CCPTE annual meeting: ‘Debate between various technologies from the perspective of innovation and value creation’

The Coordination Committee of Spanish Energy Technology Platforms (CCPTE), of which GEOPLAT is a member, organised its annual meeting on 15 November under the title ‘Debate between different technologies from the perspective of innovation and value creation’.

The event was welcomed by Mª Ángeles Ferre, Head of the Scientific-Technical Thematic Programmes Branch of the State Research Agency.

Two round tables were held; the first, comprising REOLTEC (wind), FOTOPLAT (photovoltaic), Solplat (solar thermal), CEIDEN (nuclear) and BatteryPlat (energy storage) and moderated by María Luisa Castaño, from CIEMAT, presented the main challenges and threats of energy technologies. The second, moderated by Rosa M. Alonso from PTECO2, together with CIEMAT, IMDEA Energía, the Polytechnic University of Madrid and Tecnatom, addressed the issue of innovation and value creation as the cornerstones for the development of energy and decarbonisation technologies.

Among the common conclusions of the electricity technology platforms was their commitment to complementarity (as opposed to supposed competition), and their openness to promoting hybridisation and storage. However, emphasis was also placed on how undervalued thermal technologies have traditionally been and the need for decarbonisation to include all renewables without placing all the focus on electrification.

Among the challenges facing energy technologies, there was agreement on the need for legislation and resources to accompany the objectives of the PNIEC and for training to cover the glaring lack of professionals, especially in the maintenance of installations.