Advances in technology and innovation are emerging as essential elements to transform the energy sector and meet ambitious climate objectives, according to the experts gathered at a conference organized by the Naturgy Foundation and the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC).
The meeting served to analyze the current and future challenges of the sector, emphasizing the need to reinforce social awareness, promote renewable energies and promote alternatives such as biogas, especially in sectors that are difficult to decarbonize such as maritime and aviation.
Sergio Rojas, researcher at the Institute of Catalysis and Petroleochemistry of the CSIC, underlined the growing impact of extreme climate events and the importance of making energy processes cheaper, advancing CO₂ capture technologies and exploiting the potential of artificial intelligence to accelerate innovation.
Rojas warned of the urgency of implementing advanced technologies in key sectors such as aviation and maritime transport, and mentioned initiatives such as the CSIC’s PTI TransEner+ Platform, which facilitates collaboration between companies and research centers to develop innovative solutions.
In the colloquium, moderated by Alberto Iglesias, deputy director of Disruptores – El Españolthey participated Lucia Blancodeputy director general of Energy Foresight and Statistics of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO); Jesus Chapado, Director of Innovation at Naturgy, and himself Sergio Rojas.
In his turn to speak, Lucia Blancostressed that “technological innovation is the driving force of energy policy, key to accelerating the transition towards a sustainable and competitive model” and highlighted the role of national and European plans as fundamental tools for the development of clean technologies in Spain. He assured that the country is advancing on a solid scientific basis to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
The head of innovation at Naturgy, Jesús Chapado presented the progress made by the company in the production of biogas and biomethane, highlighting the need to continue innovating in the capture and efficient use of CO₂. In addition, he defended technological neutrality and the importance of balancing decarbonization, costs and guarantee of supply, without neglecting the fight against energy poverty. He ended by underlining the relevance of public-private collaboration, “It is very important that the private sector accompanies the public sector so that the research that is being carried out is about specific challenges, about what the market and the sector demand.”
Scientific and technological research
Rafael Villaseca, president of the Naturgy Foundation, He stressed the strategic importance of scientific and technological research in the energy sector to face the challenges of the future, stating that innovation is essential to achieve the objectives set. “If today we did not have the technological advances achieved in the last two decades, we would be in a truly dramatic situation,” concluded the president of the Naturgy Foundation.
Finally, the president of the CSIC, Eloísa del Pino, He highlighted the institution’s work in guiding research towards the great current challenges through interdisciplinary platforms, which bring together hundreds of researchers from different centers. Among the priority lines of work are renewable energies, energy storage, decarbonization, hydrogen and electrification.
Besides, The president recalled that the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) is developing experimental infrastructures that aim to develop new technologies. Among the projects underway, Del Pino has cited the test bench for low temperature fuel cells. In this sense, he has also emphasized that “the CSIC is the first Spanish public and private patenter in the European Union.” “20% of our patents are exploited by ourselves with the creation of companies, we are already creating 12 a year,” he noted before ending his speech.