What we offer
We work in different areas, all of them focused on the knowledge of solar resources and their various applications, which can be classified into two lines: one related to the energetic use of solar radiation, and the other to the development of solar technologies for water treatment.
What does CIESOL do?
Convinced of the importance of preserving the environment, CIESOL carries out research in two areas that are essential for life, water and energy, united by the use of solar radiation.
How is CIESOL advancing in the use of energy?
The first thing we need to know in order to use solar energy is its availability, which is why we are researching new methods to evaluate and predict the solar resource and the optimisation of sky cameras to track and predict cloud cover. Also important is the monitoring, modelling and automatic control of solar installations, with very different scales, from large solar thermal plants to produce electricity, to electric vehicles powered by solar energy using the photoelectric effect, better known as photovoltaic energy. In addition, solar thermal energy makes it possible to produce what is known as «solar cooling» by means of phase change, compression and decompression systems. Research is being carried out on «solar air conditioning», the CIESOL building being an example of this. Work is being carried out on the design and optimisation of solar cooling and heating plants, both for domestic and industrial use, with particular emphasis on energy efficiency and comfort control in buildings. The introduction of smart energy grids is also a very significant savings factor. Research is also being carried out on the development of new water-soluble, photochemically active substances with the aim of paving the way for new, more environmentally sustainable photovoltaic cells.
How is CIESOL making progress in water treatment?
We must protect the water resource, which is as necessary as it is scarce, and whose value for life increases the better its quality. To this end, CIESOL is developing new clean technologies for decontamination based on solar irradiance, both for toxic water that cannot be treated by conventional biological methods and for treated wastewater, which still contains small amounts of persistent pollutants that affect the aquatic environment. Among the solar methods of wastewater treatment, a new process based on microalgae is gaining ground, using photosynthesis to decontaminate, with less energy consumption and producing biomass that is useful for other industrial sectors. Once treated, the water can be put to a new use, especially for irrigation. For this purpose, pathogenic micro-organisms still remaining in the water must be inactivated. Disinfection by solar photocatalysis of treated water is proving to be particularly efficient. In all these processes, the study of the influence of the treatments on the quality of the treated water and the evaluation of the impact of their use play a crucial role. The development of advanced chemical analysis methods is necessary to measure the presence of pollutants at very low concentrations, down to one billionth of a gram per litre (nanogram/litre). But when water scarcity is pressing, desalination is needed to generate new fresh water. Desalination of seawater, or brackish water, using solar energy is a much-needed alternative. In this regard, the combination of membrane distillation, which requires less heat input than other processes, and the use of solar energy to provide the heat is seen as an alternative solution to conventional technologies.
Infrastructures and capabilities
CIESOL has a set of advanced scientific infrastructures that position it as a benchmark center in solar technologies for energy, water and biotechnology. Many of these are unique in Spain and Europe, allowing the center to cover the entire value chain of technological development: from fundamental laboratory experimentation to pilot and demonstration-scale validation under real conditions.
1Building, Energy Efficiency and Solar Cooling
The CIESOL building itself, with its 1,700 m² of surface area, operates as a scientific facility in its own right, designed to employ passive strategies and maximize solar resources. This area features a powerful infrastructure that includes a demonstrative solar cooling system equipped with a 70.2 kW absorption chiller and a 160 m² solar thermal field, backed by an 18.72 kWp photovoltaic plant supplied with a 40.80 kWh battery storage system. In addition, it has an avant-garde renewable refrigeration system for cold storage rooms, powered by photovoltaic energy (6.4 kWp) and thermal storage based on phase change materials (PCM). All this equipment enables the unit to conduct validation tests of control strategies in solar heating and cooling systems operating in real environments. Likewise, it allows for applied research in solar thermal energy, trigeneration, and energy efficiency applied to buildings and greenhouses.
