Project description
A solar reactor to power a cleaner future
Sunlight might soon do more than just power our homes. It could also help produce fuels and essential chemicals. The EIC-funded SOLEAS project is working on a self-contained device that uses sunlight, water, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen to create valuable compounds such as ethene and ammonia, which are crucial for clean energy and manufacturing. By combining advanced optical concentrators, quantum dots, and a streamlined reactor design, the system brings together several photo-reactions into one efficient setup. The aim is to build a scalable, self-sufficient solution that can operate even in remote locations, making it possible to generate renewable energy and important chemicals where they are needed. SOLEAS could reshape the future of solar power.
Objective
Solar photoreactors to produce fuels and chemicals via photo-induced processes are researched widely, but currently (i) lack harmonised interaction of material and reactor optimization , (ii) are not easily scalable and (ii) may exceed sensible land areas for reasonable productivities , due to their rather low efficiencies in technical scale. In parallel, the reuse of biogenic CO2 from the biogas industry is among the most promising solutions to mitigate global climate warming while capturing nitrogen (N2) from the air – a readily available and abundant resource including 78 % of N2 – is a viable feedstock for producing ammonia (NH3).
SOLEAS develops a standalone solar-to-X device, converting sunlight and simple, low-energy molecules (H2O, CO2 and N2) in a multi-product approach into chemicals usable as either energy source or building blocks for materials, precisely ethene (C2H4) and ammonia (NH3) which have interesting crossing value chains, by means of:
(a) breakthrough concentrator optics and quantum-dots deposition for solar wavelength adjustment;
(b) optimized solar receiving side (parallel reactor internals for multi-reaction integration, unbiased anode-cathode development, zero gap design with optimized fluid dynamics and in-situ product outtake.
With its multi-product approach SOLEAS enables the realisation of several photo-reactions in one device enabling simplified production chains where one directly goes from simple feedstock to complex products, beyond hydrogen or carbon monoxide.
The device will be able to operate independently, allowing, in the long-term, communities and remote areas to have access to reliable and sustainable energy sources and a local production and utilization of chemicals and fuels.
The developed device will reach TRL 5-6 within a 4-year project runtime and is backed by a solid exploitation strategy and plan.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- social sciences economics and business economics production economics productivity
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.3.1 - The European Innovation Council (EIC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-EIC - HORIZON EIC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-EIC-2024-PATHFINDERCHALLENGES-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
8200 Gleisdorf
Austria
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.