Thursday, 22 December 2022
Disruptive solutions to achieve the energy transition discussed at the Innovation Day – Energy 2022 in Barcelona
The Clúster de l'Energia Eficient de Catalunya (CEEC), the Xarxa R+D+I Energy for Society (XRE4S) and Endesa held the Innovation Day – Energy 2022, an event to discuss and analyse disruptive and innovative solutions in the energy sector, with a special focus on sustainability and energy transition. It was attended by nearly 200 representatives from the energy sector.
Nearly 200 representatives of companies and institutions, both public and private, met on November 24 at the Innovation Day – Energy 2022, a benchmark event on innovation in the energy sector co-organised by the Clúster de l'Energia Eficient de Catalunya (CEEC), the Xarxa R+D+I Energy for Society (XRE4S) and Endesa Energy.
The aim of this conference was to promote innovation and discuss key aspects of the future energy transition through various round tables and different innovation forums, with the participation of large companies, researchers and start-ups. It was hosted by Endesa Energy in the company's modernist hall in Barcelona, the Endesa Space, which is part of the recently inaugurated Endesa Innovation Hub in the Catalan capital, the Enel Innovation Hub Europe.
After the welcome and introduction by the director of XRE4S and Head of Corporate Development and Technology Transfer at IREC, Marta Fonrodona, and the president of CEEC, Esther Izquierdo, the European hub manager of Enel, Fernando Sandoval, presented the activities carried out at this innovation centre, where the company is working with Catalan start-ups to develop solutions to boost the electrification of demand and the energy transition.
A few more talks, three round tables and innovation forums followed. The round tables focused on three key issues for achieving a zero-emissions society: local energy communities and flexibility in demand, green hydrogen, and efficient building. Experts from each field reflected on how business, research and start-ups can innovate together, highlighting success stories, talking about existing barriers and future challenges.
Given the involvement of the ICN2 Business & Innovation Department and of some ICN2 research groups in the XRE4S, Claudia Nieva from B&I participated in the conference. XRE4S, the R+D+I Network Energy for Society, which is a multidisciplinary ecosystem that gathers the expertise in the energy field of the main universities and research centres in Catalonia, supported the LightNet project to develop an innovative negative emission technology that uses light to enhance direct air capture of CO2 and mineralize it onto solid surfaces, led by Dr Amador Pérez-Tomas, senior postdoctoral researcher in the ICN2 Advanced Electronic Materials and Devices Group. They also financed some specialised consultancies and mentoring for other ICN2 projects.
Read more about the Innovation Day – Energy here (press release in Spanish).