Research Centre devoted to R+D+i and training in the fields of renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Partner Description
CIRCE is a research centre founded in 1993 to create and develop innovative solutions and scientific/technical knowledge and to transfer them to the business sector in the field of energy.
CIRCE’s mission is to drive forward improvements in energy efficiency and to spread the use of renewable energy by means of the development of R+D+i (Research, Development and Innovation) activities and formative actions that respond to the needs of national and international producers, thereby contributing to sustainable development.
The main research topics in CIRCE are: wind and solar power, natural resources and biomass, smart-grids and storage, thermal power systems and emissions reduction, electrical grids and substations, sustainable mobility, energy efficiency and energy socioeconomics.
Motivation to join NEED4B
CIRCE´s motivation to join the project is to reinforce one of its main lines of development since 2001, which is Sustainable Building.
CIRCE has a strong previous experience in this field, gathered in other R&D projects and in the design, construction and operation of a “zero emissions” building that nowadays constitutes its head office. This experience encouraged CIRCE to go beyond and to develop its second headquarters within NEED4B, a building that integrated complementary energy solutions and technologies to the existing one, aiming to a more exigent energy performance while at the same time being a replicable example of construction across Europe. This way, both buildings together would constitute a “zero emission complex”, becoming an exemplary model of green building and sustainability.
NEED4B provides to CIRCE the perfect framework to promote a cross-country exchange of best practices on energy efficient construction. Working closely to the best actors in R&D and industry in Europe, is seen as an opportunity to better know cost effective and advanced solutions that can be applied to the Spanish site while being replicable in other climatic zones in Europe.
Activities in the project
CIRCE is the Coordinator of NEED4B. Apart from leading the management and coordination activities in the project, CIRCE also leads WP3 for the selection of the most suitable technologies for each demo site. CIRCE is the user of the Spanish demonstration site, which will constitute the second example of sustainable construction for its headquarters.