Global electrification rates are steadily increasing, but a staggering 1.1 billion people live in darkness once the sun has gone down. ‘Space for microgrids in developing countries’, is an initiative launched by ESA Space Solutions and the India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) that aims to exploit satellite data to optimise the impact of microgrids electrification projects for rural or ‘off-grid’ communities.

“Modern energy services are important in ensuring a satisfactory quality of life for people and promoting economic development, as well as issues such as security, climate change, food production, and strengthening economies while protecting ecosystems.” United Nations Foundations

Microgrids are distributed systems for load generation and localised distribution network. They can be an important and more cost-effective alternative to the extension of the main electric grid. 

Many developing countries, however, have been unable to make the financial commitment to rural electrification – even though this is seen as critical in enabling the development path. 

Decentralising microgrids by leveraging space data

The ESA Space Solutions and IESA collaboration began with an open competitive tender for feasibility studies to assess the technical and economic viability of deploying services (based on satellite communications, earth observation data, and other space assets). These services were to support the planning and decentralised management of microgrids in India – as well as in other developing countries. 

As result of this tender, three parallel contracts were awarded. 

• Netherlands Geomatics & Earth Observation (NEO) with ‘Space4Microgrids’. 
• TFE Energy GmbH with project ‘Village Data Analytics’ 
• Intelligence in Energy Management (i-EM) with project ‘MOWGLI’ (MicrO reneWable Grid for ruraL Indian areas) 

During the feasibility study, requirements from Indian microgrid stakeholders gathered by IESA were provided to the consortia who then proposed tailored space-based services.

Space technology reduces the investment risk 

According to Cristiano Cialone, Technical Officer at ESA, the use of Earth observation data can help to improve the design of microgrids by looking closely at the socio-economic factors of a specific area. Satellite communication is also relevant to support remote monitoring of microgrids located in rural areas,  increasing monitoring efficiency, improved system performance and longer system life. 

“Using satellite-derived information about site suitability leads to better decision-making by reducing project risks as well as the average project cost,” Cristiano Cialone, Technical Officer at ESA

Ready to roll: Roadmaps towards services demonstration 

Having successfully assessed the technical feasibility and economic viability of the service solutions, the three consortia worked with IESA to hone their respective roadmaps for implementation of the operational services. 

“The feasibility study resulted in a positive conclusion on two value propositions delivered through services based on a combination of earth observation, satellite communications and energy modelling. The next step for Space4Microgrids is a demonstration project that will include microgrid planners and operators as users (launching customers) with potential participants Mlinda and Global Himalaya Expeditions,” Steven Braakman, NEO (NL) 

“Working with ESA and IESA helped us to better understand market requirements and fine-tune Village Data Analytics’ technical solution; which we are now bringing to market. We are excited to announce that we have received significant private investment that allows us to plan a demonstration project with VIDA” says Dr. Tobias Engelmeier, Founder of TFE Energy. “The combination of high tech, provided by ESA, and deep, in-country market knowledge provided by IESA, is essential to future development and the achievement of the sustainable development goals.” 

Ciro Lanzetta, Chief Technical Officer of i-EM said: “In the last few months, i-EM has engaged with relevant potential stakeholders – from both private and institutional domains – who are interested in the demonstration phase and potential commercial development.

“ESA support was extremely important in engaging with Indian players, making it easier for us to better understand the needs and requirements – and then to show the added value of our services to all stakeholders. We also realised the necessity of working in close cooperation with local entities to ensure the success of the activity.” Ciro Lanzetta, CTO, i-EM

Steven Braakman, Business Developer of NEO found the collaboration really useful in strengthening existing relations with the Indian market: “Liaising with IESA was a real head start. The best feedback on requirements was gathered during meetings and via direct contact with stakeholders already involved in other microgrid projects in India. ESA’s financial support was clearly an important element in the overall success.”

Rita Rinaldo, Head of the Institutional Project Section at ESA, added: 

“We are enthusiastic about supporting companies in ESA Member States to reach out to export markets demonstrating the benefits of Space in support of the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). The collaboration with India Energy Storage Alliance and other international institutions are excellent examples of how this goal is achieved by enabling innovation solution providers to develop and show-case their solutions to the engaged user communities. This is one of the core objectives that we have set for the ESA Business Applications and Space Solutions programme”. 

India as a trailblazer in microgrids

As a pioneer of rural microgrids since the 1990s, India has made significant progress towards achieving energy access for all. “IESA is grateful to the European Space Agency for partnering to help improve microgrids in India through role of space-based tools and satellite data. We are confident that energy storage and microgrids have the potential to transform not just India’s electric grid in next the 5-10 years, but also to help advance energy access challenges around the globe.” Dr Rahul Walawalkar, President, IESA.

