ECCSEL - International laboratory infrastructure for CCS research, education and innovation

The transition to a carbon non-emitting energy mix for power generation will take decades. This transition will need to be sustainable, e.g. economically affordable. Fossil fuels, which are abundant, play an important role in this respect, provided that Carbon dioxide Capture and Storage (CCS) is progressively implemented. CCS is the only way to reduce significantly the emissions from energy intensive industries. Thus, the need for upgraded and new CCS research facilities is widely recognised among stakeholders across Europe, as emphasised by the Zero Emissions Platform (ZEP) [3] and the European Energy Research Alliance on CCS (EERA-CCS) [4]. ECCSEL will provide funders, operators and researchers with significant benefits by offering access to world-class research facilities that, in many cases, are unlikely for a single nation to support in isolation. This implies creation of synergy and the avoidance of duplication as well as streamlining of funding for research facilities. As facilitator of world-class CCS research, ECCSEL will engage with the European research community and other knowledge providers, offering expertise, advanced laboratories and test sites. Thus, ECCSEL will help verify and validate conceptual studies and theories. Moreover, ECCSEL will facilitate fundamental and applied research leading eventually to commercial applications. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.