Special session NEST Project
NEST (Network for Energy Sustainable Transition) is one of 14 large extended partnership projects selected by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR) and funded by the European Union (EU) under the Next Generation EU (NGEU) programme, specifically under Mission 4, Component 2, Investment. 1.3 of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) aims to provide funding for fundamental research activities, with the objective of reinforcing the national research supply chains and encouraging their involvement in strategic European and global value chains. The project fosters collaboration between the principal Italian university research groups and the national research body, integrating complementary multidisciplinary knowledge and expertise to develop new and advanced technologies for the sustainable conversion, utilisation and integration of renewables. This is achieved by overcoming barriers to industrial scalability, exploring new applications and reducing costs, while improving the eco-sustainability of materials, technologies and systems. Additionally, the project aims to support local companies in developing work and business with high-value products. The NEST project is structured into distinct research areas, or "spokes," each focusing on a specific topic. There are four spokes dedicated to renewable energy sources and carriers, and five additional spokes focusing on cross-integration activities and technologies. The consortium comprises a number of public and private sector partners distributed across the country. By drawing on expertise from a range of disciplines, they are generating new knowledge and developing innovative technologies and processes for the conversion and utilisation of renewable and sustainable energy sources. The activities of Spoke 1 encompass the development of CSP/CST technologies. The overarching objective of this research is the development of novel technologies at both the component and system levels, with the aim of creating a new generation of CSP/CST systems. The principal outcomes of the project, developed within the context of Spoke 1, will be presented during special session dedicated to project.