To achieve the aim of the topic, a systematic approach will be developed and applied to select H2020 results and owners, to support the project development and finally to derive Innovation Fund-ready projects. The ETS Innovation Fund (IF) fosters low-carbon processes and technologies – and many results from H2020 provide promising solutions to be deployed. However, translating R&D results into products and processes and developing viable business cases is a major effort. Beyond that, it is a further great step to mobilise investors and stakeholders to make the projects fly. The IF regulations are challenging for the industry. To cope with all challenges related to the project development and preparation phase of future IF projects, DIAMONDS4IF is designed to a) securing the viability and readiness of the projects, b) enabling applicants to prepare IF applications, c) developing a comprehensive approach towards stakeholders, investors, the public, and across the value chain, d) creating understanding of and preparing compliance with relevant regulations, guidelines, and framework conditions and e) solving questions and challenges arising from the project planning in line with funding requirements and award criteria. Through exemplary work on specific use cases in the field of renewable energy, a toolbox with the necessary methods and tools will be developed and applied. One of the major outputs of the project will be at least 5 sound proposals including the detailed plans for scalability, commercialisation, and financial models to be presented to the IF. Over the medium term, DIAMONDS4IF will develop and nurture a continuous innovation pipeline from H2020 innovations to deployment, which will exploit the synergies between the programmes. The use cases will e.g. directly implement REPower and climate relevant projects, comprising for example ~100MW offshore hybrid energy; 1.5GW of PV manufacturing capacity; 10GW of resource-efficient wafer production in Europe.

SisAl Pilot aims to demonstrate a patented novel industrial process to produce silicon (Si, a critical raw material), enabling a shift from today’s carbothermic Submerged Arc Furnace (SAF) process to a far more environmentally and economically alternative: an aluminothermic reduction of quartz in slag that utilizes secondary raw materials such as aluminium (Al) scrap and dross, as replacements for carbon reductants used today. SisAl Pilot represents a path-breaking approach, and a strong contribution to “circularity” through industrial symbiosis where the Al industry will act as both a raw material supplier and end user to the Si industry. Across sectors, SisAl Pilot will give substantial reductions in material yield losses, enhanced valorisation of waste- and by-product streams, at a 3 X lower energy consumption and radically lower emissions of CO2 and harmful pollutants, at a considerably lower cost. The SisAl Pilot project brings together raw material provider (Erimsa), silicon and aluminium key actors (Wacker, Elkem, DOW, Silicor, SiQAl, Hydro, FRey, Befesa, MYTIL), SME´s/consultants/ equipment manufacturers (BNW, SIMTEC, WS and SBC) and research organisations (NTNU, RWTH, NTUA, ITMATI, SINTEF, HZDR, MINTEK) to demonstrate the SisAl process with different raw materials and product outputs in 4 different countries. These pilots will be accompanied by environmental, economic and technological benchmarking, and industrial business cases will be assessed for locations in Norway, Iceland, Germany, Spain and Greece. The timing of SisAl Pilot is impeccable; the transformation to a circular economy, the strongly enhanced focus on climate and future expected EU-ETS CO2 allowances with associated risk for carbon leakage from Europe, the rapidly increased difficulty of exporting aluminium scrap from Europe to China, and modern society’s ever-increasing need for silicon metal. With SisAl, all these challenges are turned into new European opportunities.