Solar Thermal Electricity. Strategic Research Agenda 2020-2025

The Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) sets out the strategic priorities for European research on solar thermal electricity in order to identify clearly the bottlenecks, milestones and challenges of this emerging technology through the accomplishment of three clear objectives: to increase efficiency and reduce costs, to increase dispatchability and to improve the environmental profile.  

The SRA is the most in-depth analysis to date of the research requirements of the STE sector, and is based on one year of work, collaboration and discussions by the Scientific and Technical Committee of ESTELA, which constituted by ten highly qualified researchers and experts in Europe.

The STE research priority topics encompass the four main STE  technologies, Parabolic Troughs Collectors, Central Receiver, Linear Fresnel Reflectors and Dish Stirling Systems, with a dedicated chapter for cross-cutting issues, as well as some chapters attributed to what make the asset of solar thermal electricity stand out among other technologies: storage, hybridisation and international standards, since an efficient and concrete reduction of costs is not possible without their proper implementation.