Located in South France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region, the national innovative cluster “Derbi” specializes, as its acronym signifies, in the Développement des Energies Renouvelables dans le Bâtiment et l’Industrie [Development of Renewable Energies in Building and Industry].
The cluster has set three objectives:
- Increase expertise and the critical size of the sector skills in the region
- Contribute to the emergence and structuring of the renewable energies sector in the region
- Enable companies, and notably small- and medium-size enterprises, to access regional scientific and technological expertise.
Advantages
The Languedoc-Roussillon region has positioned itself as a leader in Development of Renewable Energies. The Regional Council has the biggest budget per resident for this sector with over 16 million euros invested for a population of 2.5 million.
A leading cluster for Renewable Energies in France
- 71 companies representing - 4,000 employees
- 20 research units, public and private, with over 500 specialized researchers
- 41 professional federations and institutional partners
Partnerships with other national “Renewable Energies” innovative clusters in France:
•Tenerrdis (Grenoble)
•Capenergies (Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur or PACA, Corsica and the Principality of Monaco)
•Sciences et Systèmes de l’Energie Electrique (Tours)
Partners
Over 140 cluster partners as of the beginning of 2008
Companies: 71
- French companies: Electricité de France (EDF), Gaz de France-Suez (GDF-Suez), Saverdun Terre Cuite, Tenesol (EDF et Total), Vergnet, Véolia and its subsidiary Dalkia, Elyo, Poweo, EDF Énergies Nouvelles etc.
- International companies: Apex-BP Solar (United Kingdom), Vestas (Denmark), Omya (Switzerland), Schüco (Germany), Kawneer (United States), Alternativa Energetica 3000 (Spain) etc.
Over 80% of the companies are SMEs
Research and Educational Institutions
- 20 centers including the Université de Perpignan Via-Domitia, the Université de Montpellier II, the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), the Bureau de Recherche Géologique et Minières (BRGM), the Centre de coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD), École des Mines d'Alès etc.
- Almost 40 other organizations are also cluster partners, including the Regional Council of Languedoc-Roussillon, the General Councils of Hérault, Gard, Lozère and the Pyrénées-Orientales, the Township Committees of Perpignan, Montpellier, Narbonne, Béziers and Alès, the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Perpignan and the Pyrénées-Orientales, Béziers, Nîmes, and Lozère, Competitive Clusters Capenergies, S2E2 and Tenerrdis etc.
Current R&D Partnerships
- 75 projects certified since its creation in 2005, including 53 in Research and Development, for an overall budget of over 112.6 million euros (refer to appendix)
- Over 12 million euros have been contributed by the National Research Agency (Agence Nationale de la Recherche or ANR) to finance R&D projects since 2006
- Almost 2 million euros have been awarded by the Single Interministerial Fund (Fonds Unique Interministériel or FUI) between 2005 and 2007
International Partnerships
Current:
•Partnership with Sweden on high energy efficiency buildings
•Partnership with Belgium on eco-construction
•Partnership with Germany on solar energy
•Partnership with Spain on solar power stations, solar cooling and sustainable building
•Partnership with Austria and Finland on innovative services
•Partnership with Portugal in the Biomass sector
•Annual Derbi international conference convening over 1,000 participants of 30 nationalities, for over 300 business meetings and 100 contributors.
