SUN2X-SET
SUNER-C
04 — PARTNERS
Partners
Roadmap Working Groups
Role
The 5 Working Groups (WGs) represent the backbone of the EU DSF ecosystem, namely the wider community of DSF. Reactivation of four Technical Working Groups (TWGs) and establishment of one new cross-sectoral WG, encompassing 100+ experts from industry, academia, research community, civil society and national and regional authorities.
Overarching Goal
Monitoring, revision and updating the SUNERGY/SUNER-C Roadmap and Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA). Both documents will provide the foundation for the first EU R&I Roadmap and SRIA on Direct Solar Fuels (DSF).
Composition
Participation will be open to all the most renowned and active Experts in the DSF field (from academia and industry) and related aspects (e.g. socio-technical and cross-cutting aspects). The Experts will be involved in 5 WGs, in direct continuation of SUNER-C work, although with a scope tailored to DSFs. Each WG has 2 leaders who will moderate roadmapping activities. To ensure consistency and quality across the overall process, a Pool of Experts, comprising the 10 WG Co-leaders and other selected Experts, will also be established. The Pool of Experts will provide an additional quality-assurance layer, reviewing and quality-checking the final Roadmap and Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) documents.
WG1 – Direct conversion: Photosynthetic devices
Focuses on the engineering and scaling of artificial photosynthetic devices that capture solar energy and directly convert water and CO₂ into valuable chemical compounds and fuels.
Co-leaders: TBA (to be announced)
WG2 – Direct conversion: Bio-based approaches
Investigates biological and bio-hybrid pathways, using photosynthetic micro-organisms, enzymes, or hybrid systems to manufacture green solar fuels directly.
Co-leaders: TBA (to be announced)
WG3 – Solar-thermal conversion
Explores high-temperature thermo-chemical cycles driven by concentrated solar radiation to split water and CO₂ for syngas and liquid fuel production.
Co-leaders: TBA (to be announced)
WG4 – Sustainable CO₂ sourcing
Determines the technical and socio-economic framework for obtaining CO₂ sustainably (e.g. direct air capture or biogenic sources) as a feedstock for solar fuels.
Co-leaders: TBA (to be announced)
WG5 – Cross-cutting topics
Digitalisation, skills, access/alternatives to CRM, SSH, and access to market + energy justice. SUN2X-SET will establish this group ex novo.
Co-leaders: TBA (to be announced)
Frequency of meetings
Online meetings every 3 months (Sep and Nov 2026), two in-person meetings at the roadmapping workshops.