EnergyLab is a private, non-profit technology center founded in 2008 and focused on the development of R&D&I activities related to decarbonization through the efficient and sustainable use of resources.

What sectors are you focused on and what is EnergyLab's role in the value chain of the Galician business fabric?

We work in all sectors, both in the primary sector (agriculture, livestock, fisheries and forestry) and in the secondary sector (industry) and services, within the framework of two strategic axes: decarbonization and the efficient and sustainable use of resources in our society and the digital transformation of processes.

Our role is to help companies, both large and SMEs, in the technological innovation of processes, products and services, throughout their value chain, improving their competitiveness and providing them with high added value solutions.

What are your R&D priorities?

We focus on three main areas. The first one is bioenergy, where we work on the use of organic waste, its characterization, valorization and conversion into different renewable gases by the biological or thermochemical route. Secondly, urban ecosystems and industry, focused on the application of simulation and artificial intelligence technologies for advanced energy management in industry and everything related to energy efficiency and sustainability. Finally, energy technologies, which focuses on the uses and applications of different energy sources, especially in the application and uses of biofuels and hydrogen, and in the production of hydrogen and its carriers by electrochemical means.

In the current context of energy transition, how do you assess the Galician innovative potential in terms of sustainability and circular economy?

In my opinion, Galician companies have a good innovative profile, but there is still a lot of work to be done, especially in SMEs. In the business world there is a special concern about how the cost of energy affects operations and, therefore, many initiatives are being developed to achieve intelligent energy control of production and thus be able to adopt measures to be much more efficient.

On the other hand, in Galicia, there is an enormous potential in the efficient use of resources and numerous projects are being developed within the concept that we could call circular economy: waste recovery, use of renewable resources, eco-design, water cycle management, etc.

At Energylab, for example, we have developed projects to reduce losses and waste in the agri-food sector through digital tools, the valuation of waste generated in poultry farms to obtain a renewable energy source and the transformation of linear production models through the monitoring of circular economy strategies by means of environmental management tools.

Galicia is one of the best positioned communities in the field of renewable energies. What are the challenges for the future?

Galicia has the necessary resources to play a leading role in the world of renewable energies, thanks to the potential of on shore wind power and hydroelectric power as well as biomass and geothermal energy, and to make a significant contribution to the ambitious decarbonization objectives that are being proposed at both national and European level.

Even so, there are still challenges to be met in the fields of off-shore marine energy, renewable gases, hydrogen and its carriers, storage and biofuels. In this sense, it is very important to make global progress in all these areas, under the principle of technological neutrality, so that the energy transition becomes a reality and the objectives set at national and European level are achieved. 

What assets does Galicia have to become one of the reference areas for green hydrogen and what impact can it have on the business ecosystem?

Galicia is called to play a key role in the field of hydrogen in our country because it has the necessary ingredients: renewable energy generation, a strategic geographical location and the potential of Galician ports to develop a hydrogen hub.

The key will be demand and competitive prices, especially in those sectors where electrification is not a realistic option. Undoubtedly, the role of technological innovation will be fundamental to achieve these objectives.

You participate in the Gas Renovable Mixed Unit, co-financed by the Xunta de Galicia, together with Naturgy and Edar Bens. What is the impact of this project in the field of energy use of wastewater?

This project was initially born to investigate the generation of biogas and biomethane from the waste generated in the WWTP, its injection into the gas network, and in its last stage it has been oriented to the generation of hydrogen by electrolysis and the blending of hydrogen and biomethane in the network, to analyze how it affects the current infrastructures and its possible separation at destination.

It is a very important milestone in research in the world of renewable gases and has opened the way for the implementation of biomethane in Spain as an indispensable tool for the decarbonization of society.