Future:
•Development of relations with Californian partners in the United States
•Study mission to Japan
Appendix: Examples of Certified R&D Projects and Dissemination Action
|
Project Name and Subject |
Led by: |
|
Photovoltaic Power |
|
|
PRESINOL Recycle and reduce silicon quantities in PV cell production (2006) |
Semco-engineering |
|
THEMIS PV Create the leading French photovoltaic power plant by rehabilitating part of the Thémis site (2006) |
Tecsol SA |
|
THRI-PV Very High Efficiency and Photovoltaic Innovations (2006) |
IRDEP Centre National de |
|
CENSOL PV Experimental 200 KW solar power plant with an innovative solar monitoring device and low photovoltaic concentration (2007) |
EDF Énergies Nouvelles |
|
INXILICIUM Amorphous silicon PV sensors printed in thin layers by inkjets (2007) |
Institut Charles Gerhardt – CNRS- Université Montpellier II |
|
SYSCO FORCES System for Photovoltaic Conversion under a High Concentration of Solar Energy (2008) |
Integra-Sun |
|
HCPV WEO High concentration photovoltaic solar power – Usage, experimentation and modelling of an innovative technology (2008) |
POWEO EnR |
|
Thermodynamic Concentrated Solar Power |
|
|
PEGASE Produce electricity by a hybrid solar/gas turbine system on the Thémis site (2006) |
PROMES Centre National de |
|
THEMDISH Optimize the performance of a fleet of electricity production modules decentralized by the dish/Stirling system on the Thémis site (2006) |
Spel |
|
Solar Cooling |
|
|
SOLACLIM Development of a storage mechanism with phase change capacity to optimize solar absorption machines (2006) |
Tecsol SA |
|
ORASOL Optimize solar cooling processes (2006) |
Tecsol SA |
|
SPS GCS Integrated solar air conditioning system using an energy storage component (2007) |
SunPowerSystem |
|
TACSOL Solar thermoacoustic cooling (2008) |
IPNO CNRS UP11 |
|
Thermal Solar |
|
|
CYCLHYSOL Innovative thermochemical cycles for the production of hydrogen from water and solar energy (2006) |
PROMES Centre National de |
|
SOLAR TEST CENTRE Design and construction of a test bench to achieve certification at Cartech (Tecnosud) (2006) |
Cartech-CNRS-Université de Perpignan-Via Domitia |
|
Biomass |
|
|
DIGESTAERO Linking of anaerobic digestion and an aerobic process to process animal excrement (2006) |
LBE Institut National de |
|
TORBIGAP Heating and conditioning of biomass to inject in a pressurized gasification reactor (2006) |
Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique (CIRAD) |
|
SUPER BIO Evaluate and optimize the potentialities of the biomass gasification process in supercritical water for the production of biosyngas and hydrogen (2007) |
CNRS ICARE |
|
OPTI ENR Optimize the use of renewable energies in collective heating by daily storage of energy and anticipation of needs through meteorological data (2007) |
Elyo Suez |
|
DANAC Activated anaerobic digestion (2008) |
LBE Institut National de |
|
SYMBIOSE Examine and optimize Anaerobic Bacteria-Microalgae linking for the production of energy by biological means from primary biomass and organic waste (2008) |
Naskeo environnement |
|
ERGEO Production platform of renewable energy via anaerobic digestion (2008) |
Naskeo environnement |
|
Wind Energy |
|
|
SMPE Rationalize and improve predictive maintenance of wind farms (2006) |
|
|
PALACO Design and manufacture of wind turbines and production of a 30-metre wind blade (2007) |
Aero CompositOccitan-Vergent |
|
Energy Networks |
|
|
MONITORING THPE Monitoring Very High Energy Performances (2006) |
Pyrescom |
|
Energy Storage |
|
|
SOLSTOCK Thermal storage for high-concentration solar electrical power plant (2007) |
PROMES-CNRS |
|
ANECDOTE Tin-negative accumulators contained in a borophosphate matrix (2007) |
SAFT |
|
MINOSTOC Effect of mineral charges in thermal energy storage nodules (2007) |
Cristopia energy systems / PROMES-CNRS |
|
S3T Storage of thermal energy at high temperature by thermochemical reaction (2008) |
LITEN CEA |
|
CONDOR Protonic ceramic fuel cell: development, optimization and creation of a PCFC stack operating at intermediate temperatures (400- |
EiFER EDF |
|
Energy Control |
|
|
ARJO ENERGIE Energy saving and control for company sustainability Arjo-Wiggins (2006) |
Arjo-Wiggins |
|
Material |
|
|
SOS II Intelligent Urban Window (2007) |
Archimedes |
|
PIERRES DU SUD Stones from |
Association Pierres du Sud |
|
PACTE Active Thermoelectric Panels dedicated to buildings (2008) |
ACOME |
|
Building – Demonstrators |
|
|
EGiP Construction of a passive energy-producing habitat (2007) |
Civil Property Company Cantercel |
- More information on Derbi
Contact
Invest in France Agency Paris
Laurent BERGEOT
Director, Territories Development
Send an e-mail
+33 1 40 74 74 11