Periodic Reporting for period 2 - CST4ALL (SUPPORT TO THE ACTIVITIES OF THE CONCENTRATED SOLAR THERMAL TECHNOLOGY AREA OF THE SET PLAN)
Période du rapport: 2024-04-01 au 2025-09-30
CST4ALL followed up on HORIZON-STE (GA 838514) which provided new grounds for the concentrated solar thermal (CST) sector at EU level. CST4ALL addressed initiatives to promote collaboration with technology interfaces and to reinforce the already existing networks of stakeholders to better highlight the role CST should play in the future sustainable energy mix.
A main hurdle faced by CST is its perceived cost level, leading to a stop of concentrated solar power (CSP) investments in Europe, threatening the competitiveness and the efficient use of natural resources across the continent. For this reason, sector integration becomes more strategic and is an opportunity for the CST sector, not only for power generation but also for the decarbonisation of heat and fuels. This strategy can help the development of hybrid plants, increasing cross-border exchanges.
In CST4ALL cross-cutting aspects for accelerating the clean energy transition were identified, contributing to the development of a European Research Area in the field of Energy.
The unique contribution of CST4ALL has been the combination of intelligence on needs and ambitions of the Member States with the input by industry and research on their current and future contributions to the deployment of new plants. It contributed to raising awareness among European citizens and policy makers about the benefits of new applications across technology fences together with their socio-economic impact notably on business opportunities. This is expected to increase social acceptance, to streamline permitting processes for new installations and ease public funding to related R&I.
The main aims of the social science and humanities (SSH) discipline in the project was to solidify suggestions for social, economic and policy implications and to boost networking and communication about Green Deal Challenges with SSH insight. Two reports on strategies to exploit SSH contributions to overcome Green Deal Key Challenges relevant to CST were delivered, among others detailing immediate action points under economic, social and policy implications for micro actions (at citizen / individual level), meso actions (at institutional and ecosystem level) and macro actions (at national, EU and international level) aligned with relevant time implications.
A main hurdle faced by CST is its perceived cost level, leading to a stop of concentrated solar power (CSP) investments in Europe, threatening the competitiveness and the efficient use of natural resources across the continent. For this reason, sector integration becomes more strategic and is an opportunity for the CST sector, not only for power generation but also for the decarbonisation of heat and fuels. This strategy can help the development of hybrid plants, increasing cross-border exchanges.
In CST4ALL cross-cutting aspects for accelerating the clean energy transition were identified, contributing to the development of a European Research Area in the field of Energy.
The unique contribution of CST4ALL has been the combination of intelligence on needs and ambitions of the Member States with the input by industry and research on their current and future contributions to the deployment of new plants. It contributed to raising awareness among European citizens and policy makers about the benefits of new applications across technology fences together with their socio-economic impact notably on business opportunities. This is expected to increase social acceptance, to streamline permitting processes for new installations and ease public funding to related R&I.
The main aims of the social science and humanities (SSH) discipline in the project was to solidify suggestions for social, economic and policy implications and to boost networking and communication about Green Deal Challenges with SSH insight. Two reports on strategies to exploit SSH contributions to overcome Green Deal Key Challenges relevant to CST were delivered, among others detailing immediate action points under economic, social and policy implications for micro actions (at citizen / individual level), meso actions (at institutional and ecosystem level) and macro actions (at national, EU and international level) aligned with relevant time implications.
Continuous support was provided to the CST IWG Chair in her interactions with all CST organizations. Main achievements are contributions to: 2023, 2024 and 2025 CETP calls, 2025 and 2026 HE calls, updated CST IP, Solar energy joint RIA with Member States in the context of the ERA, and to key reports (SET Plan progress reports, CETO reports on Solar Thermal Energy in the European Union, etc.). The project analysed the impact of non-technological framework conditions on cross-technology R&I activities and industry projects, and the evolution of CSP IP from an industry and R&D perspective.The project also contributed to the integration of Non-Concentrating Solar Thermal (NCST) Technologies in the scope of the extended CST IWG.
