The collaboration involves three ESFRI (European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures) research sites, three academic institutions and two European industrial partners. The three ESFRI institutions are the European Spallation Source (ESS) in Lund, Sweden, the ELI ERIC research institutes in Prague and Szeged (ELI Beamlines, ELI ALPS) and the European Magnetic Field Laboratory (EMFL) in Grenoble, Nijmegen, Dresden and Toulouse. Among other things, the partners are looking at how research infrastructures can support local energy grids through waste heat recovery projects. Launched in March 2024, the three-year initiative has a budget of EUR 4.991 million.
The guests of the conference – including research fellow Gergely Samu and innovation expert Zoltán Gyarmati from ELI ALPS – visited the French National Institute for Solar Energy, where they learned about research and development related to photovoltaic solar energy technologies. The programme also included a visit to the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESFR), where the participants were given a tour of the heat pump room and a presentation on the facility’s waste heat recovery practices. The meeting also focused on the energy sustainability of research infrastructures.
The FlexRICAN consortium meeting in April was a key event as the first phase of the project will come to an end this summer. This conference provided an opportunity to assess progress to date and plan the second part of the project.