Sectoral Focus - ENERGY

The European Union - just like the rest of the world - is faced with major challenges as regards energy and the environment: these include ever-increasing global demand for energy, volatile prices, rising emissions of the greenhouse gases responsible for climate change, and unstable oil and gas supplies, with reserves concentrated in just a few countries. Urgent efforts are required for the development of innovative Energy Technologies and making them a market choice. This is the core idea behind the European Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan).

This plan aims to help facing up to the challenges of this sector:

• In the short term by increasing research to reduce costs and improve performance of existing technologies, and by encouraging the commercial implementation of these technologies. Activities at this level should in particular involve second-generation biofuels, capture, transport and storage of carbon, integration of renewable energy sources into the electricity network and energy efficiency in construction, transport and industry;
• In the longer term by supporting development of a new generation of low carbon technologies. The activities to be carried out should focus, among other things, on the competitiveness of new technologies relating to renewable energies, energy storage, sustainability of fission energy, fusion energy, and the development of Trans-European Energy networks.

In line with this European strategic plan, we are very active in the areas of renewable energies and distributed generation, and new systems for renewable-based heating & cooling, in which SMEs are to play a major role:

• Helping building R&D and Innovation project ideas
• Searching for financial public support to make the ideas come true, particularly within Horizon 2020 (European Programme for R&D and Innovation, 2014-2020) (More information HERE)
• Searching for strategic partners and leveraging alliances
• Helping taking new solutions to the markets: filling the gap from R&D to innovation (industrialization processes) and helping clients manage and exploit their Intellectual Property.

One of our favourite examples

 INTERVIEW TO JOAQUÍN LÓPEZ

Profile: CEO in MASTERGAS S.L., a Spanish SME in the field of renewable energy and energy efficiency and one of the main promoters of the WINDUR project.

WINDUR is an EU funded R&D project with a consortium of 6 SMEs, 2 universities and 1 technology center from different EU countries. It will start in November 2013. The project, ideated by RTDI, combines the technical capabilities and knowledge of all its partners to develop a new small-wind generator for urban environments. In total, the project accounts for more than 1 million euros funding from the European Commission, as part of the FP7 Programme “Research for the Benefit of SMEs”.

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Q: What does WINDUR mean for you?

A: WINDUR is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me in my professional life, by far.

Q: What new opportunities does it bring to you?

A: It brings new business opportunities

Q: How has RTDI helped you achieve this project?

A: With a very personalized service, since the very beginning, listening to and understanding our initial proposals, and then given then the proper form and size to finally make it.

Q: What do you value the most in the work done by RTDI?

A: Their knowledge and expertise in this field, their  teamwork capabilities and, in especial, the fluent communication and the close they work with you.

Q: What are your plans for the future, now?

A: We are going to open a new business line at international and national level to exploit our product, developed by our  EU partners, and we will continue also with the development of new projects and initiatives beneficial for the environment of our planet.  

Q: What would you tell to other SMEs? 

A: I think the most important is to join forces with other complementary companies and organizations to carry out your projects, and with the help of RTDI make them real.