LC-SC3-RES-29-2019
Proposals are expected to address renewable energy technologies that will answer the challenge described in the "Converting Sunlight Innovation Challenge" of Mission Innovation, bringing them up to TRL 4 or 5. Beside the technological development, the proposal will have to clearly address the following related aspects: the potential lower environmental impact than the current technologies, possibly through a LCA analysis, the better resource efficiency, issues related to social acceptance or resistance to new energy technologies, related socioeconomic and livelihood issues, and prospective market analysis. The proposal needs to consider all three dimensions of sustainability, resource efficiency and scalability, i.e. not using materials which are uncommon, dangerous or scarce that could disable its future concept to be used at large scale.
At least one of the following technology-specific challenges has to be addressed:
- Improved light-harvesting and efficient charge separation in photocatalytic systems;
- Photoelectrochemical cells – PECs and catalyst development;
- Thermochemical pathways to energy rich chemicals (using concentrated solar light); and
- Design and engineering of devices, systems or prototypes integrating together the different processes, with day and night control and applicability for the production of chemical energy rich carriers.