The European Commission is making Eur112 million ($122 million) available for low-carbon energy research, including CO2 storage pilots, carbon capture and use/storage for heavy industry and converting industrial waste heat into electricity.

The call is part of the EU's efforts to become climate neutral by 2050, which will require massive CO2 emission cuts across the EU economy, particularly heavy industry such as steel, oil refining, biofuels, and producing hydrogen from natural gas.

Potential applicants have until September 1 to respond to this call for projects under the EU's Horizon 2020 research program.

The call includes Eur14 million for CO2 geological storage pilots, both on and offshore, to help show how to develop commercial-size projects that will help kick-start carbon capture and use/storage technology.

The EC hopes a "pipeline of sweet spots" can help provide estimated costs, overcome public opposition, and prepare the ground for operational storage sites in the mid-2020s.

The EC cited a study that estimates Europe has over 300 billion metric tons of CO2 geological storage capacity, which would be enough to store all the CO2 that could be captured in Europe "for decades to come." 

CCUS for industry 

There is also Eur15 million available for carbon capture and use/storage projects in heavy industry, which is a major source of global CO2 emissions.

The aim is to demonstrate how to safely capture, transport and store industrial emissions, driving down costs and helping to break the link between economic growth and higher emissions. 

Waste heat for power 

There is also Eur14 million for projects to convert industrial waste heat into power, with the aim of cutting industrial emissions and energy demand.

The call seeks projects that will demonstrate industrial systems producing at least 2 MW electricity more efficiently than existing options.

The aim is for these projects to make "substantial contributions" to reusing industrial waste heat, saving primary energy through heat recovery in industry, as well as potential primary energy savings in the power generation sector.

The call is managed by the EC's Innovation and Networks Executive Agency.