ACES2030-CM: Concentrating solar thermal energy in the transport sector and heat and electricity production

Program of R&D activities between research groups of “Comunidad de Madrid”, co-funded with the European Social Fund and European Regional Development Fund, coordinated by Dr. Manuel Romero (Ref: S2018/EMT-4319).

The main objective of the program is the development of concentrating solar technology with the aim to reach 32% contribution in the energy mix (end use energy) in the horizon of the year 2030 not only in electrical sector, but also in industrial processes and transport sector.

ACES2030-CM focuses its R&D objectives onto three main challenges covering aggressive penetration of CSP within end use energy mix by 2030. The three objectives that provide functional structure to the research programme of ACES2030-CM are:

Objective 1 – Renewable electricity. Develop technologies for a new class of solar thermal power plants, more efficient, dispatchable and competitive under a market scenario of accelerated electrification of the economy. This objective is aligned with the priorities of the Gen3 CSP DOE programme at US, mainly in the field of pressurized gas.

Objective 2 – Solar process heat. Develop solar concentrating technologies and integration schemes for industrial processes that require solar heat in the range of 200-900 ºC and using mainly hot air and air highly charged with particles as thermal fluid. This objective is aligned with the integrated EC project INSHIP (Integrating National Research Agendas on Solar Heat for Industrial Processes) with the ultimategoal to prepare an ECRIA (European Common Research and Innovation Agenda) on this subject.

Objective 3 – Solar fuels for transport. Develop materials, technologies and processes for the production and storage of H2 and other alternative solar fuels for transport. This objective is fertilized by the realization in Móstoles of the pioneer EC Sunlight-to-Liquid Project and by other EU projects promoting the use of solar driven thermochemical processes, within the priorities of the SET Plan and the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen FCH 2 JU programme.

Partners: IMDEA Energy Institute (Coordinator); URJC; CIEMAT; CSIC; UPM; UC3M; URJC; UNED; Abengoa Energy; Repsol;  Rioglass Solar; Grupo Cobra; Protermosolar; Empresarios Agrupados.
Funding Institution/Program: Comunidad de Madrid/Program of R&D activities between research groups in Technology 2018.
Period: January 2019-April 2023
Principal researcher: Dr. Manuel Romero