SUNER-C Project

The Coordination and Support Action powered by the SUNERGY Community

How can we achieve the EU’s goal of becoming the first climate-neutral continent by 2050? SUNER-C is the EU-funded project (4M € over 3 years) coordination and  support action on the next generation of energy carriers to replace fossil-fuels. 30 different EU partners gathered together to work on building an ecosystem of companies, researchers, societal actors and policymakers, to accelerate the transition of technologies for the generation of solar fuels and chemicals, from the laboratory to large-scale industrial applications.

The European Union is clear to stay on a steady path to climate neutrality through its plan against greenhouse emissions, the ‘Fit for 55’ package, with the EU Green Deal as a blueprint. Unless deep cuts are made in carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gas emissions, it will be very challenging to reach that goal. Renewable energy based on photovoltaics and wind energy needs to be supplemented with energy carriers to supply fuels to sectors and processes difficult to electrify and to create non-fossil carbon feedstock for the chemical industry. These so-called solar fuels and chemicals are most often analogous to their fossil counterparts and can be incorporated into the existing energy value chains with minimal adjustments to the existing infrastructure. These fuels are based on the transformation of abundant compounds, such as carbon dioxide, water and nitrogen, into synthetic fuels, chemicals and materials by using renewable energy.

SUNER-C is the recent Coordination and Support Action (CSA) powered by SUNERGY Community and funded by the EU programme Horizon Europe (Grant Agreement nr. 101058481). CSAs are projects that convey actions such as dissemination, communication, networking, support services, policy dialogues, studies, strategic plannings, among others.

SUNER-C project, entitled “SUNERGY Community and eco-system for accelerating the development of solar fuels and chemicals”, aims to develop and expand the innovation ecosystem for renewable fuels and base chemicals, uniting science, business, societal and other relevant stakeholders. This aggregation aims at developing a common vision and a technological roadmap for accelerating the scale-up of technologies, as key elements towards the EU 2050 target of net-zero emissions.

The sustainable manufacturing of solar fuels and chemicals at the needed scale using a circular economy approach is in sight, but not yet reach without a concerted action between academia, industry, governments, and societal stakeholders. A large-scale, joint action is urgently needed to speed up innovation, and to further develop existing and future relevant technologies. SUNER-C aims at fulfilling this gap by laying the foundation stone for a Large-Scale Research and Innovation (LRSI) initiative at the European level for a decisive push towards circular economy, EU sovereignty and climate change mitigation.

Objectives

The overarching objective of the SUNER-C CSA is to aggregate fragmented knowledge and develop the framework conditions to overcome scientific, technological, organizational and socioeconomic challenges to accelerate innovation and enable the required transition of technologies for solar fuels and chemicals from laboratory or demonstrator level to large-scale industrial and broad societal applications.

 Creation of innovation ecosystem on solar fuels and chemicals

Develop a Strategic Technological Roadmap for the broad implementation in the industry and in society

Prepare a Large-Scale Research and Innovation (LRSI) initiative, ready to be launched after the CSA

Promote communication, dissemination and education of the next generation of Europeans

Work Packages

SUNER-C consortium is formed by 30 industry, academic, societal and network organizations in 12 countries. Each partner is involved in the work plan of SUNER-C, which is based on eight Work Packages aligned with the main objectives. WP1 will create an inclusive innovation eco-system around a shared vision on solar fuels and chemicals. On this basis, WPs 2 to 6 will have as objectives: to foster synergies between ongoing projects within the eco-system (WP2); to elaborate a roadmap and a blueprint to implement it (WP3); to develop an exploitation and innovation strategy (WP4); to develop and implement a communication and dissemination plan (WP5); to address socio-technical and cross-cutting aspects (WP6). These WPs cover SUNER-C’s lifetime and beyond, with the preparation for the LSRI initiative, treated in WP7. Finally, WP8 is dedicated to the coordination and management of the CSA.

 

Expected Impacts

SUNER-C CSA aims at catalysing the development and integration of solar fuels and chemicals at a reduced cost to substitute fossil-based ones. To achieve that goal, the SUNER-C consortium will focus on developing a European ecosystem on solar fuels and chemicals to speed-up technology development. Ultimately, the vision is set to preapre a large-scale R&I initiative within the EU funding landscape

Scientific

  • Contribute to increasing the share of renewables in the energy mix
  • Decentralised and circular system led by Europe: closing the C-cycle
  • Digitalisation by applyting big data technologies, high-performance computing and machine learning

Economic

  • Europe’s increased autonomy in key strategic value chains
  • Competitiveness of European chemical and materials industry
  • Europe’s security of energy supply and to industry’s increased autonomy, lowering industry’s dependence on imports of raw materials
  • New business opportunities from new digital technologies developed

Societal

  • Respond to consumer’s increasing demand for sustainable products
  • The digitalised decentralisation will provide autonomy and sovereignty to the European consumers
  • Support education and nurturing talents
  • Contribute to improving policies and decision-making, raising consume awareness and supporting active consumer’s engagement

Outcomes

Do you want to know about the achievements reached so far?

Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA)

Read more about SUNERGY’s SRIA and the designed pathway towards a climate-neutral Europe

Educational portal

Learn what are solar fuels and chemicals, why they are important for the future and how we can implement them

 

SUNER-C Deliverables

Here you will find the public deliverables outcoming from the SUNER-C CSA

Partners-only area

Click here to access to the intranet space for SUNER-C partners to work and share together

SUNER-C News

Stay tunned to the latest news about the project!

The future of Solar-to-X. Harnessing renewables for a sustainable future

The future of Solar-to-X. Harnessing renewables for a sustainable future

New EIC publication: The future of Solar-to-X. Harnessing renewables for a sustainable future

New EIC publication: The future of Solar-to-X. Harnessing renewables for a sustainable future

MyLeaf – solar water splitting unit

MyLeaf – solar water splitting unit

Industry, policy and research stakeholders gather at the SUNER-C workshop to discuss innovations in solar fuels and chemicals

Industry, policy and research stakeholders gather at the SUNER-C workshop to discuss innovations in solar fuels and chemicals

SUNER-C and SUNERGY co-organized the event “Harnessing Renewables for a Sustainable Future”

SUNER-C and SUNERGY co-organized the event “Harnessing Renewables for a Sustainable Future”

A perspective for net-zero oil refineries published in Nature

A perspective for net-zero oil refineries published in Nature

4th SUNER-C Consortium Meeting in Utrecht

4th SUNER-C Consortium Meeting in Utrecht

EVENT SUMMARY: Uppsala University Conference on Sunlight- and Power-to-X: Solar Fuels, Electrofuels, Green Hydrogen and CO2-valorization

EVENT SUMMARY: Uppsala University Conference on Sunlight- and Power-to-X: Solar Fuels, Electrofuels, Green Hydrogen and CO2-valorization

Yearly General Assembly, WP6 Stakeholder Dialogue Workshop and 3rd Consortium Meeting

Yearly General Assembly, WP6 Stakeholder Dialogue Workshop and 3rd Consortium Meeting

EVENT SUMMARY: Transition pathway toward sustainable fossil-free fuels and base chemicals – a SUNERGY regional meeting

EVENT SUMMARY: Transition pathway toward sustainable fossil-free fuels and base chemicals – a SUNERGY regional meeting

ICIQ successfully unmasks CO₂ at the 16th “Festa de la Ciència” of Barcelona

ICIQ successfully unmasks CO₂ at the 16th “Festa de la Ciència” of Barcelona

EVENT SUMMARY: “Sustainable and low carbon fuels and chemicals – Time for take-off”

EVENT SUMMARY: “Sustainable and low carbon fuels and chemicals – Time for take-off”

EVENT SUMMARY: Séminaire ANCRE-SUNER-C: comment promouvoir la filière des carburants et molécules de commodité alternatifs en France et en Europe?

EVENT SUMMARY: Séminaire ANCRE-SUNER-C: comment promouvoir la filière des carburants et molécules de commodité alternatifs en France et en Europe?

Prof. James Durrant receives CBE award for his contribution to photochemistry and solar energy research

Prof. James Durrant receives CBE award for his contribution to photochemistry and solar energy research

SunerC Vision Workshop and 2nd Consortium Meeting

SunerC Vision Workshop and 2nd Consortium Meeting

Interview in Business AM

Interview in Business AM

SUNERGY Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda

SUNERGY Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda

SUNER-C at DECARB 2022

SUNER-C at DECARB 2022

SUNER-C appears in deVolksrant!

SUNER-C appears in deVolksrant!

Kick-off Meeting of SUNER-C

Kick-off Meeting of SUNER-C

SUNER-C gets announced in the local radio!

SUNER-C gets announced in the local radio!

Joint Roadmapping Workshop 14&15 June 2022

Joint Roadmapping Workshop 14&15 June 2022

SUNER-C takes off

SUNER-C takes off

Contact us

Ask us anything about the SUNER-C CSA project!