Before SUNSON began, its researchers were already recognised as Europe’s best inventors

Before the SUNSON project officially kicked off in January 2023, the team behind it had already caught the attention of the European Commission.

In November 2022, researchers from the Institute of Solar Energy at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid were awarded the EU Innovation Radar Prize 2022 in the Kickstarter category, granted by the European Commission to recognise the most promising innovations emerging from EU-funded research and innovation projects.

The winning technology consists of a latent heat thermophotovoltaic battery that stores surplus renewable energy and produces heat and electricity on demand, the same concept that SUNSON is now developing and scaling up. “This award is recognition from the European Commission for technologies that offer great potential but are still at an early, pre-commercial stage. It represents important backing from the European Commission, which has considered us the best innovation in Europe in this category,” mentioned project coordinator Alejandro Datas.

The award also gained media coverage on Spanish national television, with Telecinco broadcasting a news report on the winning invention. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXkQ2x1pOG0

This recognition was a clear signal that the technology was ready for the next step, and SUNSON is that step.