Periodic Reporting for period 1 - CST4ALL (SUPPORT TO THE ACTIVITIES OF THE CONCENTRATED SOLAR THERMAL TECHNOLOGY AREA OF THE SET PLAN)
Reporting period: 2022-10-01 to 2024-03-31
CST4ALL follows up on HORIZON-STE (GA 838514) which provided new grounds for the concentrated solar thermal CST sector, especially in the light of the “smart system integration” at EU level. One of the main hurdles CST is facing is the considered cost level, leading to a stop of concentrated solar power (CSP) investments in Europe and threatening both the European competitiveness and the efficient use of natural resources across the continent.
CST4ALL addresses a wide set of initiatives to promote collaboration with specific technology interfaces as well as to increase and reinforce the already existing networks of stakeholders around the CST Implementation Working Group (IWG) and national and European industrial associations to better highlight the role CST should play in the future sustainable energy mix.
Sector integration is becoming more strategic for Member States and the EU. This can represent an important opportunity for the CST sector, not only regarding power generation but also for the decarbonisation of heat and the generation of hydrogen. This strategy could also help the development of hybrid plants (e.g. CST+photovoltaics, CST+biomass, CST+geothermal), while increasing cross-border exchanges.
The primary goal of CST4ALL is to support the creation of strong and sustainable networks between CST, and other relevant technology areas covered through the SET Plan and its integrated roadmap. These networks will: Enable efficient and direct cooperation among ETIPs, IWGs and similar stakeholders fora; provide support to existing SET Plan Implementation Plans, with special obvious emphasis on the CSP IP; advance towards more interconnected activities, both in terms of contents and implementation mechanisms.
In CST4ALL cross-cutting aspects for accelerating the clean energy transition will be identified, thus contributing to the development of a European Research Area in the field of Energy.
The unique contribution of CST4ALL is the combination of gathered intelligence on needs and ambitions of the Member States under review with the input by industry and research about their current and future contributions to the deployment of new applications. CST4ALL will contribute to European citizens and policy makers being better informed about the benefits of new applications across single technology fences together with their socio-economic impact notably on business opportunities for both large players and SMEs. Subsequently this is expected to increase social acceptance, to streamline permitting processes for new installations and ease public funding to related R&I.
Two reports on strategies to exploit social science and humanities contributions to overcome Green Deal Key Challenges relevant to CST will be delivered.
CST4ALL addresses a wide set of initiatives to promote collaboration with specific technology interfaces as well as to increase and reinforce the already existing networks of stakeholders around the CST Implementation Working Group (IWG) and national and European industrial associations to better highlight the role CST should play in the future sustainable energy mix.
Sector integration is becoming more strategic for Member States and the EU. This can represent an important opportunity for the CST sector, not only regarding power generation but also for the decarbonisation of heat and the generation of hydrogen. This strategy could also help the development of hybrid plants (e.g. CST+photovoltaics, CST+biomass, CST+geothermal), while increasing cross-border exchanges.
The primary goal of CST4ALL is to support the creation of strong and sustainable networks between CST, and other relevant technology areas covered through the SET Plan and its integrated roadmap. These networks will: Enable efficient and direct cooperation among ETIPs, IWGs and similar stakeholders fora; provide support to existing SET Plan Implementation Plans, with special obvious emphasis on the CSP IP; advance towards more interconnected activities, both in terms of contents and implementation mechanisms.
In CST4ALL cross-cutting aspects for accelerating the clean energy transition will be identified, thus contributing to the development of a European Research Area in the field of Energy.
The unique contribution of CST4ALL is the combination of gathered intelligence on needs and ambitions of the Member States under review with the input by industry and research about their current and future contributions to the deployment of new applications. CST4ALL will contribute to European citizens and policy makers being better informed about the benefits of new applications across single technology fences together with their socio-economic impact notably on business opportunities for both large players and SMEs. Subsequently this is expected to increase social acceptance, to streamline permitting processes for new installations and ease public funding to related R&I.
Two reports on strategies to exploit social science and humanities contributions to overcome Green Deal Key Challenges relevant to CST will be delivered.
In WP1 continuous support is provided to CST IWG Chairs in her interactions with all relevant organizations relevant to CST. Main achievements are the inclusion of topics within past (2023) and expected future (2024) CETP calls, the contribution to the development of Solar SRIA by the EC and thecontributions to key reports (SET Plan, CST IP, CETO, etc.). In addition, the project analysed the impact of non-technological framework conditions offered to cross-technology R&I activities and industry projects. Upon EC approval, the relevant project report will be shared with Member States representatives of the CST IWG.
