SOLAR THERMAL APPLICATIONS UNIT

GENERAL INFORMATION

The Solar Thermal Applications Unit (STA) is devoted to the development and evaluation of solar thermal technology applications in industrial processes, including desalination and brine concentration. The main objective is to generate new scientific and technological knowledge in the field of thermal applications of solar energy, seeking approaches that take into account circular economy and the water-energy-food nexus.
Main current research lines are the following:

• Application of solar thermal energy to large capacity distillation processes, with special emphasis on multi-effect distillation (LT-MED, TVC-MED, ABS-MED).
• Application of solar thermal energy to small capacity distillation processes, with special emphasis on membrane distillation (MD) and forward osmosis (FO).
• Evaluation of technologies to reduce water demand in solar thermoelectric plants and facilitate cogeneration of water and electricity (CSP+D).
• Evaluation of innovative technologies for cooling on solar thermal plants for electricity production and inland thermal desalination.
• Application of solar thermal energy to separation processes for brine concentration and treatment of industrial effluents.
• Modelling, process optimization and advanced control strategies in solar thermal applications.
• Application of heat pumps to solar thermal processes
• High-purity water generation via MD for industrial processes, especially in green hydrogen production