 “We are thrilled by the level of interest shown by global users and potential customers supporting demonstration and operational roll-out of these space-enabled services. This feedback is testament to the key role that space technology can play in supporting microgrid deployment and maintenance; as well as helping to deliver rural electrification at scale.”  Davide Coppola, ESA

About ESA Space Solutions

ESA Space Solutions is the go-to-place for great business ideas involving space in all areas of society and economy. Our mission is to support entrepreneurs in Europe in the development of business using satellite applications and space technology to improve everyday life.  Our programme is designed to provide multiple entry points such as ESA Business Incubation Centres (ESA BICs), ESA Technology Transfer Brokers, and the ESA Business Applications programme.

Funding typically ranges from 50KEuro to 2MEuro and supports everything from space technology transfer, early stage incubation programs, feasibility studies to large-scale demonstration projects.

Performance is crucial for technology in many fields, including space and medicine. So, when advances are made in imaging technology for space, it presents opportunities for applications in the medical field, and vice versa. Belgian SME Caeleste has been at the forefront of this evolution in recent years, to the benefit of both sectors.

Verhaert, ESA Technology Transfer Network Broker, has worked with Caeleste since 2014, initially publishing a Technology Description of Caeleste’s work on the ESA Space Solutions database. Verheart later supported Caeleste in its successful submission to take part in an ESA Demonstrator Project, initiated by the Technology Transfer and Patent Office, in which Caeleste derived and tested a specific radiation hardness pixel and sensor for a client, based on its work for space applications. 

The expertise Caeleste gained from engaging in multiple ESA projects significantly contributed to the company’s competence and enabled the team to apply their new-found knowledge in a variety of innovative medical applications.

Space technology for medical applications

Caeleste specialises in the custom design and manufacturing of Complementary Metal–Oxide–Semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors. CMOS is an onboard, battery powered semiconductor chip that stores information. One area Caeleste has focused on is the development of “radiation hard” pixels for such sensors driven by the needs of space missions and medical X-rays. They are also used in particle physics applications including particle detectors. Space and medical applications now each account for around one-third of the company’s activities. Its partners are world-class leaders in their respective domains, such as top tier medical companies and space agencies including the European Southern Observatory (ESO), ESA and others outside of Europe.

Space can be considered as ‘empty’ or effectively a deep vacuum, but it is not a benign environment. Instead, it is permeated with high-energy electromagnetic and particle radiation. This radiation is harmful to humans and also destroys electronic devices, due to either ‘total dose’ or ‘single event’ effects. 

Caeleste has developed a way of designing electronics to be resilient to the effects of such radiation, known as ‘rad-hard’. Following many cycles of innovation, its image sensors and readout integrated circuit (ROIC) designs have been proven in space missions and are now being deployed in the medical domain.

X-rays are used in the most common forms of medical imaging, including dentistry. Working with Carestream Dental, Caeleste developed a new generation of X-ray sensors for 3D reconstruction in dental imaging, a process known as computed tomography. 

Unlike regular cameras, no lenses are used in X-ray imaging. Consequently, the size of an image sensor must match the size of the target area, in this case the lower jaw area of the patient. Caeleste’s IP and experience in the space domain made it possible to produce wafer scale devices of this size with a high production yield and simultaneous rad-hardness.

In another collaboration, Caeleste’s expertise in low noise charge sensing circuits, originally acquired in the development of deep cryogenic ROICs for long wavelength infrared imaging, led it to work with Californian medical technology start-up Paradromics. The collaboration led to a fundamental shift in the field of brain computer interfaces with the development of a sensor that allows electrodes to be implanted into the brain at higher density than previously possible without causing thermal damage to the neural tissue. In addition, the sensor successfully deals with an extremely challenging noise requirement to be able to read the neuron potentials. 

Solutions of this type cannot be purchased off the shelf but instead need to be developed by a team with the expertise and confidence to pursue challenging goals. This is where craftsmanship and passion for finding technological solutions were crucial for the project’s success.

Providing solutions from a system-based perspective

Sensors have to be designed to complement the overall system. Often that system benefits from being optimised as its design impacts the amount and nature of image processing, on-chip, within the system and downstream. Design choices will need to take account of any operational requirements such as low noise, low power, high speed and/or high or cryogenic temperatures. Caeleste’s know-how and IP enables it to balance these requirements and design sensors for a variety of medical applications such as ophthalmology, dental and mammographic imaging. 

About the Technology Transfer and Patent Office

The TTPO's funding for demonstration activities aim at proving the relevance of transferring a given technology or know-how into the non-space context, reducing the technical risk and confirming the market opportunity. An annual open call invites the submission of proposals from industry for Feasibility Studies, Proof of Concepts and Demonstrators. These have been designed as a funnel of activities, de-risking the activities on a step-by-step basis. More information can be found here.

About ESA Space Solutions

ESA Space Solutions is the go-to-place for great business ideas involving space in all areas of society and economy. Our mission is to support entrepreneurs in Europe in the development of business using satellite applications and space technology to improve everyday life. Funding typically ranges from 50KEuro to 2MEuro and supports everything from early stage incubation programs, feasibility studies to large-scale demonstration projects.