2Water-Energy-Agriculture Nexus
The AgroConnect Experimental Center focuses its activity on a 1,900 m² experimental greenhouse equipped with integrated advanced climate control systems, which include heating, cooling, and heat pumps integrated with solar thermal energy. Added to this are patented CO2 capture and storage systems. This facility is a key infrastructure for experimentation in the water-energy-agriculture nexus, which enables the unit to offer advanced validation services for solar technologies and the execution of modeling and control strategies directly in experimental greenhouses.
3Water Treatment, Regeneration and Environmental Analysis
This unit is structured around the Water Regeneration Technologies Research Platform, a complex aimed at the development of solar processes ranging from laboratory reactors with a SunTest CPS+ solar simulator to 100 m² demonstrators (raceways, shallow channels, Fresnel) located in real wastewater treatment plants. It also integrates hybrid solar + UV-LED systems for photo-Fenton and advanced oxidation processes. As cross-sectional support, the Environmental Analysis Laboratory provides state-of-the-art equipment, including high-end LC-MS/MS (SCIEX QTRAP 5500, SCIEX 7500) and High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS). Thanks to these facilities, the unit has the technical capacity to scale water treatment processes up to pre-commercial levels, rigorously evaluate disinfection using microbiological equipment and ion chromatography, and provide comprehensive 'suspect and non-target screening' analytical services for the detection of emerging contaminants.
4Microalgae Biotechnology (SABANA Platform)
Arising from the coordination of the European SABANA project, this pilot and demonstration platform has unique capabilities in Europe for bioprocess development. Its infrastructure includes closed tubular photobioreactors and open raceways of up to 1,000 m², complemented by industrial harvesting and processing systems that include centrifugation, spray drying, and high-pressure homogenization. This level of equipment provides the unit with a wide portfolio of services: from strain evaluation, growth modeling, and on-demand algal biomass production to the complete validation of solar biorefineries for obtaining bioproducts, biostimulants, and biofuels. Furthermore, the unit performs quality characterizations of extracts for the agricultural, food, and cosmetic sectors, supported by a solid techno-economic analysis of the processes.
5Sustainable Desalination and Brine Valorisation
CIESOL promotes the Sustainable Desalination Living Lab, a regional environment aimed at the decarbonization of the water sector. Its facilities include membrane distillation (Aquastill) and reverse osmosis (Elemental Water Makers) pilot plants, as well as an advanced automatic laboratory system equipped with flexible cells to investigate any membrane distillation configuration. The integration of this technology enables the unit to provide highly specialized services, such as the quantification of pore wetting using fluorescent tracers (uranine and UV-A), the use of pilot-scale solar thermal energy for desalination and brine concentration, and the techno-economic evaluation of solar cogeneration systems for the combined production of water and electricity. Additionally, the unit investigates the optimization of brines from desalination for use as a culture medium in macroalgae production.
6Modeling, Control, Networks and Solar Resource Assessment
Located on the roof of the building, the Atmospheric and Solar Monitoring Station continuously collects meteorological and radiometric data using cutting-edge technology: pyrheliometers, Kipp&Zonen pyranometers on solar trackers, Vaisala ceilometers for cloud height, Aeroqual particulate and gas meters, and thermal sky cameras and real-time satellite imagery. All this data capture supports the Solar Resources and Modeling areas, enabling the unit to accurately model and predict solar radiation and cloudiness. In the field of automated control, the infrastructure allows for the validation of energy management strategies in electrical microgrids, the execution of tests on load simulator benches, and guidance and geo-positioning tests for mobile robots using Wi-Fi beacon networks.
7Integration into Large National and International Infrastructures
As a joint UAL-CIEMAT Center, CIESOL's operational capacity expands substantially by having preferential access to the Plataforma Solar de Almería (PSA), a Unique Scientific and Technical Infrastructure (ICTS) that allows the use of solar concentrators (PTC, Fresnel), solar furnaces, and large thermal water treatment and desalination facilities. This access allows operating at Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) impossible to achieve in conventional laboratories. In parallel, its active participation as a partner in European platforms such as EU-SOLARIS and Pilots4EU reinforces the center's ability to integrate its research into networks of excellence, facilitating institutions and companies to scale processes from the laboratory to pre-commercial levels and accelerating the transfer of results to the productive sector.