Solar engineering researchers needed – TOPCSP aims for new CSP PhDs

TOPCSP, a new doctoral network aims to be the first PhD training program to respond to the growing need for qualified CSP researchers

New ways are being developed to replace the combustion of fossil fuels for industrial processes that require heat, using concentrated solar thermal energy instead. Typically referred to as Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) as it began life in power generation, but now this thermal form of solar is expanding, deploying heat directly to make solar fuels, or to decarbonize a wide range of industries.

Concentrated solar increases industrial steam market share

The TOPCSP program aims to meet the growing need for this expertise. In this EU project, the EC gives each institution hosting a TOPCSP PhD candidate about 4,000 euros a month for three years (or more the candidate has a family) to pay their salary, taxes, and associated costs. This EU-level funding is higher than some countries’ PhD funding.

The initiative has recruited ten master’s students and funded them for the next three years to pursue PhDs at Europe’s top universities like Carlos III University and RWTH-Aachen University and research institutes, like DLR and CNRS-Promes Laboratory, focused on the new technologies needed by these growing industries.

This expertise will benefit industries ranging from groundbreaking startups like Synhelion, which is pioneering a new solar aviation fuel technology, to hundred-year-old engineering firms like John Cockerill Renewable, which is now supplying the many mechanical components needed in all these new solar thermal technologies.

This growing solar industry needs new CSP PhDs

Professor Celia Sobrino, who teaches Thermal and Fluids Engineering at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, explained what led to the development of the TOPCSP program.

“There was not a dedicated doctoral network till now, and companies were asking for engineers with a background in the solar thermal area. And it can be hard for us to find people to fill the PhD positions we have open,” Sobrino explained.

“There’s a lot of work in the industry. In Spain, we have engineering degrees in “industrial” engineering, where we mix mechanical but also electronic and electrical engineering. And it’s becoming more difficult now to get a PhD candidate because many engineering graduates want to go into industry.”

For students with engineering, math, physics, or computational talent, a career in concentrated solar research can be rewarding, as this form of thermal energy is just beginning to be deployed commercially in new ways to decarbonize many industrial processes, from processing manganese or copper to recycling aluminum to making fertilizer.

TOPCSP candidates should be innovative thinkers

“Working with new problems every day is exciting,” said Sobrino.“You never truly become an expert because you must deal with challenges you have never faced before. Sometimes you feel insecure, but you never get bored.”

She said that many general engineering students completing a master’s degree do not realize that there can be lifetime careers advancing CSP research because they tend to get recruited as engineers first.

One of the new TOPCSP research fellows in the program, Sergio Díaz, is an example. Following his master’s degree in engineering, he was recruited to the auto industry, where he spent months designing car headlights and rear lights.

“I was quite bored of the technical problems there,” he laughed. “I wasn’t really committed to the industry, and so when I was contacted by my former supervisor about this program, I applied directly. Trying to find something new, which is the aim of the PhD, is really fulfilling for me because I can see a new problem every day. So that’s the thing I’m enjoying the most. I knew Gemasolar from my research during the thesis and I was quite amazed about having this in Spain. Then, four years later I’ve been able to visit it as a member of the doctoral network, so this is like fulfilling the dream. And to work in DLR. Years ago, I read some papers from DLR on thermal storage methods. Now I’m really happy to be working directly with these same researchers and can ask them whatever I need.”

Concentrated solar research is wide open to those with STEM talents

“There’s no specific degree based on this, but especially in engineering, physics, or mathematics, you can obtain experience in numerical methods and computing science. I had to obtain my Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in engineering in general, and it was pretty related to computing science,” he pointed out.

TOPCSP is focused on supplying ten research topics. Diaz will work on a new technology for measuring solar flux reflected off the solar field of mirrors to the receiver atop a solar tower. A way to perform continuous measurements that can be commercialized is needed. There are no commercially available systems apart from flux gauge radiometers.

His research on covering both external and cavity receivers in flux density measurements will be tried on the Synhelion solar receiver on DLR’s tower at Jülich.

“I’m measuring the heat flux, the only relation with my former job with headlights,” he commented.

“Let’s see what happens, but we are pretty happy with the initial results. It’s such a challenging task because the geometries of receivers are getting more and more complex to fit different applications like, for example, fuel gain, fuel synthesis, and production. And while we are receiving unknown amounts of heat flux from the heliostat field – for example, in our facilities at Jülich, we have solar flux up to two megawatts per square meter, so the figures are extremely high – we must measure this by combining too many technologies, because the state of the art is limited. Not so many advances have been made in the last years with flux density measurement methods. So we are planning to move from the old measurement to a more comprehensive and complex process including computing science, and it’s complex.”

Not every candidate will go on to industry. Some program graduates will choose to stay in the academic field and continue to research, publish their results, and teach, like Sobrino herself.

“I enjoy working on this project with young researchers because they bring new ideas and perspectives,” she confirmed.

“These researchers at the beginning stages – doctoral candidates – are very important for university research. It is also important to train researchers so that they can teach and do research in universities later on. Of course, they should do what they enjoy most,

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

   • Target 7.2: Increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.
   • Indicator 7.2.1: Renewable energy share in the total final energy consumption.

2. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

   • Target 9.4: Upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable.
   • Indicator 9.4.1: CO2 emission per unit of value added in manufacturing industries.

3. SDG 13: Climate Action

   • Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning.
   • Indicator 13.2.1: Number of countries that have integrated mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning into primary, secondary, and tertiary curricula.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Analysis

The article discusses the TOPCSP program, which aims to address the growing need for qualified concentrated solar thermal energy (CSP) researchers. Based on the content of the article, the following analysis can be made:

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The issues highlighted in the article are connected to the following SDGs:

• SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
• SDG 13: Climate Action

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

The specific targets identified based on the article’s content are:

• Target 7.2: Increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.
• Target 9.4: Upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable.
• Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

The article mentions or implies the following indicators that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets:

• Indicator 7.2.1: Renewable energy share in the total final energy consumption.
• Indicator 9.4.1: CO2 emission per unit of value added in manufacturing industries.
• Indicator 13.2.1: Number of countries that have integrated mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning into primary, secondary, and tertiary curricula.

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Fuente: solarpaces.org

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