The project
The SEFI project concentrates on six objectives to demonstrate the feasibility of the construction of two demonstration plants using HCPV/T (High Concentration Photovoltaic/Thermal) technology in an industry sector where the output of HCPV/T, heat at low/medium temperatures and electricity is required in many processes, directly in production lines as well as for important services such as plant sanitation to control contamination: the food processing sector. The development of this technology is hence directly focused on the topic of the H2020 call “Resource-efficient eco-innovative food production and processing”.
The main system investigated is the HCPV/T EOS 1 co-generator of Greenetica GmbH, and the project is focused on showing that this technology is applicable and financially sustainable in Northern Europe, with the study of its integration in a meat processing company located in the Netherlands: Henri Van De Bilt Vleeswaren B.V. in Beuningen and in Southern Europe in an olive oil mill in Malagon, Spain: Aceites Malagon S.L. First an accurate study was performed of the local weather conditions and particularly of the solar irradiation parameters (DNI-Direct Normal Irradiation) to verify if the system could be installed, what energy yields it would have and what the dimensions of a solar field could be. Local legislation was then checked in order to check if possible adverse landscape legislation might hinder the construction of solar plants. Finally, both sites were visited and investigated to perform and energy audit, verify space availability of an adequate location for the plants, identify the various production processes where solar thermal and electric energy could be effectively used and integrated with the existing equipment. “Solar opportunities” were identified and for these potential realizations basic engineering and lay-out drawings were produced, in order to enable also the elaboration of initial cost estimates. Requests for proposal were therefore sent to various equipment manufactures. This first phase of the project concentrate very much on the technical feasibility of the demonstration plants.
Once it became clear that there are no obstacles to their construction and that the HCPV/T EOS 1 solar co-generator were able to realize different “solar opportunities” producing data and information, dissemination plans were drafted with major institutions in the field of renewable energies, in the Netherlands and in Spain.
