INSTITUT DE RECERCA EN ENERGIA DE CATALUNYA (IREC)
IREC is a public research institution supported by a range of governmental and private organisations, including the Climate Action and Research Departments of the Government of Catalonia, the Spanish Ministries for Ecological Transition and for Science and Innovation, and leading energy companies such as ENDESA, NATURGY and ENAGÁS. IREC’s main mission is to contribute to the sustainable development of society by conducting excellent research and strengthening industrial competitiveness, helping to address current and future energy challenges. IREC is also a founding member of KIC InnoEnergy, Hydrogen Europe Research and EMIRI, among other international energy-related organizations.
Within COMECOCO2, two departments from IREC’s Materials Division are involved: the Fuel Cells Department and the Energy Storage and Catalysis Department. Together, these departments have more than 20 years of experience in high-temperature electrolysis and catalytic reactor technologies. In recent years, part of their research has focused on the production of synthetic fuels from biogenic CO₂ and renewable hydrogen generated through water electrolysis.
The IREC Fuel Cells Department has extensive experience in the development of high-temperature solid oxide electrolysis and co-electrolysis (SOEC) technologies, working in collaboration with leading industrial partners such as Solydera and Elcogen, as well as major European academic and research organizations including DTU, CEA, DLR and IKTS. Since 2012, the department has coordinated and participated in numerous European projects in this field, including ECO, NewSOC, Cell3Ditor, ENDURANCE, SAPIENS, HyP3D, 24/7 ZEN, Hy-Spire, CLEANHYPRO, H2SHIFT and EPISTORE, among others.
Complementing this expertise, IREC’s Catalysis Group has developed proprietary catalytic reactor technologies and high-performance catalysts, with a particular focus on the production of renewable fuels. This work has been carried out through several projects, including CoSin, CERES, SUPORT and CO2SAF. Both groups combine fundamental research with technological development and industrial collaboration, covering the full pathway from advanced materials and processes to the development and validation of energy technologies.
