The Solar Energy Research Center, CIESOL, is a joint center of the University of Almería and the Almería Solar Platform, which develops new applications of solar energy. Both researchers from the Solar Platform and from the University work at the center, joining forces to get the most out of solar radiation, ranging from energy use, water treatment and the study of air conditioning and comfort in the building.
We collaborate with companies and institutions in our desire to serve society. In the field of training, we are proud of the Official Master’s Degree in Solar Energy, a clear example of the understanding between the two institutions that make up CIESOL.
We have an area of about 1,700 m2, with a 200 m2 warehouse and a 300 m2 courtyard, 1 workshop, an outdoor laboratory, 3 cold storage chambers, 1 weather station, 7 laboratories, 5 offices, 1 dining room, 1 study room, 1 work room and a classroom and meeting room. The solar heating and cooling system covers most of the demand of the center, the building is designed to employ passive strategies and maximize solar resources.
We have advanced equipment to carry out our research projects, as reflected in section 3, where we expose the infrastructures in detail.
During 2021, 92 researchers have participated in projects and contracts assigned to CIESOL (51 men and 41 women), 27 of them (13 men and 14 women) with permanent location in their laboratories and offices throughout this period. The activities of these researchers have been framed in 26 projects of official competitive calls (National Research Plan and Andalusian Program of Incentives for Knowledge Agents), 4 contracts with companies and institutions, 14 European projects and 11 networks (7 national and 4 international).
On the other hand, the units of the center have had 6 stays of international researchers from 4 different countries, Argentina, Brazil, Iran and the United Kingdom.
The functional structure of CIESOL is made up of a Coordination and Monitoring Committee, CCS, the highest decision-making and management body, a Management Team and a set of 6 Functional Units that bring together researchers from both institutions in different specific thematic areas. It should be noted that CIESOL has an External Evaluation Committee, CEE, with four members of recognized prestige and national and international impact, which annually assesses and supervises the scientific production of its different functional units as well as the development of the center.
There is also a Scientific and Management Infrastructure Unit, made up of specialist technicians, who are in charge of the maintenance and operation of the center’s equipment.funcionales así como el desarrollo del centro.
The Coordination and Follow-up Committee, CCS, is made up of two researchers from the UAL, one of them being the Vice-rector for Research, Development and Innovation of the university and two researchers from the PSA, one of them being the Director of the Solar Platform from Almeria. Currently, the CCS is made up of Diego Valera (Vice-Rector for Research) and Manuel Berenguel from the UAL and Julián Blanco (Director of the Almería Solar Platform) and Eduardo Zarza from the PSA.
The Coordination and Monitoring Committee is responsible for ensuring the good governance of the Research Center and its main function is to evaluate and monitor the progress of the center’s activities and their adaptation to the planned objectives.
The Management Team consists of a director and a deputy director, belonging to UAL and PSA (and vice versa). Currently the director is José Luis Casas López UAL and Sixto Malato Rodríguez from the PSA is deputy director. They are in charge of assigning spaces and resources to the different projects and working groups, supervising the technical staff, maintaining CIESOL and, in general, everything that affects the ordinary functioning of the centre.
The External Evaluation Committee, CEE, is made up of Ana María Amat Payá, Professor at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, Ángela Fernández Curto, Deputy General Director of Large Scientific-Technical Infrastructures (Ministry of Science and Innovation, Government of Spain), David Serrano, Director of IMDEA ENERGÍA in Madrid and Professor at the Rey Juan Carlos University and Carlos Bordons Alba, Professor of Systems Engineering and Automation at the University of Seville.
The CEE is responsible for evaluating the scientific quality of CIESOL and proposing improvement actions. Among its functions is the evaluation of work proposals and strategic lines of action for CIESOL, new projects or collaborations, as well as the scientific evaluation of the work carried out. The CEE meets once a year with CIESOL researchers, visits their facilities and issues a report on their activity.
José Luis Casas López
Professor of Chemical Engineering,
University of Almeria
jlcasas@ual.es
Octavio Malato Rodríguez
omalato@ual.es
Sixto Malato Rodríguez
O.P.I. Research Professor,
CIEMAT
sixto.malato@psa.es
Enrique García Campos
Youth Guarantee Contract, Investigo programme (01/10/2022-30/09/2023)
Organometallics and Photochemistry
Antonio Romerosa
Professor UAL
romerosa@ual.es
Christoph Richter
DLR researcher at the PSA
christoph.richter@dlr.de
Environmental Analysis
Ana Agüera
Professor UAL
aaguera@ual.es
Isabel Oller
Research at O.P.I. CIEMAT
isabel.oller@psa.es
Water Regeneration
José A. Sánchez
Professor UAL
jsanchez@ual.es
Inmaculada Polo López
Research at O.P.I. CIEMAT
mpolo@psa.es
Modeling and Automatic Control
José Domingo Álvarez Hervás
Professor UAL
jhervas@ual.es
Lidia Roca Sobrino
Research at O.P.I. CIEMAT
lroca@psa.es
Desalination and Photosynthesis
José M. Fernández
Full professor UAL
jfernand@ual.es
Dr. Guillermo Zaragoza
Research at O.P.I. CIEMAT
guillermo.zaragoza@psa.es
Solar Cooling
Joaquín Alonso Montesinos
Professor UAL
joaquin.alonso@ual.es
José Antonio Sánchez Pérez
Vice-Rector for Research at the University of Almeria
vinvest@ual.es
Manuel Berenguel
Professor UAL
beren@ual.es
Julián Blanco
Director of PSA, CIEMAT
julian.blanco@psa.es
Eduardo Zarza
Research professor of CIEMAT
eduardo.zarza@psa.es
Ángela Fernández Curto
Deputy Deputy Director General for Major Scientific and Technical Infrastructures Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, Government of Spain
af.curto@ciencia.gob.es
Carlos Bordons Alba
Professor of Systems Engineering and Automatics at the University of Seville.
bordons@us.es
Ana María Amat Payá
Professor of UPV
aamat@txp.upv.es
Its main activity is the evaluation and prediction of the solar resource, being its main researchers Joaquín Alonso Montesinos (UAL) and Jesús Ballestrín Bolea (PSA). It also works on remote sensing and optimization of sky cameras, as well as the design and optimization of solar heating and cooling plants. Trigeneration.
Led by José Domingo Álvarez Hervás (UAL) and Lidia Roca Sobrino (PSA), the group works on the modeling and control of solar thermal plants, photoreactors and photobioreactors, while studying energy efficiency and comfort control in buildings, including smart energy networks.
Led by Antonio Manuel Romerosa Nievas (UAL) and Christoph Richter (DLR-PSA), it is working on the development of new water-soluble homo- and hetero-nuclear ruthenium complexes with photocatalytic activity in high value-added molecule synthesis processes as well as as in new photovoltaic cells.
It focuses its activity on the study of solar photocatalysis for the decontamination of toxic water and the elimination of micropollutants and disinfection of treated water (regeneration). The main researchers are José Antonio Sánchez Pérez (UAL) and Inmaculada Polo López (PSA).
It is focused on the development of advanced analytical methods in complex effluents and their application to the monitoring of organic micropollutants as well as the identification of transformation products generated during water treatment. The main researchers are Ana Agüera López (UAL) and Isabel Oller Alberola (PSA).
The group develops two parallel lines of work, desalination and water treatment through membrane systems as well as the production of microalgae and products of interest. The main researchers are José M. Fernández Sevilla (UAL) and Guillermo Zaragoza del Águila (PSA).
