On 9 June 2025, the SOLARX project hosted a landmark webinar under the theme “Solar Concentration Technologies for Flexibility on the Production Side”, bringing together key players from six EU-funded projects. As part of the European Sustainable Energy Week’s (EUSEW) Sustainable Energy Days initiative, this event showcased how innovative solar concentration technologies can contribute to a more flexible and sustainable energy system across Europe.
Why Flexibility Matters
As SOLARX coordinator Prof. Jérôme Barrau (University of Lleida, Spain) noted in his opening statement, “Implementing flexible power generation through RES is a must for a sustainable energy transition.” The webinar underscored the urgent need for dispatchable and hybrid renewable solutions, highlighting solar thermal innovations with the potential to decarbonise industrial and regional energy systems.
A Lineup of Trailblazing Projects and Insights
The 90-minute session featured six pioneering projects, each contributing unique approaches to advancing solar energy and grid flexibility:
- SOLARX – Prof. Jérôme Barrau showcased results demonstrating the solution’s ability to align energy production (across multiple energy vectors) with solar availability and varying application demands. The project highlighted how this alignment enhances system efficiency and decarbonisation outcomes.
- ROBINSON – Dr. Nicolò Cairo (ETN Global, Brussels) addressed the decarbonisation challenges of geographical islands and discussed the project’s nearing completion. He emphasised the replicability of sustainable energy solutions across diverse regional contexts, critical to scaling green transitions.
- ASTERIx-CAESar – Dr. Fritz Zaversky (CENER, Spain) presented the integration of Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) with Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), demonstrating how this combination supports renewable energy dispatchability—a game-changer for grid flexibility.
- HYBRIDplus – Dr. Cristina Prieto (University of Seville, Spain) shared the latest developments in electrified cascade Phase Change Material (PCM) storage systems designed to boost thermal efficiency. She also provided updates on the pilot plant under construction for eTES (electrified Thermal Energy Storage) validation.
- LEIA – Dr. Enrique Pascual (ACCIONA, Spain) introduced the methodologies used to characterise and calibrate CSP tower plant components, including solar fields and receivers. His talk concluded with the theoretical integration of these tools into Energy Management Systems.
- CST4All – Dr. Peter Heller (DLR, Germany) presented outcomes of the CST4All project, which supports the Concentrated Solar Thermal (CST) activities within the SET-Plan. Nine workshops were organised during the project, examining integration options for CST with other renewables and cross-cutting technologies, from both research and industry perspectives.
Clustering for Impact
This webinar, designed as a clustering activity, aims to stimulate collective learning and collaboration across projects and institutions. By pooling expertise and insights, the initiative aspires to accelerate innovation, enhance the visibility of research results, and expand the European knowledge ecosystem around CSP and hybrid energy systems.
Below you will find some captures from the session, and a full recording of the webinar will be made available shortly on the SOLARX website and social media channels.
Stay tuned for the video and more updates from our collaborative journey toward a more resilient and sustainable energy future.
For more information, contact:
- Prof. Jérôme Barrau – SOLARX Coordinator: [email protected]
- Miriam Frances – Communication & Dissemination: [email protected]
