R&D in the Energy Transition

Research and Development (R&D) in the Global Energy Transition

Research and Development (R&D) has become the cornerstone for advancing toward a sustainable, resilient, and decarbonized energy model. In a global context of climate crisis and growing energy demand, R&D projects in renewable energy, energy storage, and energy efficiency are transforming the sector and paving the way for solutions that, until just a few years ago, were merely conceptual proposals.

Thanks to institutional support, ambitious regulatory frameworks, and the growing commitment of the private sector, the global energy transition is increasingly relying on initiatives that turn scientific knowledge into applicable, affordable, and scalable technologies. This transformation not only contributes to climate neutrality, but also generates employment, economic development, and energy autonomy.

R&D Projects in Clean Energy

Technological Acceleration for a Decarbonized Energy System

Decarbonizing the energy system requires disruptive solutions capable of replacing conventional fossil fuel-based sources. In this regard, energy research projects help accelerate the development of technologies such as:

  • Thermal Energy Storage (TES) systems and advanced electrochemical batteries, which are essential for balancing energy supply and demand.

  • Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) systems and hybrid technologies with thermal storage, enabling continuous energy generation.

  • High-efficiency electrolyzers and green hydrogen, which are key to decarbonizing hard-to-electrify sectors like heavy industry and maritime transport.

  • Digitalization and artificial intelligence, which optimize performance and forecasting in smart grids and renewable energy plants.

These projects accelerate the technological maturity (TRL – Technology Readiness Level) of new solutions, enabling them to move from lab to market in increasingly shorter timeframes—an essential factor in the context of climate urgency.

Research Projects for Industrial Innovation

Applied R&D projects not only benefit the energy sector, but also act as a driving force for the transformation of the broader economy. Thanks to them, sectors such as steelmaking, chemicals, transportation, and construction can:

  • Incorporate thermal storage technologies to harness residual heat and reduce energy dependency.

  • Adopt renewable self-consumption solutions, such as hybrid systems combining solar energy with thermal or electric batteries.

  • Reduce greenhouse gas emissions through electrification or integration of renewable hydrogen.

  • Boost their competitiveness by lowering operational costs and gaining access to clean, stable energy.

Collaboration among companies, universities, and technology centers enables innovations to be adapted to real industrial environments, resulting in scalable and replicable solutions across countries and contexts.

Public-Private Cooperation and International Knowledge Sharing

One of the key success factors in many energy R&D programs is strong cooperation between public institutions, private companies, research centers, and international organizations. Initiatives such as Horizon Europe, Mission Innovation, or the International Energy Agency’s Energy Technology Collaboration Programmes (IEA TCPs) show how transnational collaboration enhances investment, innovation, and knowledge transfer.

Additionally, this cooperation drives:

  • Standardization of technologies and regulations, facilitating global adoption.

  • Financing of high-risk, high-impact technological projects.

  • Exchange of best practices, speeding up the design, implementation, and validation of new solutions.

  • Participation of innovative SMEs, which contribute flexibility and specialization to technology consortia.

The internationalization of energy R&D is key to avoiding duplication, reducing development costs, and achieving shared climate goals more rapidly.

Major Research Areas in Energy and Climate

The transition to a low-carbon energy system depends on the global capacity to innovate quickly and effectively. The main research areas in energy and climate focus on developing scalable, efficient technologies aligned with climate neutrality goals. The convergence of storage, renewable generation, efficient end-use, and energy digitalization defines the current international R&D priorities.

Energy Storage: Batteries, TES, and Sector Coupling

Energy storage is a strategic pillar to ensure flexibility and stability in renewable energy systems. The most advanced research lines include:

  • Advanced electrochemical batteries (lithium-ion, solid-state, sodium-ion), emphasizing energy density, safety, and recyclability.

  • Thermal energy storage (TES) based on materials with high heat capacity, ideal for industrial applications, district heating grids, and solar thermal plants.

  • Sector coupling technologies that connect electrical generation with thermal uses or mobility (Power-to-Heat, Power-to-Gas), maximizing system efficiency.

This area overlaps with the challenge of integrating storage into smart grids and managing energy demand.

Green Hydrogen: Electrolysis, Transport, and Industrial Uses

Renewable hydrogen is one of the most promising solutions to decarbonize hard-to-electrify sectors such as steelmaking, refining, aviation, and heavy transport. Research focuses on:

  • High-efficiency electrolyzers, such as PEM, AEM, and solid oxide, capable of operating with intermittent renewable sources.

