The Valencia-based industrial solar technology company, backed by Enagás Emprende, is coordinating the HibriVAP project and collaborating on MEXELIA, two newly awarded CDTI R&D initiatives that add to its Hybrid Boiler project, which has been recognised with the European Commission’s Seal of Excellence.
When we think about renewable energy, we tend to think about electricity. However, around 50% of global energy consumption is used for heat. The steam and process heat that power factories, chemical plants, food processing facilities and cement industries are still generated, in 90% of cases, by burning fossil fuels. This sector alone accounts for 7% of global CO₂ emissions.
Solatom, a company backed by Enagás Emprende, has been working for years to change that. And the results are beginning to speak for themselves.
The company, which specialises in Fresnel concentrated solar technology for generating industrial heat and steam in the 150–400°C range, has just been awarded funding by CDTI for two new collaborative R&D projects: HibriVAP and MEXELIA. These new awards are added to the Hybrid Boiler project—already underway, recognised with the European Commission’s Seal of Excellence and backed by a €1.8 million budget—bringing Solatom’s total public R&D funding portfolio to nearly €3 million. This figure reflects both the technical excellence of its proposals and the confidence that the Spanish and European innovation ecosystem places in its technology.
HibriVAP: Solatom leading a hybrid system for industrial steam
Within HibriVAP—with an approved budget of €479k and a non-repayable grant of €295k—Solatom acts as consortium coordinator alongside Build2Zero and Expander Tech. The objective is to demonstrate the technical and economic viability of a hybrid system integrating concentrated solar technology (Solatom), high-temperature heat pumps (Expander Tech) and latent thermal energy storage (Build2Zero), capable of supplying industrial steam at temperatures of up to 250°C with a high share of CO₂-free energy and the flexibility required to adapt to industrial production cycles.
The challenge addressed by HibriVAP is one of the most complex in the energy transition: around 50% of industrial heat demand falls within low- and medium-temperature ranges, a segment where conventional renewable technologies have limited reach and gas dependency remains almost total.
MEXELIA: Fresnel technology for green hydrogen and decentralised industrial heat
In MEXELIA—with a total budget of €503k and €378k in non-repayable funding—Solatom participates as a key technical partner, providing its Fresnel system and vacuum chamber to the consortium led by AZCATEC, together with VIRTUALMECH and the research centres ITQ (UPV-CSIC) and ITECAM.
The project aims to validate, in a relevant operational environment (TRL6), an innovative solar thermal system combining Fresnel concentrated solar energy with liquid carriers such as methanol to produce green hydrogen and industrial heat in a modular and decentralised manner. The system incorporates advanced MXene materials, 3D-printed bimetallic catalysts and advanced multiphysics simulation, with direct applications in sectors such as ceramics, chemicals and agri-food.
Three projects. Three commitments to industrial heat decarbonisation. One team.
At Enagás Emprende, where we have supported Solatom since the early stages of its development, these awards confirm what we already recognised in its founding team: an exceptional ability to transform technological vision into concrete, fundable projects with a real industrial impact.
Led by CEO Miguel Frasquet, the Solatom team is steadily building a leading position in the decarbonisation of industrial heat across Spain and Europe, one project at a time. Congratulations to the entire Solatom team.
Solatom is a company backed by Enagás Emprende, GD Energy Service, Suma Capital, White Summit Capital, Equity4Good and CDTI Innvierte.
