Demonstrate solutions that significantly reduce the cost of renewable power generation

Proposals will address one of the following sub-topics:

1. Offshore wind: Focus will be on the development and validation of new manufacturing, installation and/or operation and maintenance techniques, introduction of new materials. The whole value chain, including dismantling, recycling and retrofitting procedures, will be involved to avoid over-engineering. Issues for improved production will be identified. All aspects of health and environmental impact issues will be taken into account.
2. Deep geothermal: Focus will be on the demonstration of cost efficient technologies to limit the production of emissions and/or to condense and re-inject gases, Turning the emissions into commercial products could contribute to cost reduction but it is not a necessary condition.
3. CSP: Focus will be on the demonstration in operational environment of CSP solutions based on novel heat transfer fluids and/or of solutions which make an innovative use of a heat transfer fluid that is already used in other CSP applications.

The proposals are expected to bring the technology from TRL 5 to TRL 7 (please see part G of the General Annexes).

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 15 to 20 million would allow this challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

The cost of electricity generation from renewable sources has significantly come down in the recent years, often putting PV and onshore wind at parity with fossil fuel generated electricity. However, additional efforts are needed to bring the costs of electricity generation from other renewable sources to a competitive level and allow their broader penetration in the EU energy mix, as agreed with the sectorial stakeholders in the context of the SET-Plan.

The successful demonstration of the proposed solutions will make electricity generation from renewable sources capable to compete in the electricity market on a level playing field.