The evolving energy landscape, marked by increased renewable penetration, necessitates that traditional power plants continuously vary their load levels (cycling), often operating outside their original design limits. This presents significant challenges in accurately estimating the permissible operating range for components, directly impacting the societal need for reliable and cost-effective energy supply. Innomerics addresses this challenge with pamONE, an automated software that transforms existing Finite Element Method (FEM) models of power plants critical components into real-time digital twins and perform predictive monitoring. Leveraging the innovative Reduced Basis Approximation (RBA) methodology, which has achieved TRL 5, PamONE drastically cut computational costs while maintaining full physics fidelity. Innomerics is the first to implement RBA for real-time monitoring of critical industrial assets. PamONE directly integrates with sensor data to calculate stress and damage in real time, enabling predictive maintenance and ensuring the optimal performance and extended lifespan of assets. This unique combination of automation, accuracy, and interoperability is currently unmatched in the market. Bootstrapped to date and having already generated €2.3 million in revenue last year, Innomerics has established trust with leading nuclear clients. Now, we seek EIC support (€1.4M grant and ~€10M equity) to finalize PamONE's automation, make it ready for hydropower applications, validate its capabilities, then approach the hydropower market in Europe. This will enable us to industrialize a breakthrough in real-time digital twin technology, offering asset owners and engineering firms a solution that cuts deployment costs by 75% and ensures the reliable and cost-effective operation. Innomerics aims for €120 million turnover by 2035, aspiring to be Europe's leading software provider for critical asset monitoring across power generation sectors.

Currently, hydraulic turbines are employed across a broad spectrum of operational regimes. A particular case is represented by the environmental flow (E-flows), which are essential for the conservation of fluvial ecosystems but often force to operate out of design parameters or rather switch off the plants. On the other hand, the impact of HPPs on water quality and biodiversity up- and downstream is enormous and should also be a target for refurbishing actions. In this context, the SHERPA project will develop and validate innovative technologies for refurbishing current HPPs, namely, 1) AM metallic patches and coatings to minimize damage and enhance resistance to cavitation, 2) new strategies to adapt rotational speed depending on the flow range, 3) advanced air injection systems to improve water quality and efficiency; 4) new runner designs adapted to E-flows increasing performance. Modelling, simulation, and monitoring tools will assess the new solutions of the in terms of energy output, flexible operation, cost-effectiveness, and impact on biodiversity. The goal is to expand and/or adapt the operational range of the HPP to include lower flows, without this harming their lifetime, economic viability, and environmental and social impact. In order to meet this objective, the project proposes a methodology comprising 8 work packages groups in four blocks to be carried out during 42 months. SHERPA has a well-balanced consortium with 7 partners from 4 countries, covering all the competences and know-how in terms of expertise, resources and positioning in the field, which will ensure the achievement of the project objectives and make an impact at European level.