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INSHIP: Integrating National Research Agendas on Solar Heat for Industrial Processes

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Even though process heat has the highest potential among solar heating and cooling applications, Solar Heat for Industrial Processes (SHIP) still presents accounts only for about 0.3% of total installed solar thermal capacity worldwide.

The INSHIP project focuses on engaging major European research institutes with recognized activities on SHIP, into an integrated structure that could successfully coordinate the achievement of the following objectives:

  • more effective and intense cooperation between EU research institutions
  • alignment of different SHIP related national research and funding programs, avoiding overlaps and duplications and identifying gaps
  • acceleration of knowledge transfer to the European industry


The project aspires to become the reference organization to promote and coordinate the international cooperation in SHIP research from and to Europe, while developing coordinated R&D TRLs 2-5 activities with the ambition of progressing SHIP beyond the state-of-the-art through:

  • an easier integration of low and medium temperature technologies suiting the operation, durability and reliability requirements of industrial end users
  • expanding the range of SHIP applications to the Energy Intensive( EI) sector through the development of suitable process embedded solar concentrating technologies, overcoming the present barrier of applications only in the low and medium temperature ranges
  • increasing the synergies within industrial parks, through centralized heat distribution networks and exploiting the potential synergies of these networks with district heating and with the electricity grid

CyI Principal Investigator: Prof. Manuel Blanco


INSHIP and some of its results were presented in the 2020 Winter edition of the European Energy Innovation Magazine, where the future of R&D for Solar Heat for Industrial Processes (SHIP) was discussed, alongside a presentation of some Key results primed for commercial exploitation that sprung out of the project
More info here, pages 52-53.


Additional Info

  • Acronym: INSHIP
  • Center: EEWRC
  • Funding Source: Call: H2020-LCE-2016-2017 (Topic: LCE-33-2016)
  • CyI Funding: €270,215
  • Funding Period: 4 years
  • Starting Date: 1st January 2017
  • End Date: 31st December 2021
  • Coordinator: Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE)
  • Partners: Agenzia nazionale per le nuove tecnologie, l'energia e lo sviluppo economico sostenibile, Italy
    Arbeitsgemeinschaft - erneuerbare energie - institut fur nachhaltige technologien, Austria
    Associacao do instituto superior tecnico para a investigacao e desenvolvimento, Portugal
    Centre for renewable energy sourcesand saving foundation, Greece
    Centre national de la recherche scientifique, France
    Centro de investigacion cooperativade energias alternativas fundacion, Spain
    Centro de investigaciones energeticas, medioambientales y tecnologicas-ciemat, Spain
    Commissariat a l energie atomique et aux energies alternatives, France
    Consiglio nazionale delle ricerche, Italy
    Cranfield university, United kingdom
    Deutsches zentrum fuer luft - und raumfahrt ev, Germany
    Eidgenoessische technische hochschule zuerich, Switzerland
    European energy research alliance eera aisbl, Belgium
    Fondazione bruno Kessler, Italy
    Fraunhofer gesellschaft zur foerderung der angewandten forschung e.v., Germany
    Fundacion cener-ciemat, Spain
    Fundacion centro tecnologico avanzado de energias renovables de andalucia, Spain
    Fundacion imdea energia, Spain
    Fundacion tecnalia research & innovation, Spain
    Fundacion tekniker, Spain
    Laboratorio nacional de energia e geologia i.p., Portugal
    Middle east technical university, Turkey
    The cyprus institute limited, Cyprus
    Universidad de sevilla, Spain
    Universidade de evora, Portugal
    Universita degli studi di Firenze, Italy
    Universita degli studi di napoli federico ii., Italy
    Universita degli studi di Palermo, Italy