The HYBRIDplus project will be expanded to incorporate electrification through inductive heating methods within the newly developed cascaded Phase Change Material (PCM) storage system. This extension builds on the project’s existing framework, leveraging advanced inductive heating technologies to enhance energy efficiency and thermal performance. The integration of inductive heating offers a promising pathway for efficient and controllable energy input, complementing the innovative PCM-based storage system, which already demonstrates significant potential for improving energy density and thermal regulation.

The SiLEAN project, involving 2 research institutes, one University partner, 4 SMEs and 1 industry partner, deals with the development of advanced innovations to tackle the major drawbacks of silicon heterojunction solar cell technology, namely the high energy and material demand for Si wafer manufacturing, limited current generation, and the consumption of scarce materials like silver, bismuth and indium. Within the scope of the project, we will directly grow the wafers from the gas phase with low temperature processes, apply alternative passivation concepts that show higher optical transparency, develop indium-free contact layers and apply silver and bismuth-free metallization with all-in-one cell interconnection and encapsulation. We aim to achieve >25.5% solar cell efficiency and >23.5% module efficiency with 50% lower costs for Si wafers and contacting, as well as up to 75% lower carbon footprint. All processes applied allow upscaling to larger sizes as well as high manufacturing throughput. Eventually, the developments of SiLEAN will pave the way for a new, lean, generation of heterojunction solar cell technology that will both increment the energy conversion efficiency and unlock production at terawatt-scale.

The main hurdle the Concentrated Solar Thermal Technologies (CST) sector has been facing over the last decade in Europe is the assumed level of the costs of CSP power plants with a too narrow perception of its use as flexibility provider to the sole electricity systems. To mitigate this, the CST4ALL project identifies an array of hybridisation and cooperation initiatives at the interface between CST and other technologies for applications relevant to the 3 sectors (electricity, heat and fuels) incorporating the work products of various ETIPs. Well-aligned on current EU initiatives (Smart Sector Integration, Fit for 55, CETP) and specific energy strategies across the reviewed Member States to provide answers to the most urgent challenges of decarbonisation, the core deliverable of CST4ALL consists of an intertwined set of workshops with respective industry and R&I focus. These shall bring together, better coordinate and incentivise the interaction of main stakeholders at key technology interfaces with the CSP sector building on combined technological and non-technological improvements. Both the research and the industry perspectives are first analysed aiming primarily at supporting and enlarging the network of active stakeholders in the CSP Implementation Working Group in the SET Plan and to raise the general awareness about the role CST can play in a future sustainable energy mix. These workshops finally result in specific proposals at EU-level from a cross-sector perspective to foster public/private funding for R&I and create the necessary political/regulatory framework conditions for the execution of the new CSP Implementation Plan.

With photovoltaics being expected as the main pillar of the future global energy system by 2050, understanding the underlying technological developments, their supply chain material flows, resource requirements, environmental life cycle impact and circular economy potential becomes crucial for the European continent. In the transition to an increasing electrification of the energy system, Photovoltaics gives Europe the opportunity to become independent from importing fossil fuels. With a circular economy approach – as PV technology is to almost 100% recyclable – supported by and eco design strategies, Europe has the opportunity to become less energy dependent from outside and at the same time significantly reduce the environmental impacts in its energy sector. The SOLARIS project has the expertise and is designed to give guidance and support this goal with underlying data on future market and technology development, related resource use and supply chains, environmental impact and recommendations on policy measures to guide European decision makers along this path in the future. Despite clear goals on PV deployment, support for the development of a European industrial supply chain has been minimal. SOLARIS will combine projected technology and market development scenarios from material mining to End of Life including recycling strategies for a deeper understanding of the future required material resources and waste recycling strategies throughout the whole PV value chain and analyse related environmental and social impacts and highlight opportunities for reducing the industry’s environmental impact and reduce resource criticalities. SOLARIS will also develop a database that compiles variables that contribute to GHG/CO2 and EPBT savings, which can be combined to show strategies and best practice to considerably reduce GHG/CO2 emission and EPBT time at each value stage. The outputs of SOLARIS will enable the PV industry to benchmark cross-comparisons in processes and materials which can incentivise best practice to lower the environmental impacts and increase preparedness for an EU PV supply chain.

The SiLEAN project, involving 2 research institutes, one University partner, 4 SMEs and 1 industry partner, deals with the development of advanced innovations to tackle the major drawbacks of silicon heterojunction solar cell technology, namely the high energy and material demand for Si wafer manufacturing, limited current generation, and the consumption of scarce materials like silver, bismuth and indium. Within the scope of the project, we will directly grow the wafers from the gas phase with low temperature processes, apply alternative passivation concepts that show higher optical transparency, develop indium-free contact layers and apply silver and bismuth-free metallization with all-in-one cell interconnection and encapsulation. We aim to achieve >25.5% solar cell efficiency and >23.5% module efficiency with 50% lower costs for Si wafers and contacting, as well as up to 75% lower carbon footprint. All processes applied allow upscaling to larger sizes as well as high manufacturing throughput. Eventually, the developments of SiLEAN will pave the way for a new, lean, generation of heterojunction solar cell technology that will both increment the energy conversion efficiency and unlock production at terawatt-scale.