  • Infrastructure for safe and cost-effective hydrogen storage, compression, and transport.

  • Integration of green hydrogen into industrial processes, urban heating, and even hybrid systems with thermal or solar batteries.

Efforts also target improving electrolyzer lifespan, reducing the use of critical metals, and developing carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technologies coupled with hydrogen.

Solar and Concentrated Solar Power: New Materials, Concentration, and Performance

Research in solar energy—both photovoltaic and concentrated solar power (CSP)—advances along three main lines:

  • New materials for more efficient solar cells, such as hybrid perovskites, bifacial silicon, or thin-film technologies.

  • Solar concentration systems with innovative geometries and enhanced tracking capabilities, optimized to produce medium- and high-temperature heat.

  • Development of hybrid CSP + TES systems capable of generating dispatchable electricity and useful heat for industrial applications or thermal grids.

Current focus is on improving lifecycle performance, lowering levelized costs of energy (LCOE), and facilitating integration with thermal storage and digitalization.

Decarbonization of Industrial Processes and Smart Thermal Networks

The industrial sector accounts for over 25% of global energy consumption and is a major source of emissions. R&D is aimed at:

  • Recovering industrial waste heat and utilizing it through thermal batteries or heat grids.

  • Implementing smart thermal grids that adjust demand, integrate multiple sources, and enable digital management.

  • Electrifying high-temperature processes via electric arcs, induction heating, or green hydrogen as a clean fuel.

Combining thermal, electrical, and storage technologies enables significant emission reductions in industry while maintaining competitiveness.

Digitalization, Artificial Intelligence, and Advanced Energy Modeling

Digital transformation is key to designing, managing, and optimizing new decentralized energy systems. The most dynamic areas include:

  • Using advanced energy modeling and digital twins to simulate the behavior of solar thermal plants, TES, or hydrogen facilities.

  • Applying AI and machine learning for predicting solar production, energy demand, and system status.

  • IoT platforms for real-time monitoring and predictive maintenance of critical infrastructure.

These tools increase operational efficiency, reduce costs, and extend the lifespan of energy technologies.

Ongoing Relevant International R&D Projects

The realization of all these technological advances depends on well-structured, funded, and executed international research projects. Both the European Union and the United States, along with other global alliances, are developing key initiatives that are already generating measurable results.

Horizon Europe-Funded Initiatives and Their Real-World Application

Horizon Europe, the European Union’s flagship research program, allocates billions of euros to:

  • Thermal storage and electrolysis projects.

  • Heat and cold grids with renewable integration.

  • Digitalization of energy systems and smart cities.

Notable examples include projects such as HORIZON EUROPE, SPHERE, REACT, SENERGY NETS, and HyDeal Ambition, focused on making disruptive technologies commercially viable.

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Programs

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) drives programs such as:

  • H2@Scale, aimed at scaling green hydrogen use nationwide.

  • Energy Storage Grand Challenge, funding long-duration energy storage technologies.

  • SunShot Initiative, focused on reducing the cost of photovoltaic and solar thermal energy.

These programs demonstrate how federal funding, academic innovation, and industrial leadership combine to consolidate a cutting-edge energy industry.

Multinational International Projects: Mission Innovation, IEA TCP

Multilateral alliances like Mission Innovation and the International Energy Agency’s Technology Collaboration Programmes (IEA TCP) bring together dozens of countries around shared goals to:

  • Promote scientific cooperation and knowledge transfer.

  • Pilot test technologies at real scale.

  • Establish common roadmaps toward climate neutrality.

This accelerates the global adoption of clean technologies by sharing experiences and reducing costs through economies of scale.

Results and Technologies Transferred from R&D to Industry

Many of these projects go beyond the experimental phase, producing market-ready technologies (TRL 8-9) that are already being adopted by industry. Examples include:

  • Low-cost, high-durability electrolyzers developed by European consortia and now manufactured commercially.

  • Thermal storage systems in solar thermal plants or heat grids in Nordic countries.

  • Smart energy management models in local communities and industrial buildings.

This technology transfer is essential to turning energy R&D into real-world impact.

