Monday, 08 March 2021 12:20

TECSAS - Thermionic Energy Conversion & Storage Applied to Sunlight: Taking Concentrating Solar Power to the next level

In the framework of the call FETOPEN H2020, TECSAS project, recently funded, is coordinated by ISM-CNR and started on March 1st, 2021. The aim of the project is the technical and economic evaluation of the integration of an innovative thermionic energy converter for the solar energy concentrated-to-electricity conversion within CSP (Concentrated Solar Power) plants, in order to make them highly competitive if compared with extended photovoltaics. The main output of the project will be the technological validation of the coupling between the upstream thermionic conversion stage and the downstream thermodynamic conversion, and the definition of a business plan strategy that allows to launch this innovation on the market in the short-medium term.

TECSAS project aims to technically and economically evaluate the presence of a new thermionic conversion stage in CSP (Concentrated Solar Power) systems, with the ultimate goal of opening a new market for concentrated solar power in the domestic and residential sectors. In fact, the proposed technology would allow the creation of small CSP plants from 50 kW to 10 MW, currently prevented (the actual minimum size is 100 MW) since not economically sustainable. The project will last 18 months (it will end on 31 August 2022) and will involve, in addition to ISM-CNR as coordinator in the figure of Dr. Daniele M. Trucchi, the partnership of Day One srl, an open innovation lab which helps researchers and startups to do business with their technological innovations. Dr. Paolo De Stefanis (Day One) as Business Manager and Dr. Alessandro Bellucci (ISM-CNR) as Technical Manager will be responsible for the economic and technological validation of the proposed innovation, with the aim of launching on the market an extremely efficient and cost-effective product in the field of environmental sustainability in a few years.

For info:
Daniele M. Trucchi- Coordinator of TECSAS project

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