Axis VI of the National Operational Program for Enterprises and Competitiveness 2014-2020 ERDF - MIMIT
Funded as part of the Union's response to the COVID-19 pandemic
Beneficiaries: Magaldi Power Spa
Project duration: 42 months - started on 18 June 2020
The DEMETRA STEM research project originates from the expertise of the proposing party and is aimed to develop innovative and improved solutions, in terms of energy performance and economic competitiveness, for components and systems related to Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) technology for the distributed generation of electrical and thermal energy useful to guarantee the energy requirements of plants in the agro-food industry sector.
The CSP technology, developed by the proponent, uses a fluidised granular solid directly irradiated by solar radiation as a storage and heat exchange medium.
The focus of the project is to investigate potential integrations of the use of thermal (and electrical) energy produced by a solar concentration plant for use in the agri-food industry.
The ambition is to apply the fluidized bed CSP technology developed by the proposing party in the field of the agri-food industry.
Moreover, this development also has the objective of creating a high added value product with a leveled energy cost or, in any case, a sustainable and competitive investment cost in the foreseeable scenario within the timeframe of the project closure.
Hence, the aim of the project is to modify the technology already tested for obtaining high-temperature steam to create innovative plants to meet the demand for thermal and electrical energy in the agri-food industry and in the temperature range of interest.
Advanced solutions will also be identified for the integration of CSP technology, including the use of other alternative or bio energy sources, with water desalination systems for irrigation, for the conditioning (heating and cooling) of agricultural greenhouses, and for industrial processes for the treatment of agro-food products, such as the freezing of food, through the generation of refrigeration.
