The INERTIA Project has achieved significant milestones in its development. This innovative project aims to optimize the use of flywheels to enhance the efficiency and stability of wind-powered desalination plants, a crucial step toward sustainable water management in isolated environments.
The key advances of the INERTIA Project – Intelligent Management of a Flywheel for Integration into an Isolated Wind-Powered Desalination System (PID2022-142148OA-I00), funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/FEDER, UE, which commenced in January 2024, are:
- Research on intermittent operation in desalination plants. As a first step, the research team conducted an in-depth review of the state of the art in wind-powered desalination systems and analysed the effects of intermittent operation on membranes in SWRO (seawater reverse osmosis) plants. These findings have been published in high-impact journals, including:
- Matos C, Cabrera P, Carta JA, Melián-Martel N. Wind-Powered Desalination on Islands: A Review of Energy–Water Pathways. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. 2024; 12(3):464. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12030464.
- José A. Carta, Pedro Cabrera, Noemi Melián-Martel, Sigrid Arenas-Urrea, Experimental investigation of the effect of intermittent operation on membranes in wind-powered SWRO plants, focusing on frequent start-stop scenarios, Energy Conversion and Management: X, Volume 25, 2025, 100848. ISSN 2590-1745. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecmx.2024.100848.
- Development of a mechatronic energy management system. The first phase of the project (PT1) has been completed, involving the creation of an experimental mechatronic system to manage the energy flow of a flywheel. This included calibrating the necessary equipment, designing a user interface for real-time monitoring, and integrating the control system. Although this phase revealed potential design improvements, the decision was made to move forward with subsequent parts of the project. These enhancements are not failures but rather opportunities that will enrich the knowledge acquired in this new research line.
Fig. 1. Development and installation of the control panel for the mechatronic system in the Laboratory of Design, Construction, and Maintenance of Machines of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the EIIC, ULPGC.
Fig. 2. Final assembly and monitoring screen of the experimental system installed in the Laboratory of Design, Construction, and Maintenance of Machines of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the EIIC, ULPGC.
- Heuristic modeling of flywheel behavior. Progress has been made in phase PT2, focused on parameterizing the flywheel’s behavior using Machine Learning techniques. Through experimental testing, key data have been collected to develop accurate models. Initial results were presented at the XIX Symposium on Intelligent Control at the University of Burgos, where studies on flywheel modeling and linear loss characterization were discussed:
- Torres, Juan C., Douairi, Hamza, González, Jaime, Carta, José A., Cabrera, Pedro. Modeling a Dynamic Energy Storage Flywheel in Simulink. XIX Symposium CEA on Intelligent Control (2024). https://doi.org/10.36443/9788418465970.
- Douairi, Hamza, Torres-Bordón, Juan Carlos, Carta, José Antonio, Cabrera, Pedro. Linear Loss Model of a Flywheel. XIX Symposium CEA on Intelligent Control (2024). https://doi.org/10.36443/9788418465970.
We are currently exploring new Machine Learning techniques to further improve the parameterization and modeling of the flywheel.
Energy planning study for scaling up flywheel application in large-scale renewable-powered desalination systems. To advance PT5, the project has initiated energy planning studies to evaluate the feasibility of integrating flywheels into large-scale desalination systems. A student has started training in EnergyPLAN to develop a strategy for incorporating flywheels into large-scale energy systems.
Project impact and future prospects
The INERTIA Project represents a significant step toward energy independence for desalination plants in remote areas, reducing battery dependency and promoting a sustainable model based on renewable energy. With current advancements, the research team is preparing for new validation and system optimization phases, aiming for real-world implementation in desalination plants.
This project not only introduces technological innovation but also has a profound impact on sustainable water management and carbon footprint reduction in the desalination sector.
For more information on the INERTIA Project’s progress, visit the open-access ACCEDACRIS portal via the following link: https://accedacris.ulpgc.es/cris/project/pj02808, where detailed information and related publications can be found.
INERTIA project is integrated into the DESAL+ Living Lab Platform, a collaborative research and innovation ecosystem focused on advancing desalination technologies and their integration into sustainable water management solutions.
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