The EU-funded research project SFERA II aims to boost scientific collaboration among the leading European research institutions in solar concentrating systems, offering European research and industry access to some of the best research and test infrastructures. The project incorporates the following activities:
- - Transnational Access: Researchers will have access free of charge to five state-of-the-art highflux solar research facilities, unique in Europe and in the world.
- - Networking: This includes the organization of training courses for industry, summer schools for the public, doctoral colloquia… The aim is to create a common training framework and provides the researchers with the necessary skills to operate concentrating solar facilities.
- - The Joint Research Activities aim to improve the quality and service of the existing infrastructure, extend their services and jointly achieve a common level of high scientific quality.
What is the CSP (Concentrating Solar Power) technology that is promoted through SFERA II? CSP is a very promising renewable source of energy. The best known application so far is bulk electricity generation through thermodynamic cycles, but other applications have also been demonstrated, such as the production of hydrogen and solar fuels, water treatment and research in advanced materials.
How is the electricity produced? CSP systems concentrate energy from the sun's rays to heat a receiver to high temperatures. This heat is then transformed into electricity – solar thermal electricity (STE). When combined with thermal storage capacity of several hours of full-capacity generation, CSP plants can continue to produce electricity even when clouds block the sun, or after sundown or in early morning when power demand steps up, making it a competitive technology to mitigate climate change.
Five SFERA II Partners: PSA-CIEMAT, PROMESCNRS, PSI, ENEA and CIESOL will provide access to their solar research facilities free of charge. This opportunity enables to realize high-quality research in the following areas:
- - Solar thermal electricity generation: thermodynamic cycles, receivers, thermal storage, concentrating optics, control algorithms, etc.
- - Solar production of chemical energy carriers: H2, Syngas, etc.
- - Cycles for chemical storage of solar energy: ZnO, etc.
- - Solar water treatment: desalination, disinfection, detoxification
- - Research in basic phenomena and nano-material production processes
- - Knowledge-based high-added value material synthesis: ceramics, glass, etc.
- - High-flux photochemistry and photo-physics
- - Basic knowledge of materials behaviour and aging under extreme conditions
To access the five infrastructures above, the users have to submit an application through the annual calls that are launched by the project. Travel, accommodation and access to the installations are all paid by the EU project. For the 2017 year, the call will be open from September 2016 to the end of January 2017. The access period will take place from March to November 2017.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
You can visit our website at http://sfera2.sollab.eu or follow us on LinkedIn to get the latest news on the project.
This project has received funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no 312643.