Implementation of the Initiative for Global Leadership in Solar Thermal Electricity

Project Subject

Since 2007, the initial deployment of CSP/STE in Spain has brought the European STE sector to be a worldwide technology leader. But the further deployment has been hindered in Europe since 2013 due to the retroactive changes in the investment conditions in Spain. To unlock this situation, the EC has launched in 2015 a dedicated Initiative – Initiative for Global Leadership in Concentrated Solar Power(CSP). This Initiative, focusing on 2 targets (a cost reduction target and an innovation target), was adopted in 2016 within the SET-Plan structures. A working group gathering representatives from several SET-Plan countries and the STE stakeholders from both industry and R&I sectors was set up to define a corresponding Implementation Plan (IP), which was officially adopted in June17, including 12 R&D action lines and the implementation of new innovative, so-called First-Of-A-Kind (FOAK) plants. Thus, as response to the call H2020-LC-SC3-JA-2-2018, this project proposal aims at supporting the full implementation of the a.m. Initiative taking into consideration the political, legislative and institutional as well as the market backgrounds put in perspective to the situation of the STE sector in 2018 – 2 years after the “Initiative” was presented and the corresponding “IP” adopted by the SET-Plan Steering Committee. Building bridges to other ongoing projects (MUSTEC, SMARTSPEND, etc), the project will propose solutions and pathways for relevant countries to overcome the main shortcomings of current national strategies related to STE that are: a) for the industry: the framework conditions for procurement of manageable RES, and b) for the R&I sector: the extension to more public funding agencies and other sources for the funding of a.m. R&I projects. This will result in national country reports and events as well as an EU-wide cooperation event to be extensively covered by national mainstream media and supported by a strong dissemination and political communication campaign.

Project Collaborations

• Centro De Investigaciones Energeticas,
• Agenzia Nazionale Per Le Nuove Tecnologie,
• L’energia E Lo Sviluppo Economico Sostenibile,
• Deutsches Zentrum Fur Luft – Und Raumfahrt Ev