Launch of the 3rd SFERA-III transnational access campaign

With SFERA-III, benefit from free access to top research infrastructures in Concentrated Solar Thermal power across Europe!

The 3^rd SFERA-III access campaign will open on 16 November 2020. This call for projects provides free access to 22 installations of 12 state-of-art research infrastructures in Concentrated Solar Thermal power in 8 countries:

CYPRUS:

• The Cyprus Institute: CyI Campus – FRESNEL and AHTLab (Athalassa’s Heliostat Testing Laboratory) / PROTEAS – Exposure and Receiver

FRANCE:

• PROMES-CNRS: MicroSol-R
• CEA – ESTHER: LHASSA (Latent Heat Storage with PCM)

GERMANY

• DLR: Synlight (High-flux solar simulator)
• Fraunhofer ISE: CD-Lab (Durability testing of materials for concentrated solar thermal)

ITALY:

• ENEA: ESOL (ENEA Solar Collector Optics laboratory)

PORTUGAL:

• University of Evora: CER (Renewable Energies Chair), PESC (Solar Concentrators Testing Platform), INIESC (National Research Infrastructure in Solar Energy Concentration) and DNI-N
• LNEG: LMR-LES

SPAIN:

• PSA-CIEMAT: MOSA (Molten Salt Test Loop for Thermal Energy Systems) and DESAL
• IMDEA: HTPU-CDL (Computational Design Lab for High Temperature Processes), KIRAN42 (42kWe High Flux Solar Simulator) and VHCST (Very High Concentration Solar Tower)

SWITZERLAND

• ETH Zurich: HFSS (High flux solar simulator) and CHEM (Chemical Laboratory)

TURKEY

• METU/ODAK: GunSolSim (High flux solar simulator)

The campaign offers access to a wide spectrum of experiments such as:

• Solar thermal electricity generation
• Solar fuels production
• Cycles for chemical storage of solar energy
• Solar water treatment
• Solar heating and cooling of buildings to improve energy efficiency
• Modelling and controlling of concentrating solar technologies for power plants and for industrial processes
• High value material synthesis and/or coatings deposits
• High-flux photochemistry and photo-physics
• Characterisation of materials behaviour and properties under extreme conditions

The 3^rd SFERA-III campaign is open until 31 January 2021. The selected projects will benefit from 1 to 4 weeks of free access to the chosen facilities for a team of up to 2 persons. Moreover, travel, accommodation and subsistence costs are reimbursed by the projects budget.

Check the call conditions and apply HERE.

For the 2021 TA Campaign, SFERA-III decided to focus on a smaller number of facilities. However, all the services and installations will be included again in the 4^th campaign.

Timetable and useful links

16 November 2020: Call open and submission of the project proposals. Check conditions for application.

8 January 2021 (11:00 AM CET): Webinar session to inform on the call conditions and templates to fill in. Watch the replay here.

You can also download the PPT Presentation.

31 January 2021: Deadline for submission.

Until April 2021: Selection process of the projects to be hosted at the different CSP Research Infrastructures

May 2021: Announcement of the results

June 2021 – May 2022: Hosting of the user projects

To submit your project, fill in the User Research Proposal Form

List of the selected projects:

• First campaign (2019)
• Second campaign (2020)

DISCLAIMER

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, SFERA-III cannot guarantee that all its services will be performed. In exceptional situations, consortium partners are entitled to regulate, suspend or terminate an access or activity without prior notice and without any refunds or compensation for the damage suffered by the Users. Users are therefore recommended to take out appropriate insurance. You can follow the latest information on the EU Member States restriction of free movement at https://reopen.europa.eu/en.