Category Archives: News

EU-SOLARIS ERIC ANNUAL AWARDS

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The EU-SOLARIS ERIC Annual Awards, part of the SOLARIZE Project, are officially open for applications.

One of the objectives stated in the SOLARIZE project is to “foster the creation and consolidation of an ERIC’s Scientific Community at all levels while educating new researchers to make appropriate use of the RIs’ in the field of concentrated solar thermal technologies (CST).
To achieve this, the establishment of one or more annual award categories was proposed within the SOLARIZE Work Programme.

The event chosen to present the awards is the Gala Dinner, which takes place during the already traditional Annual Doctoral Colloquium and Summer School events, typically held back-to-back. It is proposed that the Chair of EU-SOLARIS’ General Assembly (or a designated EU-SOLARIS representative) will present the awards.

Although the Summer School, Doctoral Colloquium, and Annual Awards will be conducted under the umbrella of the SOLARIZE project, the goal is to continue these as EU-SOLARIS’ own events after the project concludes in December 2027.

🏆 Award Categories:
🔹 “BEST DOCTORAL THESIS IN THE FIELD OF CST TECHNOLOGIES & THEIR APPLICATIONS”
🔹 “OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO THE IMPROVEMENT OF CST RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURES’ CAPABILITIES AND SERVICES”

🎖 The winning team will receive:
– An Award Certificate
– An invitation to the next SolarPACES conference for one representative (full fee covered)
– Presentation of the Award during the EU-SOLARIS Doctoral Colloquium
– Announcement on the EU-SOLARIS ERIC website and other media for wide dissemination

📅 Apply now and don’t miss your chance!
🔗 More information & applications: https://eu-solaris.eu/annualawards/

WOMEN AND THE ENERGY TRANSITION, CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

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The energy transition is not only essential for addressing climate change — it is also creating new opportunities worldwide. But can this transformation be truly just without a gender perspective?

This seminar will explore:
Persistent gender gaps in the energy sector (globally & in Spain).
Key findings from the women & energy transition chapter of the EULAC ENERGYTRAN project.
International initiatives and regional actions in Latin America & the Caribbean (LAC).
Challenges and opportunities for advancing equitable female participation.
Delivered by: Women+ in CS, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, EU-SOLARIS ERIC.

This seminar will explore:
✅ Persistent gender gaps in the energy sector (globally & in Spain)
✅ Key findings from the women & energy transition chapter of the EULAC ENERGYTRAN project
✅ International initiatives and regional actions in Latin America & the Caribbean (LAC)
✅ Challenges and opportunities for advancing equitable female participation

👥 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱?
Researchers, practitioners, and professionals interested in energy transition and sustainability. Open to all participants.

🤝 𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗿𝘀: Women+ in Concentrated Solar, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, EU-SOLARIS ERIC
📅 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: March 11, 2026
⏰ 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲: 10:00 CET
💻 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁: Live online session via Microsoft Teams.
🔎 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:https://eu-solaris.eu/online-webinar/

🎓 Certificate of attendance issued by EU-SOLARIS ERIC.

Join us to discuss how inclusivity and equality can strengthen the future of the energy transition.

Breaking Barriers: SolarPACES conference welcomes its first chairwoman

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At Women+ in Concentrated Solar, we are thrilled to celebrate a significant moment in the history of the SolarPACES conference. For the first time ever, a woman, Arantxa Fernández from CIEMAT-PSA, has been appointed as Chairperson—an exciting step forward for gender diversity in the concentrated solar community! This achievement reflects the growing recognition of the invaluable contributions of women in solar energy research, development, and implementation.

Arantxa received her BS/MEng in Industrial Engineering in 2004 from the University of Málaga, Spain, her MS degree in Solar Energy in 2007 from the University of Almería, Spain, and her PhD degree in Environmental Engineering in 2013 from the University of Almería, Spain. She has developed her entire research career at CIEMAT-Plataforma Solar de Almería, with 23 years of experience in concentrated solar thermal energy, particularly in materials for CST technology, an R&D line that she currently leads at CIEMAT. This research area, driven by Arantxa, fosters close collaboration with DLR.

The appointment of Arantxa not only highlights the progress made toward greater inclusivity but also serves as an inspiration for future generations of women pursuing careers in this field.

We extend our sincere congratulations to Arantxa and look forward to the continued advancement of SolarPACES.

You can read Arantxa’s invitation for SolarPACES 2025 in the SolarPACES conference webpage.

Here’s to a more diverse and inclusive future in concentrated solar!

Free Online CSP Courses Coming This Fall

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Northeastern University is developing free online CSP courses that will be offered to the public this fall. Please complete this short questionnaire if you are interested in the courses.

The courses are meant to support prospective, new, or existing workers in the CSP industry. The planned topics include:

1) What is CSP: An overview of the discipline and its advantages
2) Incident solar radiation prediction, ray tracing basics, losses, software available and control needs
3) Receiver design: basic design and numerical approaches
4) Energy storage, need and cost factors
5) Potential for production processes at high temperature high heat fluxes in CSP systems