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HEDoctoral network2022–2027

TOPCSP · Towards Competitive, Reliable, Safe and Sustainable Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Plants

Horizon Europe — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2022-10-01 → 2027-02-28
EU contribution
€2,568,155
Participants
21
Scheme
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-DN

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners. CORDIS does not always give exact coordinates for projects before 2014. These points are placed at city or country level.

Results in brief

Towards Competitive, Reliable, Safe and Sustainable Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Plants

TOPCSP is a research and training project in which ten doctoral candidates are trained in concentrated solar energy while also developing innovative technologies. The overall research objective of the project is to improve the design of the different systems of a CSP plant to increase its cost-competitiveness, reliability, environmental profile, and operational safety. The project's scientific activity is divided into 10 separate tasks that are structured into the three work packages. Each task corresponds to the individual research project of each doctoral candidate. Figure 1 depicts a schematic of the structure of the research tasks listed below: WP1. Cost reduction and improved reliability of commercial CSP plants • T1.1: Universal flux density measurement system for large-scale external and cavity receivers with high-performance image processing. • T1.2: Turbulent two-phase flows in direct steam generation (DSG) solar receiver. • T1.3: Improved steam cycle layouts to improve flexibility and reduce the cost of the CSP plant power block. WP2. Next generation of CSP plants working with alternative fluids • T2.1: New liquid HTFs for the next generation of CSP plants. • T2.2: Supercritical CO2 cycles for the next generation of CSP plants. • T2.3: Design, sizing, and analysis of molten salt heating systems as energy reservoirs. • T2.4: Concentrated solar system for solar fuel production. WP3. New scientific approaches and computational tools to generate disruptive innovation in CSP technologies • T3.1 (DC8-CyI): Generative design of solar tower receivers. • T3.2 (DC9-VM): Coupled optimization of the thermal-hydraulic design of the solar field and receiver. • T3.3 (DC10-UC3M): Full economic and environmental analysis (LCA) of CSP plants. TOPCSP can contribute to CSP development, relaunching innovation in the technology in Europe and the training of qualified personnel.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

This training project (TOPCSP) will offer 10 promising doctoral candidates a unique international, intersectoral and interdisciplinary research and innovation framework that will boost their excellence in the development of innovative technologies capable of solving the challenges currently faced by the solar thermal power industry in the EU and worldwide. Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) with Thermal Energy Storage (TES) is a key technology to support the transition to a competitive and sustainable energy system. However, an effort is needed to make this technology competitive by increasing its efficiency, reducing its costs and improving its reliability and environmental profile. TOPCSP project will include research activities aimed at reducing the cost of current CSP plant, increasing the temperature of the heat transfer media of the next generation of CSP plants, developing more efficient power blocks and optimizing the plant design. CSP research requires high-level human resources covering a wide range of competences. TOPCSP will be able to train researchers with the technical knowledge and transferable skills needed to contribute to this aim from either the academic or the industrial sector. The consortium of this proposal will provide balanced scientific and applied skills together with the global vision of the CSP industry that will maximize the employability of the trained researchers. The consortium comprises 8 academic beneficiaries with a long record of research on CSP and two industrial beneficiaries, which are leading companies in the sector. The associated partners of the network include the largest R&D & test centre focused on CSP in Europe, high-tech companies specialized in the different subsystems of the CSP plant, an agency for new technologies, energy and sustainable development, and a training company specialized in R&I project development and management.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

  • UNIVERSIDAD CARLOS III DE MADRID · Getafe (Madrid)CoordinatorSpain
  • ACERINOX EUROPA SA · Los BarriosSpain
  • AGENZIA NAZIONALE PER LE NUOVE TECNOLOGIE, L'ENERGIA E LO SVILUPPO ECONOMICO SOSTENIBILE · RomaItaly
  • BUILD TO ZERO SL · SEVILLASpain
  • Brembana&Rolle S.p.A. · ValbremboItaly
  • CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS · ParisFrance
  • CENTRO DE INVESTIGACIONES ENERGETICAS MEDIOAMBIENTALES Y TECNOLOGICAS · MADRIDSpain
  • DEUTSCHES ZENTRUM FUR LUFT - UND RAUMFAHRT EV · KOLNGermany
  • EUROPA MEDIA SZOLGALTATO NON PROFIT KFT · BudapestHungary
  • Ingenergio Technology, S.L.U. · BilbaoCity levelSpain
  • JOHN COCKERILL · SeraingBelgium
  • JOHN COCKERILL RENEWABLES · SeraingBelgium
  • POLITECNICO DI MILANO · MilanoItaly
  • RHEINISCH-WESTFAELISCHE TECHNISCHE HOCHSCHULE AACHEN · AachenGermany
  • SOLARLITE SPAIN, SL · BilbaoSpain
  • Synhelion Germany · Bergsich GladbachGermany
  • THE CYPRUS INSTITUTE · NicosiaCyprus
  • UNIVERSIDAD DE SEVILLA · SevillaSpain
  • UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI BRESCIA · BresciaItaly
  • UNIVERSITE DE PERPIGNAN · PerpignanFrance
  • VIRTUALMECHANICS SL · SevillaSpain

Links

Data: CORDIS, © European Union