our capacity to manage these systems in a sustainable manner following the ecosystem approach. Given the scope and the international significance, EURO-BASIN is part of a multidisciplinary international effort linked with similar activities in the US and Canada. EURO-BASIN focuses on a number of key groups characterizing food web types, e.g. diatoms versus microbial loop players; key species copepods of the genus Calanus; pelagic fish, herring (Clupea harengus), mackerel (Scomber scombrus), blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou) which represent some of the largest fish stocks on the planet; piscivorous pelagic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) and albacore (Thunnus alalunga) all of which serve to structure the ecosystem and thereby influence the flux of carbon from the euphotic zone via the biological carbon pump. In order to establish relationships between these key players, the project identifies and accesses relevant international databases and develops methods to integrate long term observations. These data will be used to perform retrospective analyses on ecosystem and key species/group dynamics, which are augmented by new data from laboratory experiments, mesocosm studies and field programs. These activities serve to advance modelling and predictive capacities based on an ensemble approach where modelling approaches such as size spectrum; mass balance; coupled NPZD; fisheries; and ?end to end? models and as well as ecosystem indicators are combined to develop understanding of the past, present and future dynamics of North Atlantic and shelf sea ecosystems and their living marine resources.

Development of global plankton data base and model system for eco-climate early warning (GREENSEAS)

Objective: GreenSeas shall advance the quantitative knowledge of how planktonic marine ecosystems, including phytoplankton, bacterioplankton and zooplankton, will respond to environmental and climate changes. To achieve this GreenSeas will employ a combination of observation data, numerical simulations and a cross-disciplinary synthesis to develop a high quality, harmonized and standardized plankton and plankton ecology long time-series, data inventory and information service. The focus will be on capturing the latitudinal gradients, biogeographical distributions and provinces in the planktonic ecosystem from the Arctic, through the Atlantic and into the Southern Ocean. It will build on historical data-sets, and ongoing multidisciplinary ocean planktonic ecosystem monitoring programs, enhanced where possible with an emphasis on the Southern Ocean. GreenSeas will also enhance international cooperative links with other plankton monitoring and analysis surveys around the globe. The heart of the GreenSeas concept is establishing a 'core' service following the open and free data access policy implemented in the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) programme. Using state-of-the-art web-based data delivery systems the 'core' service will make available both new and historical plankton data and information products along with error-quantified numerical simulations to a range of users. Connecting with 'downstream' services GreenSeas will moreover offer ecosystem assessment and indicator reports tailored for decision makers, stakeholders and other user groups contributing in the policy making process. Finally, knowledge transfer will be guaranteed throughout the project lifetime, while the legacy of the GreenSeas database web-server will be maintained for at least 5 years beyond the project lifetime.

MEDiterranean Sea Acidification in a changing climate (MEDSEA)

Objective: Increases of atmospheric CO2 and associated decreases in seawater pH and carbonate ion concentration this century and beyond are likely to have wide impacts on marine ecosystems including those of the Mediterranean Sea. Consequences of this process, ocean acidification, threaten the health of the Mediterranean, adding to other anthropogenic pressures, including those from climate change. Yet in comparison to other areas of the world ocean, there has been no concerted effort to study Mediterranean acidification, which is fundamental to the social and economic conditions of more than 400 million people living along its coastlines and another 175 million who visit the region each year. The MedSeA project addresses ecologic and economic impacts from the combined influences of anthropogenic acidification and warming, while accounting for the unique characteristics of this key region. MedSeA will forecast chemical, climatic, ecological-biological, and socio-economical changes of the Mediterranean driven by increases in CO2 and other greenhouse gases, while focusing on the combined impacts of acidification and warming on marine shell and skeletal building, productivity, and food webs. We will use an interdisciplinary approach involving biologists, earth scientists, and economists, through observations, experiments, and modelling. These experts will provide science-based projections of Mediterranean acidification under the influence of climate change as well as associated economic impacts. Projections will be based on new observations of chemical conditions as well as new observational and experimental data on the responses of key organisms and ecosystems to acidification, which will be fed into existing ocean models that have been improved to account for the Mediterranean's fine-scale features. These scientific advances will allow us to provide the best advice to policymakers who must develop regional strategies for adaptation and mitigation.