In WP2, with the support of ETIP PV a workshop on the hybridisation of CST with PV was organized, aiming to explore the industrial potential of concepts involving PV technologies coupled to CST value chain. The event covered topics related to EU policy, hybridisation possibilities, industrial maturity of technologies, project financing, and potential synergies between these sectors in R&I, manufacturing, market development, and workforce training.
In WP3 a network of experts from CST, PV, Wind, Geothermal and Biomass with experience on topics such as material development, aging and hybridisation concepts has been created and it is updated continuously. Two online workshops with a large participation of experts and stakeholders for the topics of material challenges and hybridization were done. Areas for joint research, current opportunities and challenges in Europe are being identified.
In WP2, with the support of ETIP PV a workshop on the hybridisation of CST with PV was organized, aiming to explore the industrial potential of concepts involving PV technologies coupled to CST value chain. The event covered topics related to EU policy, hybridisation possibilities, industrial maturity of technologies, project financing, and potential synergies between these sectors in R&I, manufacturing, market development, and workforce training.
In WP3 a network of experts from CST, PV, Wind, Geothermal and Biomass with experience on topics such as material development, aging and hybridisation concepts has been created and it is updated continuously. Two online workshops with a large participation of experts and stakeholders for the topics of material challenges and hybridization were done. Areas for joint research, current opportunities and challenges in Europe are being identified.
Key takeaways of the industry-focused workshop on the hybridisation of CST with PV are:
- CST-PV hybridisation possibilities extend beyond electricity production 24/7 to include supply of high-temperature process heat and clean hydrogen production.
- Hybrid CST-PV plants can overcome limitations of individual technologies, improving performance and reducing overall system costs.
- Investment in R&I is substantial to improve efficiency, and reduce costs.
- Supportive policies and regulations are essential to incentivise deployment.
- Supportive policies like the Green Deal Industry Plan and the NZIA, can foster a competitive clean technology industry in Europe.
- Co-location of manufacturing facilities, standardisation of components, and tailored training programmes can enhance market development and workforce readiness for hybrid CSP-PV projects.
Key outcomes of the first 2 workshops done in WP3 are the following:
- Both CST and PV technologies require more durable and environmentally sustainable coatings to enhance optical properties and shield panels and mirrors from environmental degradation. The similarity of objectives in both sectors presents significant opportunities for collaborative efforts.
- Erosion in wind turbines is a concern as surface roughness can degrade the performance. This materials challenge shares similarities with PV and CST, suggesting that collaborative efforts and knowledge exchange can be beneficial for developing new coatings and improving coating performance.
- Further collaboration opportunities lie in establishing standardized procedures for testing and qualifying new materials across sectors.
- Components and technological interfaces that enable the physical connection between different renewable energy technologies were presented (electrical heaters, microwave heaters, hybrid CST-(C)PV collectors).
- Tools and strategies for optimizing the operation of hybrid plants were discussed.
- CST-PV hybridisation possibilities extend beyond electricity production 24/7 to include supply of high-temperature process heat and clean hydrogen production.
- Hybrid CST-PV plants can overcome limitations of individual technologies, improving performance and reducing overall system costs.
- Investment in R&I is substantial to improve efficiency, and reduce costs.
- Supportive policies and regulations are essential to incentivise deployment.
- Supportive policies like the Green Deal Industry Plan and the NZIA, can foster a competitive clean technology industry in Europe.
- Co-location of manufacturing facilities, standardisation of components, and tailored training programmes can enhance market development and workforce readiness for hybrid CSP-PV projects.
Key outcomes of the first 2 workshops done in WP3 are the following:
- Both CST and PV technologies require more durable and environmentally sustainable coatings to enhance optical properties and shield panels and mirrors from environmental degradation. The similarity of objectives in both sectors presents significant opportunities for collaborative efforts.
- Erosion in wind turbines is a concern as surface roughness can degrade the performance. This materials challenge shares similarities with PV and CST, suggesting that collaborative efforts and knowledge exchange can be beneficial for developing new coatings and improving coating performance.
- Further collaboration opportunities lie in establishing standardized procedures for testing and qualifying new materials across sectors.
- Components and technological interfaces that enable the physical connection between different renewable energy technologies were presented (electrical heaters, microwave heaters, hybrid CST-(C)PV collectors).
- Tools and strategies for optimizing the operation of hybrid plants were discussed.