In this way, the project aims to foster a new generation of more compact and efficient concentrated solar power (CSP) plants that will allow for greater flexibility in the energy sector by using renewable energy sources. To meet this challenge, the proposed solution combines solar concentrators with advanced optics, phase-change materials for thermal storage, and photovoltaic converters for electricity generation into a single system.
The project, funded by the European Climate and Environment Agency (ECEA), has a multidisciplinary consortium led by the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM), comprised of six European organizations including SMEs (IONVAC Process and HOLOSS), technology centers (IDENER), public research centers (CIEMAT), and universities (the Norwegian institution NTNU, along with UPM). The areas of expertise cover a wide range of disciplines focused on the solar energy and sustainability sector.
“The SUNSON project will attempt to solve one of the biggest energy challenges we face this century: the uninterrupted supply of renewable energy,” explains Alejandro Datas, project coordinator and professor and researcher at the Institute of Solar Energy (IES) of the UPM. “If successful, the technology developed in SUNSON aims to promote a new generation of more compact and efficient solar thermal systems that can produce energy whenever needed, regardless of whether it is sunny or not.”
The sun in a box
SUNSON proposes a significant advancement in the field of renewable energy, particularly solar, where the major limitation is the lack of cost-effective and efficient solutions for intermittent demand. Specifically, SUNSON aims to demonstrate the viability and potential of a solution that integrates energy conversion and storage into a single, highly modular and compact device (SUNSON-BOX).
The system is based on conversion technology that harnesses solar energy to produce heat, store it, and generate electricity on demand. This decoupling eliminates dependence on the variability of renewable energy sources, thus significantly increasing its energy integration flexibility. This will allow for electricity generation according to demand, and the excess heat can be used in industrial heating processes, domestic hot water, or space heating. Therefore, its application is very promising in the energy, industrial, and building sectors, and even for future hydrogen production. To facilitate its design, feasibility, and replicability, the project will also develop a powerful software tool (SUNSON-TOOL) that integrates artificial intelligence algorithms.
Over the next four years of the project, the SUNSON team aims to develop a prototype ten times more compact than conventional concentrated solar power (CSP) systems. This will be achieved through the incorporation of phase-change materials that store energy as heat at temperatures exceeding 1,200°C. At these temperatures, the heat becomes incandescent. Therefore, the system incorporates photovoltaic (PV) converters that directly transform the incandescence into electricity. The technology will be validated at the Plataforma Solar de Almería (PSA-CIEMAT), a leading research center for CSP technology, which will facilitate the future development and commercialization phase.
Award-winning energy storage
Through funding obtained from the European Union, which began within the framework of the European Amadeus project approximately six years ago, the group of researchers led by Alejandro Datas managed to develop a first prototype of energy storage on a laboratory scale.
“We recently received funding for two more projects, Thermobat and SunSon, which will allow us to use the technology in two specific applications: electricity storage and direct storage of concentrated solar power. This funding will enable us to develop two pre-industrial prototypes with greater storage capacity, a key intermediate step towards reaching an industrial phase and bringing the technology to market,” explains Datas.
Specifically, the technology behind the Thermobat and SUNSON projects was recognized as the best European invention at the Innovation Radar Awards, presented in November 2022 by the European Commission, in the Kickstarter category. These awards recognize the most promising innovations in Europe created from research and innovation projects funded by the European Union.