Success Cases and Examples of Impact

Investment in energy research not only generates knowledge but also translates into concrete solutions with real impact on decarbonization, energy efficiency, and a just energy transition. Below are examples of how R&D projects have moved from the laboratory to practical application, establishing replicable and sustainable models.

Thermal Storage Projects in District Heating Networks

The use of thermal batteries (TES) in urban heat grids has enabled decoupling thermal energy production from consumption, increasing operational flexibility and reducing dependence on fossil fuels. Notable cases include:

  • The integration of thermal storage in Denmark (Aarhus, Aalborg), where large-scale tanks store solar and geothermal surpluses for nighttime or winter use.

  • European projects like SENERGY NETS and ReUseHeat, which have demonstrated the technical and economic viability of TES applied to urban and industrial waste heat recovery.

These cases validate the effectiveness of thermal storage in smart heat networks, improving overall energy system performance and lowering emissions.

Commercial-Scale Electrolyzers Developed from Prototypes

The advancement of electrolyzers—especially PEM and AEM types—from laboratory prototypes to industrial plants is one of the most notable achievements in energy R&D. Highlights include:

  • The REFHYNE project in Germany, which installed one of Europe’s largest PEM electrolyzers developed in collaboration with research centers like Fraunhofer and SINTEF.

  • European projects H2FUTURE and Ely4Off, focused on scaling and validating electrolysis technologies coupled with renewables energies, now in use at refineries, steel plants, and energy communities.

These developments have reduced costs, extended equipment lifespan, and demonstrated the viability of green hydrogen as an energy vector at scale.

Energy Communities and Self-Consumption Based on R&D

Collective self-consumption models and local energy communities are revolutionizing citizens’ relationship with energy. Demonstration projects such as:

  • COMPILE, H2020 REScoop, and REPowerEU Pilots have utilized technologies derived from R&D projects to implement solar PV systems, battery storage, and shared digital management platforms.

  • In Spain, Germany, and the Netherlands, rural and urban communities have shown that decentralized and democratically managed generation is feasible and beneficial, even for vulnerable sectors.

These models promote energy democratization, citizen empowerment, and reduction of energy poverty while consolidating renewable self-consumption.

Integration of Renewables with TES in Heavy Industry

Decarbonizing heat-intensive industries (cement, steel, chemicals) requires technologies that can provide high temperatures continuously. In this context:

  • Projects like HiFlex, SOCRATCES, and INPATH-TES have demonstrated the viability of using concentrated solar thermal (CSP) systems combined with TES to generate process steam or direct industrial heat.

  • Pioneer companies in Austria, Germany, and Italy already use thermal storage with molten salts or ceramic materials to partially replace gas or oil boilers.

These examples solidify the role of advanced thermal technologies in the sustainable industry of the future, opening a new front for renewable integration beyond electricity.

R&D Challenges and Opportunities for Improvement

Despite technological advances and the success of many projects, structural, technical, and financial barriers still need to be addressed to achieve an equitable, rapid, and global energy transition. Identifying and overcoming these challenges is key to maximizing the impact of energy R&D.

Scalability of Pilot Projects and Regulatory Barriers

Many successful developments remain stuck at TRL levels 6-7, without reaching commercial scalability due to:

  • Regulatory uncertainty, especially concerning green hydrogen, TES in urban networks, or thermal-industrial integration.

  • Lack of regulatory harmonization between countries, which hinders private investment and replication of successful solutions.

  • Complex administrative requirements that slow down the implementation of full-scale projects.

Solving these issues involves aligning policies, simplifying processes, and creating clear and predictable legal frameworks.

Financing and Access for Developing Countries

The energy transition must be inclusive and global, but many countries with high solar, wind, or geothermal potential lack:

  • Access to low-risk financing, especially for technologies like TES, CSP, or green hydrogen.

  • Basic infrastructure, qualified technical personnel, and stable regulatory frameworks.

  • Effective technology transfer from the Global North to the Global South.

Initiatives such as the Climate Investment Funds (CIF) or cooperation within Mission Innovation are fundamental but need to be expanded and better adapted to local contexts.

Need for Technological Validation Infrastructure (TRL 5-9)

One of the main gaps identified is the lack of intermediate infrastructures that allow:

  • Validation of emerging energy technologies under real conditions, beyond the laboratory.

  • Demonstrations of multi-technology integration, such as PV + TES + H2 or hybrid thermal-electric grids.

  • Evaluation of operation, maintenance, and durability aspects in industrial and urban environments.

