Brussels, 20 September 2011

Creation of the ESTELA’s Scientific and Technical Committee

Since its creation in 2007 the European Solar Thermal Electricity Association (ESTELA) has developed its scientific and technical activities supporting research and innovation and establishing priorities at short and long-term in order to foster the market penetration of solar thermal power plants and to consolidate the leadership of European industry at world level.

Up to now ESTELA has taken advantage of having among its Members the main Research Institutions active in this field in Europe to build an innovation strategy.

Today ESTELA steps further by creating the Scientific and Technical Committee that will help the Association to build a Strategic Research Agenda for 2020. It is the right moment for mainly two reasons: first of all, the economic and financial crisis calls for more innovative efforts and a mid- and long-term vision and secondly, ESTELA should contribute to the Union’s debate on the programmes to support research, demonstration and innovation in the framework of the financial perspectives for the period 2014-2020.

The Scientific and Technical Committee has 9 Members, 7 of them from Institutions Members of ESTELA and 2 from the University that complete what can be considered as a team of excellence as far as all together constitute the “crème” of the scientific knowledge in this sector in Europe and beyond.