Solar energy for a circular economy
A sustainable alternative to the fossil-based, energy-intensive production of fuels and basic products of the chemical industry, based solely on solar energy and universally available resources: This is the ambitious goal of a consortium of 20 European partners from science, research and industry, including Empa as the only Swiss organisation. Today, fuels and products from the chemical industry are mainly produced on the basis of fossile resources. This is set to change in the future: solar energy and atmospheric gases such as carbon dioxide, water and nitrogen are to provide a sustainable alternative, for example for ammonia synthesis, which is central to the fertilizer industry. The goal is a sustainable carbon cycle that initially reduces the CO2 content in the atmosphere and stabilizes it in the long term at a level compatible with the climate. At the same time, land and natural resources must be used sustainably within a circular economy. In order to realize this vision, 20 European partners from universities, research laboratories and industry founded the project SUNRISE - Solar Energy for a Circular Economy. SUNRISE was recently selected as one of only six "Coordination and Support Measures" (CSA) in the EU research framework programme "Horizon 2020".
