IMDEA Energía is part of the European SHARP-sCO2 consortium, which aims to develop a new generation of highly efficient and flexible solar thermal power plants. SHARP-sCO2 focuses on demonstrating the efficiency and technical and economic feasibility of plants operating with air and supercritical CO2 (sCO2) and hybridised with photovoltaic energy. The project will investigate four prototypes (solar receiver, storage system, supercritical air-CO2 exchanger and electrical heating system). A comprehensive analysis of the cycle integration will also be carried out.

Taking into account EU/non-EU solar irradiation, electricity market prospects, environmental and safety/regulatory aspects, the project, involving EU R&D leaders in the CSP sector, will be the first stepping stone towards the promotion of air/sCO2-driven cycles as a key solution for EU CSP plants targeting the EU’s 2030 targets. The project will assess the holistic impact of SHARP-sCO2 and will also propose R&D roadmaps for TRL 9 and market acceptance of the project innovation.

The three-year project will end in 2025 and is composed of the following participants and partners:

Participants:

KUNGLIGA TEKNISKA HOEGSKOLAN (KTH, Sweden), Co-ordinator

RINA CONSULTING SPA (RINA-C, Italy)

IMDEA Energy Foundation (IME, Spain)

TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET DRESDEN (TUD, Germany)

SEICO HEIZUNGEN GMBH (SEI, Germany)

ETHNIKO KENTRO EREVNAS KAI TECHNOLOGIKIS ANAPTYXIS – CENTRE FOR RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY HELLAS (CERTH, Greece)

MOROCCAN AGENCY FOR SUSTAINABLE ENERGY SA (MASEN, Morocco)

UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI GENOVA (UNIGE, Italy)

Partners:

ODQA RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES LIMITED (ODQA, United Kingdom)

THE CHANCELLOR, MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD (UOXF, United Kingdom)

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