Future of Reefs in a Changing Environment (FORCE): An ecosystem approach to managing Caribbean coral reefs in the face of climate change (FORCE)

Objective: The Future of Reefs in a Changing Environment (FORCE) Project partners a multi-disciplinary team of researchers from Europe and the Caribbean to enhance the scientific basis for managing coral reefs in an era of rapid climate change and unprecedented human pressure on coastal resources. The overall aim is to provide coral reef managers with a toolbox of sustainable management practices that minimise the loss of coral reef health and biodiversity. An ecosystem approach is taken that explicitly links the health of the ecosystem with the livelihoods of dependent communities, and identifies the governance structures needed to implement sustainable development. Project outcomes are reached in four steps. First, a series of experimental, observational and modelling studies are carried out to understand both the ultimate and proximate drivers of reef health and therefore identify the chief causes of reef degradation. Second, the project assembles a toolbox of management measures and extends their scope where new research can significantly improve their efficacy. Examples include the first coral-friendly fisheries policies that balance herbivore extraction against the needs of the ecosystem, the incorporation of coral bleaching into marine reserve design, and creation of livelihood enhancement and diversification strategies to reduce fisheries capacity. Third, focus groups and ecological models are used to determine the efficacy of management tools and the governance constraints to their implementation. This step impacts practical reef management by identifying the tools most suited to solving a particular management problem but also benefits high-level policy-makers by highlighting the governance reform needed to implement such tools effectively. Lastly, the exploitation and dissemination of results benefits from continual engagement with practitioners. The project will play an important and measurable role in helping communities adapt to climate change in the Caribbean.

Towards integrated European marine research strategy and programmes (SEAS ERA)

Objective: This proposal is intended to take into account the ongoing and previous integrating initiatives (AMPERA, marinERA, Marifish,...) so as to constitute a stable and durable structure for coordination and integration of national and regional marine and maritime research programmes with the major goal of providing a clear reply to the need for developing and implementing common research strategies and programmes related to the European sea basins. To this end, SEAS ERA will bring together, through several mechanisms, the four european sea basins working within two different levels: regional and pan european; this work structure will enable to harmonise common priorities and needs in marine and maritime research while respecting diversities between regions.

European Re-Analysis of global CLIMate observations (ERA-CLIM)

Objective: ERA-CLIM will develop observational datasets suitable for global climate studies, with a focus on the past 100 years. These datasets will include atmospheric, oceanic, and terrestrial observations from a variety of sources, high-resolution global reanalysis products of the observations, and associated data quality information needed for climate applications. The project will use existing climate data records and make a substantial contribution to filling known gaps in these records. Proposed data recovery efforts will focus on upper-air observations made in the first half of the 20th century, as well as near-surface observations of wind and humidity, in all regions of the globe. A specific goal for the project is to improve the quality and consistency of climate observations through reanalysis. Together with other in-situ and remote-sensing datasets available from existing data archives, the observations collected for ERA-CLIM will be included in a newly developed Observation Feedback Archive. Quality feedback information for this archive, including data departures and bias estimates, will be generated during several new pilot reanalyses, as well as from existing reanalysis datasets. The pilot reanalyses and the Observation Feedback Archive will be made available to users world-wide as a unique resource for climate research and observational studies of the Earth system.

Knowledge-based sustainable management for Europe's seas (KNOWSEAS)

Objective: Europe's four regional seas (Baltic, Black, Mediterranean and NE Atlantic) have suffered severe environmental degradation due to human pressure. Existing measures to manage pressures have proven inadequate and the EC has responded by proposing a new policy (Maritime Strategy Blue Book) and environmental legislation (Marine Strategy Directive), both currently close to adoption. These instruments rely on the Ecosystem Approach, a management paradigm that encompasses humans and the supporting ecosystem. But the science base for this approach needs strengthening and practical tools must be developed and tested for policy implementation. In particular, criteria for assessing costs and benefits of management actions are poorly developed, particularly in the complex marine environment where multiple uses and management conflicts are common. The KnowSeas consortium will strengthen the science base for managing Europe s seas through the practical application of systems thinking. It will work at the two scales envisaged for emergent EU policy: the Regional Sea Scale and Member State Economic Exclusive Zones (EEZs). We have developed a new approach of Decision Space Analysis to investigate mismatches of scale. Knowledge created through the FP6 European Lifestyles and Marine Ecosystems project, augmented with necessary new studies of climate effects, fisheries and maritime industries - in EEZ case studies - will provide a basis for assessing changes to natural systems and their human causes. New research will examine and model economic and social impacts of changes to ecosystem goods and services and costs and benefits of various management options available through existing and proposed policy instruments. Institutional and social analysis will determine conflicts of interest and examine governance as well as stakeholder values and perceptions.

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