The EU Project Zone Podcast: POLYPHEM with Alain Ferriere

POLYPHEM is a Horizon 2020 project with the main objective to improve the performance of small-scale Concentrated Solar Power plants and their flexibility, in order to generate power on demand. In this episode of The EU Project Zone Podcast, Areti Ntaradimou talks to project coordinator Alain Ferriere about a new technology that is proposed: a solar-driven combined cycle with integrated thermal energy storage.

The POLYPHEM project includes nine partners from various links of the energy sector chain, coming from 4 different countries. France, Spain, Denmark and Germany.

As a final result, the project will build a 60kW prototype plant with a 1,3 MWh thermal storage unit and will validate this innovative power cycle in a relevant environment (TRL 5), at the Themis solar tower in Targassone.

Alain Ferriere, the project coordinator and project leader for the CNRS group, says: “In POLYPHEM we are dealing with small scale systems for electricity generation and that is very different in terms of targets and issues compared to utility-scale generation systems”.

Listen also to:
Project MERLON with Antonis Papanikolaou
‘The Energy Switch’ with Peter Kelly-Detwiler
Project Pantera with Venizelos Efthymiou

When discussing storage, Alain states that “the need for storage should be highlighted much more than it is today”. Moreover, he adds: "When we hear about renewables, mainly PV and Wind, we look for the lowest cost of generation to make them attractive”. And of course, we succeed. But shouldn’t we add storage to the mix?

Or when we discuss regulation and costs. “Regulation is very important,” says Alain, as it should connect renewables to storage. And as for the costs, “we should not look at what is cheaper,” he insists, but what is the best and more efficient way to minimize emissions.

Listen to the full discussion and find out also how POLYPHEM assists the topics such as providing power when it is actually needed and not only when it is easy to get it due to weather conditions.