Realization of 5 industry workshops on technology interfaces with industrial potential and political support within Europe that featured keynote presentations, roundtable discussions on EU policy, hybridisation opportunities, technology maturity, project bankability and financing, regional considerations, required skills, market potential, European manufacturing and expected R&I contributions.
A network of experts from CST, PV, Wind, Geothermal and Biomass with experience on topics such as material development, meteorology and hybridisation was created. They contributed to the realization of 4 R&I workshops which identified areas for joint research, current opportunities and challenges in Europe towards the synergetic development of the technologies assessed.
Findings from the 9 workshops led to cross-technology roadmaps.
Realization of 5 industry workshops on technology interfaces with industrial potential and political support within Europe that featured keynote presentations, roundtable discussions on EU policy, hybridisation opportunities, technology maturity, project bankability and financing, regional considerations, required skills, market potential, European manufacturing and expected R&I contributions.
A network of experts from CST, PV, Wind, Geothermal and Biomass with experience on topics such as material development, meteorology and hybridisation was created. They contributed to the realization of 4 R&I workshops which identified areas for joint research, current opportunities and challenges in Europe towards the synergetic development of the technologies assessed.
Findings from the 9 workshops led to cross-technology roadmaps.
The industry focused workshops showed that CST hybrid systems are well positioned for Europe’s clean energy transition by contributing with 24/7 renewable energy supply for production of electricity, industrial heat, district heating and cooling, and renewable fuels. The findings also indicate that key barriers to market uptake are primarily financial and regulatory, rather than technological.
CST4ALL delivered 5 comprehensive cross-technology roadmaps focusing on CST hybridisation/integration with PV, biomass, heat pumps, geothermal, and energy storage. Each roadmap identifies Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT), impact on European technology leadership and R&I excellence, investment opportunities, financial conditions and their impact on competitiveness, , and necessary conditions for achieving comparable commercial cost levels to non-EU environments.
4 workshops with R&I focus facilitated the presentation of the technology capabilities to cover the energy demands in Europe of not only electricity but also process heat at clean fuels. Synergies and compatibility of the energy sectors were identified and options for joint research potential and paths for larger technology adoption were openly discussed.
Key elements to increase the impact of the technologies include: stronger collaboration between research institutions, industry, and policymakers; R&D of more durable, sustainable, and cost-effective materials; optimized hybrid systems, combining different renewable energy sources and storage solutions, in order to enhance grid stability and reduce costs; improved quality, accessibility, and utilization of meteorological data and models for site selection, forecasting, and grid management; development of standardized methods for testing to ensure process continuity in the integration of technologies; thermal storage is key for increasing the flexibility and dispatchability of renewable energy systems, particularly in industrial heat applications; a sustainable European supply chain should be supported in order to establish the industrial base to deploy renewable energy technologies; leverage of opportunities in the reduction of waste and critical material of CST.
CST4ALL delivered 5 comprehensive cross-technology roadmaps focusing on CST hybridisation/integration with PV, biomass, heat pumps, geothermal, and energy storage. Each roadmap identifies Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT), impact on European technology leadership and R&I excellence, investment opportunities, financial conditions and their impact on competitiveness, , and necessary conditions for achieving comparable commercial cost levels to non-EU environments.
4 workshops with R&I focus facilitated the presentation of the technology capabilities to cover the energy demands in Europe of not only electricity but also process heat at clean fuels. Synergies and compatibility of the energy sectors were identified and options for joint research potential and paths for larger technology adoption were openly discussed.
Key elements to increase the impact of the technologies include: stronger collaboration between research institutions, industry, and policymakers; R&D of more durable, sustainable, and cost-effective materials; optimized hybrid systems, combining different renewable energy sources and storage solutions, in order to enhance grid stability and reduce costs; improved quality, accessibility, and utilization of meteorological data and models for site selection, forecasting, and grid management; development of standardized methods for testing to ensure process continuity in the integration of technologies; thermal storage is key for increasing the flexibility and dispatchability of renewable energy systems, particularly in industrial heat applications; a sustainable European supply chain should be supported in order to establish the industrial base to deploy renewable energy technologies; leverage of opportunities in the reduction of waste and critical material of CST.