News

On 15 March 2017, ERIGrid ‘Connecting European Smart Grid Infrastructures’ will open the 2nd call for free Transnational Access. If you are looking for sophisticated smart grid infrastructure with top know-how and innovative installations for conducting your own experimental research, then ERIGrid offers an invaluable opportunity for you. Users from research, academia and industry are invited...

On Monday 20th February, Fraunhofer ISE published on their website a press release on their new record: ‘The potential of photovoltaics (PV) has not yet been exhausted. Both industry and research continue to work intensively on increasing the efficiency and reducing the costs of solar cells, the basic component of every PV power plant. Now...

The Competitive Solar Power Towers (CAPTure) Project concentrates its efforts into increasing plant efficiencies and reduce levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) by developing all relevant components that allow implementing an innovative plant configuration.   To have an overview about the CAPTures project you can consult its new leaflet here The EUREC member, CENER, coordinates CAPTure’s...

As part of a large European Horizon2020 project Quintuple helix approach to targeted Open Innovation in Energy, Water, and Agriculture in the South  Mediterranean Neighborhood (5toi_4EWAS) is conducting this study on the collaboration between universities and industry in the Southern Mediterranean Countries in relation to innovation in Energy, Water and Agriculture. The questionnaire seeks information on...

The EUREC Position Paper “The Future Shape of European Renewable Energy Research and Innovation” is a combined input to three related EU initiatives: Energy Union’s R&I dimension the SET Plan and Horizon 2020’s interim evaluation. These are all affected by, and themselves affect, the framework for the exploitation of renewable energy in Europe, and at...

The EUREC College of Members #51 was successfully held on 6-7 December 2016 at the premises of Fraunhofer-ISE in Freiburg, Germany. On the first day EUREC organised a workshop dedicated to Energy System Modelling. In the event EUREC members presented their experience with the topic. A roundtable and discussion followed the presentations. In the afternoon, the...

The EUREC College of Members’ meeting, which took place last December 2015, decided to open EUREC membership to industry members. This is part of the EUREC strategy 2016-2018 which aims at fostering partnership with the renewable energy industry along three lines: Involvement of the renewable energy industry in EU co-funded project proposals, developed by EUREC...

The ETRERA_2020 Work Package (WP) 4 was dedicated to “Capacity Building” and focused on developing actions to ensure that renewable energy operators in the participating Mediterranean Partner Countries (MPCs) are qualified to manage, transfer and use knowledge resulting from research. WP4 focused on actions to promote exchange of best practices amongst relevant organisations (including national...

EUREC’s Policy Officer, Greg Arrowsmith granted an interview to New Energy TV. ”Strengthening R&D in the context of developing renewables will help Europe to gain more energy autonomy”, says Mr Arrowsmith. The full interview is available below:

A call for proposals has opened for teams of scientists to use the research facilities of the 16-member DERRI network (Distributed Energy Resources Research Infrastructure) free of charge. Expenses connected to infrastructure usage and with travel to the infrastructure and accommodation nearby for the team while it works will be covered by the European Commission...

Smart Cities Stakeholder Platform: one-stop-shop about the exciting European Initiative The first order of business following the launch of the Smart Cities Stakeholder Platform is Working Groups` Membership. All potential candidates are invited to apply for membership in one of the four open Working Groups (please note that membership in the Smart City Roadmap group...

Frankfurt is the city chosen to host the 27th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (27th EU PVSEC), the largest international Conference for Photovoltaic Research and Technologies, Industries and Applications. The event will take place on 24-28 September 2012 at the Messe Frankfurt and will bring together the global PV community to stimulate business...

The European University Association (EUA) has announced the Inaugural Meeting of the European Platform of Universities Engaged in Energy Research, Education and Training (EPUE), which represents its contribution to the EU Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-PLAN) and the European Energy Research Alliance. The event, which will take place on 23-24 February 2012 at Delft University...

Funding from the European Commission is making it possible to put 48 pieces of high-performance photovoltaic research infrastructure at the disposal of visiting researchers free of charge. “We are very pleased to be able to offer this opportunity to the PV community,” said Philippe Malbranche co-ordinator of the project through which funding will be provided...

A process for selecting the next EERA Executive Committee (ExCo) has been launched. Applications will close on 1 February 2012. Details on the application process are available on the EERA website. The next ExCo will be in place from April 2012 to April 2014. The ExCo has 15 seats. Current members can re-apply for their...

As a follow up to its Europe 2020 Strategy, the European Commission adopted, on 6th October 2010, the Innovation Union Flagship Initiative.EUREC Agency welcomes some of the ideas raised in the document, such as the need to align rule and timetables of the Member States’ call for proposals, and the need to make excellence a guiding principle for education.However,...

Brussels, 24th May 2011. At the occasion of its biannual Policy Conference (EREC 2011), EREC calls for a legally binding renewable energy target of 45% of final energy consumption in the EU by 2030. This appeal comes as a request to ensure that the European Union deliver on its 80-95% greenhouse emissions reduction commitment by...

SET Plan Financing Communication misses opportunity to call for increase in EU energy R&D budget For a time, it looked like the Commission would ask the Member States to “agree, in the mid-term review of the EU budget (2011-2013), to dedicate additional funding to the support of the SET Plan”, but this aspiration failed to...

Responding to the consultation launched by the Commission on its “EU 2020” strategy, which aims to discover priority areas for action at EU level for the new decade, EUREC Agency has made three recommendations.Finding a means to finance the SET Plan is high up the list of priorities, securing a strong worldwide agreement in the...

Professor Eicke Weber, director of the FraunhoferISE (a long-standing member of EUREC Agency), has given an interview on SolarPVTV about feed-in tariff cuts in Germany. Fraunhofer ISE has conducted a study called‘Determination ofthe extentof a further reduction in the feed-in tariff for solar electricity in 2010’. In the interview, Prof. Eicke Webersets out the study’s...

The solar, wind, electricity grid and CCS European Industrial Initiatives have just been launched at a conference in Madrid. The question of financing the initiatives remains largely unaddressed. Speaking at the ceremony, the Deputy Director General for Scientific Advances of DG Research, Rudolf Strohmeier, said little money would be available at EU level and that...

EUREC Agency has joined an alliance of associations and companies calling on Heads of State to find funding for the SET Plan.The SET Plan, the Strategic Energy Technology Plan, refers to the EU’s intention to remain a leader in innovative low-carbon technology, including renewable energy.The 3-paragraph letter says, “In order to fulfil its potential and...