The creation of testing centers, living labs, and shared demonstration infrastructures is essential to reduce time-to-market and consolidate European and global technological leadership.

Technical Engineering as the Link Between Research and Application

The energy transition cannot be completed without coordinated work between scientific research, technological development, and practical application. In this process, specialized technical engineering plays an essential role as a bridge between R&D centers and industrial and urban environments.

From Theory to Practice: The Role of Specialized Consulting

Transforming innovative solutions into functional systems requires energy consulting with multidisciplinary expertise, capable of:

  • Translating scientific results into viable industrial designs.

  • Identifying risks, boundary conditions, and technical and economic sizing criteria.

  • Supporting all project phases: from conception to operation.

Engineering firms like RPow provide the technical and strategic knowledge to make the implementation of technologies such as TES, electrolyzers, or CSP viable in real environments. Without this step, many innovative ideas would remain stuck in the laboratory.

Importance of Engineering in Integrating Emerging Technologies

Increasingly, energy projects require combining different technologies: photovoltaics with hydrogen, TES with concentrated solar power, or solar pumping with batteries. This complexity demands:

  • Capabilities in simulation, design, and integration of hybrid systems.

  • Deep knowledge of thermal, electrical, and control interfaces.

  • Adaptability to local regulations, climatic conditions, and diverse operation models.

Advanced energy engineering enables these technological synergies to become efficient, safe, and sustainable infrastructures, suitable for replication.

Training and Capacity Building for Complex Projects

To support this transformation, having highly qualified professionals is fundamental. Participation in R&D and technology deployment projects requires:

  • Continuous training in new technologies (such as PEM electrolysis, phase-change material TES, or digital twins).

  • Experience in managing international projects and coordinating among public and private stakeholders.

  • Cross-disciplinary training covering everything from energy modeling to regulatory and environmental sustainability.

Engineering companies must lead this training, ensuring human teams are prepared to face the challenges of an advanced and global energy transition.

RPow and Its Involvement in Energy R&D Projects

RPow represents an engineering model that combines technical rigor, commitment to sustainability, and active participation at the forefront of knowledge. Its role as a consultant and technical executor in European and national energy innovation projects strengthens its positioning as a strategic player in the energy transition.

Collaborations with Technology Centers and European Platforms

RPow actively participates in R&D and technological innovation consortia alongside:

  • European research centers and technical universities (Fraunhofer, CIEMAT, IREC, DLR…).

  • Platforms and networks such as EERA JP Thermal Energy Storage and Clean Hydrogen Partnership, where medium- and long-term technological roadmaps are defined.

These collaborations enable direct knowledge transfer to applied projects, shortening the cycle between research and market.

Applied Engineering in TES, Hydrogen, and Concentrated Solar Power Projects

RPow’s technical expertise has been particularly consolidated in key areas of the energy transition:

  • Design and implementation of thermal energy storage (TES) systems for heat grids, industrial processes, or hybridization with photovoltaics and CSP. Example: FLUWS – RPOW – Renewable power onwards

  • Technical advisory in green hydrogen projects, including sizing of electrolyzers, integration with renewables, and energy balance assessment. Example: H2-24/7 – RPOW – Renewable power onwards

  • Innovation in supercritical CO₂ energy generation systems, an emerging technology with high potential to improve efficiency in advanced thermal cycles, reduce equipment size, and enable new forms of waste heat recovery. RPow collaborates in pilot and conceptual initiatives applied to distributed generation, solar thermal plants, and industrial use. Example: ISOP – RPOW – Renewable power onwards

  • Hybrid and integrated projects combining multiple technologies (TES, photovoltaics, hydrogen, heat pumps, solar thermal, etc.) to create flexible and highly efficient solutions. Example: I-UPS – RPOW – Renewable power onwards

These capabilities position RPow as a reference technological partner in projects with high technical and environmental demands.

Commitment to Innovation for Energy Sustainability

Beyond technical execution, RPow maintains a clear vocation for:

  • Operational excellence and continuous improvement, based on performance and sustainability metrics.

  • Development of replicable and scalable solutions adaptable to different geographic, climatic, and socioeconomic contexts.

  • Active contribution to an energy transition that is not only technologically advanced but also socially just and environmentally responsible.

With this approach, RPow not only applies technology: it advances it, bridging research with the real challenges of today’s society.

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