Transnational access Activities

- Free access to state-of-the-art CST research infrastructures, 11 European advanced solar laboratories and 2 research infrastructures located in two neighbouring countries

- Strengthening the international R&D cooperation, necessary to ensure the EU's scientific leadership and industrial competitiveness.

- Cooperation with third countries, whose researchers will also have access to these RIs thought this TA programme.

The trans-national access (TA) activity offer access to state-of-the-art CST research infrastructures unique in Europe and for several of them in the world. Experiments can be related to:

- Solar thermal electricity generation (tests from research on components and methods to full prototypes systems): thermodynamic cycles such as Brayton and Stirling cycles, receivers and their coatings, thermal storage, concentrating optics and mirrors, control algorithms and solar resource evaluation, heliostats and linear collectors, high concentration PV cells, etc.

- Solar fuels production: H2, Syngas, liquid and gas hydrocabons, etc.

- Cycles for chemical storage of solar energy for short and long duration: ZnO, CeO, Iron, etc.

- Solar water treatment: desalination, disinfection and decontamination.

- Solar heating and cooling of buildings to improve the energy efficiency in buildings.

- Modelling and controlling of concentrating solar technologies for power plants and for industrial processes

- High value material synthesis and/or coatings deposits (experimental or test of processes): nanomaterials like C or ZnO nanotubes, new ceramics or metals, foams, catalytic layers, etc.

- High-flux photochemistry and photo-physics.

- Characterization of materials behaviour and properties under extreme conditions such as for solar, space or nuclear fields: thermal shields, high temperature materials and parts, etc.

- Solar pumping of LASER for industrial and space applications.

SFERA III_Miniature

2023 Transnational Access Campaign: list of funded projects

The list of selected projects under the 5th SFERA-III Access campaign has been published: after evaluation, 13 projects are funded and will be granted free access to state-of-the-art CSP infrastructures. You can download the list of the selected projects here....
Themis Solar Tower-2_small-3

SFERA-III transnational access: Deadline Extension!

With SFERA-III, benefit from free access to top research infrastructures in Concentrated Solar Thermal power across Europe! Th deadline to apply for the 5th SFERA-III access campaign has been extended to 7th February 2023. This call for projects provides free...
Themis Solar Tower-2_small-3

Launch of the 5th SFERA-III transnational access campaign

With SFERA-III, benefit from free access to top research infrastructures in Concentrated Solar Thermal power across Europe! The 5th SFERA-III access campaign has been launched on 1st December 2022. This call for projects provides free access to 18 installations of...
test-cp-ecran

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 823802

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