20 Sep 2024
FlexRICAN Consortium Meeting to Focus on Energy Resilience and Sustainability in Europe
The FlexRICAN project, funded by Horizon Europe, held its second consortium meeting on 19-20 September 2024, at the Extreme Light Infrastructure ERIC in the Czech Republic. The project focuses on strengthening energy resilience and sustainability within Europe's established research infrastructures (RIs). The aim of the meetings was to offer an opportunity for all partners to exchange on the status, challenges, and plans after the first six months of project implementation.
“We are very happy to be hosting this second meeting of the FlexRICAN consortium and be a part this ecosystem to become more sustainable,” says Allen Weeks, ELI ERIC Director General. “I believe we have the same values and same motivations as the partners in this project and I’m glad we have the chance to showcase what we have built here at ELI. It’s rewarding to see how everyone is working together on the topic. From what I can see there is already excellent work being produced that will have a direct impact on how our research facilities operate in the future!”
FlexRICAN brings together three major European infrastructures: the European Spallation Source ERIC, the Extreme Light Infrastructure ERIC (ELI) and the European Magnetic Field Laboratory. With the addition of leading academic institutions of Europe including Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Stichting Radboud University and Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf together with industrial players Alfa Laval and Energy Pool the project will develop and test solutions for renewable energy capacity, waste heat recovery, and direct and indirect energy flexibility to reduce their environmental impact of RIs. By contributing to Europe’s energy grid, the project aims to provide support in building a sustainable and resilient European energy system through RIs.
FlexRICAN Technical Lead, Mamad Eshraqi stressed the significance of RIs and the project, “Research Infrastructures have always paved the way for advancements in science, technology, and innovation, contributing to a better world. Today, we face unprecedented climate change, with its rate accelerating over the last decades. By increasing the efficiency of our energy consumption, we can significantly alter the trajectory of global warming. FlexRICAN is at the forefront of this effort, enhancing energy use flexibility within RIs, setting a blueprint for sustainable practices, and paving the way to a more resilient future.”
 The FlexRICAN meeting at ELI Beamlines |
The FlexRICAN project kicked off on March 1, 2024, and will last until the end of February, 2027. The research findings, and designed prototypes and technologies within the framework of the project will be open-source and available to be adopted by other research infrastructures (RIs) across Europe and globally, helping to promote energy resilience and sustainability on a broader scale. All the updates about the project will be available on the project website – www.FlexRICAN.eu.
