Solar twinning to create solar research twins
Research and Innovation (R&I) in Concentrating Solar Thermal (CST) technologies promises global impacts through new and sustainable solutions to societal challenges. CST technologies include 1) Solar Thermal Electricity (STE/CSP), 2) Solar Heat for Industrial Processes (SHIP), 3) Solar Fuels, and 4) Clean and Fresh Water. Europe is currently a global technology leader in CST, and SolarTwins is designed to strengthen this leadership position. The Goal of SolarTwins is to Step-Up the Scientific Excellence and Innovation Capacity of the Promising Institution METU-GÜNAM's CST research laboratory through Twinning with the Leading Institutions PSA-CIEMAT and DLR. SolarTwins builds on several EU CST R&I networks and activities in which all 3 institutions are participating including EU-SOLARIS, EERA-JP-CSP, and SFERA-III. SolarTwins contains 3 Twinning Work Packages (WPs 1-3). WP1 contains cross-cutting activities including Joint Kick-Off Activities targeting stakeholders and External Training to strengthen local, regional and national R&I capacities. WP2 is dedicated to ESRs and contains 2 summer schools at METU taught be experts from PSA-CIEMAT and DLR, and exchange of METU ESRs to PSA-CIEMAT and DLR for training and research mentoring. WP3 is dedicated to developing joint research lines between METU-GÜNAM and each of PSA-CIEMAT and DLR. WP3 includes activities for METU-GÜNAM personnel at each of PSA-CIEMAT and DLR to formulate joint research lines, and METU-GÜNAM staff exchange to each of PSA-CIEMAT and DLR to develop joint research proposals. WP4 is dedicated to maximising the Impacts of SolarTwins and includes Exploitation, Dissemination, and Communication tasks, and a Final Conference. WP5 is dedicated to project management. SolarTwins is specifically formulated to lead to Joint Research Proposals that target large joint funding opportunities to increase competitive research funds to all partners, and result in more effective use of public research funds.