ENERGY

This Destination includes activities targeting a sustainable, secure and competitive energy supply. In line with the scope of cluster 5, this includes activities in the areas of renewable energy; energy system, grids and storage; as well as Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS).

This Destination contributes directly to the Strategic Plan’s Key Strategic Orientations ‘Green transition’, ‘Digital transition’ and ‘A more resilient, competitive, inclusive and democratic Europe’.

In line with the Strategic Plan, the overall expected impact of this Destination is to contribute to the ‘Ensuring more sustainable, secure and competitive energy supply through solutions for smart energy systems based on renewable energy solutions’.

This destination contributes to the activities of the Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET Plan) and its implementation working groups.

The main impacts to be generated by topics under this Destination are:

Renewable energy

1. Energy producers have access to efficient and competitive European renewable energy and renewable fuel technologies with a solid knowledge base and are able to deploy them to enhance the EU’s energy security and reach its climate neutrality objectives, in a sustainable way in environmental (e.g., biodiversity, multiple uses of land and water, natural resources, pollution) and socioeconomic terms, and in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.
2. Technology providers have access to European, competitive, resilient, reliable, sustainable, and affordable value chains of renewable energy and renewable fuel technologies including emerging ones, and with strong export potential to supply both the EU internal and global markets. They benefit also from circular renewable energy technologies that are safe and sustainable by design with reduced and diversified external dependence on critical raw materials^[1].
3. Economic sectors benefit from better integration of renewable energy and renewable fuel-based solutions that are, among others, competitive, cost-effective, efficient, flexible, reliable, and sustainable. Such integration is facilitated through digitalisation and integration of artificial intelligence of renewable energy technologies that provide network stability and reliability.
4. European industries benefit from a reinforced export potential of renewable energy and renewable fuel technologies, also through international partnerships, and become more competitive in innovative renewable energy technologies in Europe and globally.
5. European researchers benefit from a stronger community and from a reinforced scientific basis on renewable energy and renewable fuel technologies including emerging ones, also through international collaborations.
6. European citizens have access to an energy market that is fair and equitable, more resilient, uses all different types of local renewable energy resources, and is less dependent on fossil fuels imports. Citizens experience less fuel and energy poverty, and also benefit from new employment and upskilling opportunities. Local communities benefit from a more decentralized, affordable, and secure energy system and from multiple uses of land and water.

Energy systems, grids and storage

1. R&I actions will support the just digital and green transformation of the energy system through advanced solutions for accelerating the energy systems integration and decarbonisation. The developed clean, sustainable solutions will contribute to making the energy system work better for actors and supply more reliable, resilient and secure energy – even under increasingly more frequent extreme climate events.
2. The solutions developed will contribute to increase flexibility and grid hosting capacity for renewables through optimizing cross sector integration and grid scale storage as well as cover off-grid situations. They will improve the preparedness of the electricity system to support the EU's binding target for 2030 of minimum of 42.5% renewables in the gross final energy consumption (with the aspiration to reach 45%), and full decarbonisation by 2050. They will enable further electrification of demand and will enhance the competitiveness of the European value chain, reduce pressure on resources (also by making technologies ‘circular by design’) and decrease dependencies. Such solutions would also enable a better EU resilience to climate risks.
3. The solutions will improve consumer awareness and engagement in the energy transition, via innovative offers and services (e.g. demand response, energy communities) and will target different types of consumers, including “hard to reach” population groups (such as energy poor or low-income households). This will result in increased trust in, and uptake of the new products and services entering the energy system.

Carbon capture, use and storage (CCUS) and carbon dioxide removal (CDR)

1. Accelerated deployment of carbon capture, use and storage (CCUS) as a CO2 emission mitigation option in electricity generation and/or in industry applications, as well as carbon dioxide removal for negative emissions.

Legal entities established in China are not eligible to participate in both Research and Innovation Actions (RIAs) and Innovation Actions (IAs) falling under this destination. For additional information please see “Restrictions on the participation of legal entities established in China” found in General Annex B of the General Annexes.

[1] For an example of a methodology for the assessment of sustainability, circularity and contribution to EU resilience and technological autonomy of clean energy technology in the R&I pipeline, please see Study on circular approaches for a sustainable and affordable clean energy transition

Expected Outcome:

Projects are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• Breakthrough and game changing renewable energy technologies enabling a faster transition to a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions EU economy by 2050.
• Measures, knowledge and data have been demonstrating that the technology has a minimal environmental impact (notably on biodiversity and pollution), has gained citizens’ trust, is economically viable and benefits from a multi-level policy support.
• Establishing a solid long term dependable European innovation base.

Scope:

The proposal is expected to address high-risk and high return technology developments for game changing renewable energy technologies. It could cover, for example, catalyst development, renewable energy storage systems, integration of renewable energy technologies into a single energy generation system, hybrid renewable energy systems, heating & cooling systems, fuels production systems, (direct) solar fuels and solar driven chemical processes, hybrid electricity generation solutions between different renewable energy sources, direct utilization of renewable energy sources.

The following areas are excluded from the scope of the topic as they fall within the scope of partnerships or other calls:

• Hydrogen production through electrolysers.
• Fuel cells.
• Basic material research.
• Batteries.

The proposal is expected to establish technological feasibility of its concept through a robust research methodology, at least TRL 4 or at most TRL 5. The concept could be based on a new solution or on the improvement of an existing high-risk and high return solution. Technology transfer from sectors other than energy should be considered whenever relevant, as it may provide ideas, experiences, technology contributions, knowledge, skills, and new approaches.

For bioenergy or biofuel concepts, whenever the direct use of biogenic waste is considered, resource availability and treatment will be taken into account from the design stage.

In developing its concept, the proposal is expected to address the following related aspects: lower environmental impact, minimise impacts on biodiversity and protected species and habitats, reduced pollution, better resource efficiency (materials, geographical footprints, water, etc…). Whenever risks have been identified, mitigation measures need to be presented.

The proposal is expected also to present a comparison with current commercial renewable energy technologies and/or solutions to show its advantages in terms of expected economic performance, environmental impact (notably on biodiversity and pollution), energy security, competitivity and industrial independence^[1].

Selected projects are expected to consider the drivers behind social acceptance and trust-building of the technological solution and assess the best way to promote local involvement as part of ensuring a just transition (gender, cultural and socio-economic factors should be accounted for). An analysis of policy approaches that are encompassing (policy mixes), adaptive (policy learning) and context sensitive (working for different places, levels and/or sectors) should also be performed in order to support the deployment of the future new technology.

This topic requires the effective contribution of SSH disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities.

Proposals are encouraged to consider, where relevant, services offered by European research infrastructures^[2], as well as related projects offering access to research infrastructures in the clean energy domain- particularly RISEnergy^[3].

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[1] For an example of methodology for the assessment of sustainability, circularity and contribution to EU resilience and technological autonomy of clean energy technology in the R&I pipeline, please see Study on circular approaches for a sustainable and affordable clean energy transition

[2] The catalogue of European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) research infrastructures portfolio can be browsed from ESFRI website https://ri-portfolio.esfri.eu/

[3] RISE Energy- Homepage -