The Solar Energy Research Centre (CIESOL) has brought together its members, from both the University of Almeria and the PSA-CIEMAT, for a day devoted to sharing research advances and fostering new collaborations. This meeting is particularly relevant in the context of the imminent renewal of the collaboration agreement between the two institutions, with the aim of strengthening the lines of work in the energy-water nexus and energy efficiency.
The Sala de Grados of CITE V was the chosen venue for this day, which brought together 115 researchers, all of them members of CIESOL. ‘It is a very important day for us as a research centre,’ said José Antonio Sánchez, Vice-Rector for Science Policy at the University of Almeria and a member of CIESOL. He was joined by José Luis Casas, Director of CIESOL, and Guillermo Zaragoza, Director of the PSA-CIEMAT since February of this year.
This first edition of the Transfer Conference, organised internally, aims to promote greater knowledge among researchers, especially among the younger ones, who in their day-to-day work tend to focus on specific tasks without having a global vision of the opportunities for collaboration within the centre. ‘We want this day to help people to look up, to see who is around them and to identify possible synergies,’ said Sánchez.
The meeting coincides with the celebration of CIESOL’s 20th anniversary, a period in which the centre has achieved great international recognition. In this context, the renewal of the agreement with CIEMAT is presented as an opportunity to give new impetus to collaboration, strengthening the joint research units and deepening the development of solar energy, the water-energy nexus and energy efficiency.
The vice-chancellor highlighted the centre’s efforts to attract resources through competitive calls, which has allowed it to consolidate its prestige: ‘Our goal is to continue competing and positioning Almeria as a benchmark in research at national and international level’. Along the same lines, José Luis Casas stressed that the close collaboration between the UAL and the Almeria Solar Platform has been key to achieving excellence: ‘CIESOL is a recognised name in Brussels, which is reflected in the more than fifty European projects we currently have underway’.
The event also served to highlight the structure and work of CIESOL’s six functional units, each of which is coordinated by a manager from the UAL and another from the PSA-CIEMAT. These units range from research into solar resources and solar cooling to desalination and photosynthesis, process modelling and control, environmental analysis, water regeneration and the development of photocatalysts for hydrogen production.
For his part, Guillermo Zaragoza highlighted the importance of these conferences in consolidating the cohesion between the different CIESOL units and fostering greater mutual knowledge among researchers. As director of the PSA-CIEMAT, he reaffirmed the commitment of the Plataforma Solar de Almería to this joint centre and highlighted the key role it plays in the solar energy research scene.
With this conference, CIESOL reinforces its commitment to knowledge transfer and internal collaboration, with its sights set on the future and on strengthening its position as a benchmark in solar energy and sustainability research.
