Absolicon receives 4 million SEK in a major EU project to store heat from summer to winter

2023-07-12

Absolicon is part of the consortium USE4HEAT, which has been awarded a total of 9.4 million euro (115 million SEK) by the European Commission to build two innovative seasonal heat storage systems. One of the storage systems will be partially charged by Absolicon's concentrating solar collectors. Absolicon's share of the grant amounts to 340,000 euro (4 million SEK).

The new large-scale EU project for storing heat from summer to winter is led by KTH (Royal Institute of Technology), and in addition to Absolicon, it involves 25 partners, including Chalmers, IVL, energy company Veolia, and the district heating organization Euroheat & Power. The entire project has a budget of 12.4 million euro (150 million SEK) and aims to demonstrate how underground heat storage can heat entire cities without burning fossil fuels.

European cities need to stop burning fossil fuels. There are a total of 6,000 district heating networks where most of the heat is generated from fossil fuels. For example, the Finnish capital Helsinki burns 500,000 tons of coal every year. Instead, cities need to use solar heat, waste heat from industries, renewable electricity, and sustainable biofuels. Seasonal heat storage is one of the keys to this transition.

The consortium USE4HEAT will build two innovative large-scale underground heat storage systems that will be charged during the summer and then provide heat to cities throughout the winter. The heat storage systems will be combined with several other innovative technologies, with Absolicon contributing its unique solar heat technology. As part of the project, Absolicon will construct a solar thermal field of over 300 m2 to supply hot water to one of the seasonal storage systems.

Absolicon’s share in the project is 480,000 euro (5.8 million SEK), with EU financing amounting to 340 000 euro (approximately 4 million SEK), covering 70% of Absolicon’s project costs. This EU grant enables Absolicon to continue advancing solar heat technology, with a particular focus on storing heat from summer to winter.