The first day was dedicated to the latest news and developments at the pilot sites, with focuses on the development of the Pump As Turbine (PAT), the hybrid renewable energy system design software, and the software for forecasting energy production and consumption. 

At the port pilot site, the shipping container used to house electrical and electronic equipment has been installed. The next step will be the installation of the wind turbines on the container, and continuing work on the design of the floating platform equipped with turbines, which will be used to harness the currents and tides in the estuary.

The system will be designed so that it can be dismantled and easily transported using the container, which has been purchased second-hand to limit costs and ecological impact.  

In addition to the existing hydroelectric and wind power facilities, the company hosting the aquaculture pilot site, Island Seafoods Ltd, will be producing biomass energy thanks to the construction of a dedicated building that has already been completed.

This will house a biomass drying facility that will use surplus electricity from the wind turbine for heating, thereby maximising the use of the site’s energy potential (particularly at night, during periods of inactivity) and making the most of locally produced wood. Other options are being explored, such as the installation of an additional micro-hydro infrastructure to the north of the site. 

Three energy community projects with different vocations and specificities are being studied to benefit from the project’s support.

The first, at Marruge, involves the creation of an ecovillage, the second, at Moinho do Salto, concerns the installation of a micro-hydropower system, and the third, at Castanheira de Pera, will be used to develop the software for forecasting electricity consumption and production, as well as the impact studies that will be carried out as part of the project.  

The development of the fish-friendly reversible turbine is in progress, with initial results available on the potential of energy production of these turbines. Further laboratory tests are planned, as well as simulation of real cases and a technical and economic analysis.  

New statistical data have been added to the tool for forecasting electricity production and consumption, and a first version of the application integrating the forecasting system and the collection of meteorological data has been completed, enabling energy balances to be forecast up to 15 days in advance.  

The second day included a site visit and workshops for the project experts and local stakeholders from a variety of backgrounds (renewable energies, the agricultural sector, public authorities) who had come to discover the potential of hybrid renewable energy systems for the energy transition.  

The Open-C Foundation took participants on a boat trip down the Garonne river to visit its river and marine tidal turbine test site. This experimental site is used to study renewable energy technologies: floating solar panels, wind turbines, tidal and current capture, etc. With 106 MW, this site has the largest estuarine river tidal power potential in France, thanks to its strong currents of up to 3.5 m/s. 

The afternoon began with a presentation by Vertigo Lab on national plans and public policies for renewable energy in the European Union. 

The day continued with a workshop in working groups to explore the obstacles and levers for transferring and developing the hybrid systems and innovations provided by HY4RES. The discussions helped to identify the obstacles and needs for the development and implementation of hybrid systems, depending on the sector of activity: network capacity and connectivity issues, investment requirements, social acceptance and administrative constraints. Solutions have been identified to overcome these obstacles, such as developing the economic model by using second-hand equipment (as in the aquaculture pilot site), appealing to philanthropy to attract investment, or developing carbon credits. 

The project will open its doors to the public again in summer 2025, this time in Aviles, Spain, for a meeting of HY4RES partners at the pilot port site.  

The final day was used to present the tools put in place to disseminate the results and activities of the project, including the website library (gathering scientific articles, interviews with project experts and other resources) and the 3D virtual tours of the pilot sites, which give a more precise view of the hybridization solutions developed within HY4RES.  

The event ended with a workshop on the Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) methodology and policy evaluation, presenting the work will be carried out for each pilot site using the theory of change method.  

During the workshop, the partners worked on mapping out the immediate outputs, short-term outcomes and long-term impacts of the pilot sites on the immediate surroundings, the community living around and on the environment. The partners brainstormed on the overall vision of the HY4RES project and how their interventions can achieve these expected outputs over a fixed time frame.

Theory of Change is frequently employed in various sectors as a tool, to assist with strategic planning, monitoring, and evaluation, particularly for social and environmental activities. Since multiple impact pathways operate in complex systems, transdisciplinary research, sustainability science, research-for-development, and change-oriented research in general, the theory of change methodology has a lot of potential for use in research approaches that entail active and intentional engagement with stakeholders and/or other system actors.

The workshop contributed to the HY4RES workstream on Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment and can be used evidently for policy recommendations in the future.   

HY4RES Theory of change with takeaways and feedback from the workshop: 

Figure 2: HY4RES Theory of change 

Aonghus McNabola, project coordinator, brought the three-day partners’ meeting to a close by highlighting the progress made and the encouraging results achieved thanks to the collaborative work and sharing of expertise that are essential to the project’s success.