The engineering and technology group Sener inaugurated today, at Casa Milà in Barcelona, the sixth edition of its Innovation Forum, a benchmark event in Spain for analysing the latest technological trends and their applications in strategic sectors.

The opening ceremony was attended by Jaume Baró, Secretary of Business and Competitiveness of the Generalitat of Catalonia, who emphasized that “innovation is key to developing a competitive economy and tackling our major social challenges. Catalonia is very well positioned, with an ecosystem that brings together entrepreneurship, technology, research centres, prestigious universities, local talent and the ability to attract international talent, as well as a growing network of emerging companies that make us a genuine technology hub in southern Europe. In this regard, institutions such as ACCIÓ are essential to continue driving innovation.”

This year’s Forum brings together, over two days, executives, researchers, and experts from more than 20 leading companies, technological centres, and institutions in their respective fields, including Airbus Defence and Space, CSIC, ADIF, Alstom, Universitat Politècnica de València, Esade, Kapsch TrafficCom, and the European Space Agency, among others.

The program combines inspiring keynote speeches, panel discussions, and demonstrations in the TechShow area, aiming to reflect on major technological challenges in connected and sustainable mobility, defence and drones, decarbonisation and CO₂ management, artificial intelligence, OT cybersecurity, and data centres, among other areas.

During the opening, Sener’s President, Andrés Sendagorta, highlighted that “innovation has been one of Sener’s fundamental pillars since its founding almost 70 years ago. Our founders understood that technological innovation would be our strength and our distinctive value, and that spirit remains alive today thanks to the exceptional team of over 4,000 professionals who make up the company, covering more than 100 technical disciplines. In Barcelona, we have one of our largest production centres, where more than 300 professionals are involved in major international projects. We are convinced that it is essential to innovate in collaboration with the entire ecosystem we are part of: technology centres, start-ups, universities, partners, clients and, of course, with the support of public institutions, which is indispensable to sustain this innovative ecosystem.”

Investment in R&D and Cutting-Edge Projects

Sener maintains a strong commitment to R&D and investment in production capabilities as a driver of growth. Over the past three years, the group has acquired the Australian consultancy Tactix (transport infrastructure), the engineering firm Quark (data centres), and the company SCR (unmanned systems). In parallel, it is expanding its facilities in Zamudio (Vizcaya), Tres Cantos (Madrid), and Barcelona, with industrial projects involving an investment of 35 million euros in new plants and clean rooms for its space and defense businesses.

Similarly, in 2024, the company further strengthened its businesses with significant milestones. In the space sector, Sener was the prime contractor for the European Space Agency’s Proba-3 mission, which marked the first formation flight of two satellites in orbit.

In the energy sector, Sener has contributed to key infrastructure projects, such as the CO2next carbon dioxide storage terminal in Rotterdam and pioneering projects in Germany, including the adaptation of combined-cycle power plants to hydrogen and the country’s first onshore liquefied natural gas storage and regasification plant.

Additionally, the company recently launched Epigea, an automated solution that optimises operations in football stadiums. This mobile and retractable cover ensures the quality of the turf while enabling non-sporting events. This enables stadiums to be used 365 days a year, creating new revenue streams and enhancing the value of the real estate asset.

Through Quark, Sener has designed data centres for the IT Management of Social Security (GISS) and major international operators such as Damac, Equinix, and Prime Data Centers.

Recognition of Technical Excellence

The Innovation Forum also serves as the stage for Sener to recognise the excellence of its professionals. During the event, awards are presented to the technological leader with significant impact and to the project that pushes the boundaries of technology. It is also the occasion for the appointment of its Chief Technical Engineers (CTE). This biennial recognition honours company experts in fields such as geotechnics, acoustics, or electronics, selected by an internal committee based on their knowledge, career, and academic and professional contributions.

Sener, with over 4,000 professionals worldwide and a strong presence in Barcelona (where a team of more than 400 STEM specialists works), develops cutting-edge projects in areas such as space, energy, mobility, data centres, and digital solutions.

The Innovation Forum, which will continue until tomorrow, 14 October, will also present the Forum Awards, geared towards highlighting the most significant contributions to the innovation ecosystem.

The engineering and technology group Sener and Ayesa have developed a proof of concept through a quantum solution to optimise operational simulations of electrolysis plants carried out with SenHy, Sener’s digital tool. This solution enables simulation of all processes involved in hydrogen generation using quantum algorithms, from managing the different sources of electrical energy (solar generators, grid purchases, battery storage), through the operation of electrolysis modules and their degradation management, to adjusting hydrogen output flow to align with demand forecasts.

The project forms part of the digitalisation objectives of the IPCEI programme developed by Sener, aimed at advancing electrolysis technologies and reducing the levelised cost of hydrogen (LCOH). To this end, the group has created SenHy, an innovative operational simulation tool for electrolysis plants that integrates different electricity supply profiles into an operational simulation. The project will be presented during the 6th meeting of the Production vertical of the Basque Hydrogen Corridor (BH2C), to be held on 25 September.

SenHy faces a significant technical challenge: solving every minute a complex multiphysics optimisation problem based on the current and potential state of energy profiles and the plant’s operating parameters. Given the limitations of traditional computational tools, the model had to be simplified to meet response time requirements. To accelerate this process and exploit the full complexity of the multiphysics model, Sener carried out a proof of concept based on a quantum computing algorithm provided by Ayesa. The result was successful: a simplified problem was solved with the same quality of solution in one-tenth of the time, paving the way to simulate more complex cases and significantly improve simulation accuracy.

This holistic approach, combined with the inherent scalability of quantum logic, enables proposals for optimal plant operation to be obtained with very short simulation times. This allows for precise planning to extend beyond the simulation periods achievable with the classical (non-quantum) strategy used until now.

Rapid resolution of complex problems

Electrolyser plants are facilities that, by applying electrical currents, are capable of separating hydrogen and oxygen contained in water molecules. The hydrogen generated has multiple applications in industry and research, and can also be used as a clean fuel.

It is a highly complex process that, until now, when operational issues arose, was addressed with classical methods, which were able to deliver quality output within reasonable times but only for moderately complex problems. “As complexity or scale increases, analysis times become prohibitive and it becomes necessary to resort to approximations or extrapolations to obtain results that are no more than indicative.”

So explains Iñigo Pérez Delgado, project lead at Ayesa, who adds: “We sought a scalable tool capable of delivering high-quality results in short execution times thanks to a quantum method, tested in the range where the classical process is still able to confirm the quality of results. The inclusion of a quantum algorithm makes it possible to assess scenarios of greater scale and complexity.”

The use of quantum logic means that an increase in the complexity of the conditions to be met, which in the classical case entails an exponential scaling of difficulty, hardly increases the processing capacity required to solve the problem. “In this IPCEI project, therefore, the main objective was to develop a method capable of delivering scalable results, even if at the scale analysed no speed advantage was obtained,” he states.

“However,” Pérez Delgado continues, “it has been observed that the problem analysed, though moderate in size, is already large enough for the scalability of the quantum method to provide a speed advantage of an order of magnitude. Therefore, our results confirm that quantum computing is already capable of delivering differential results in industry.”

According to Alfonso Corbella, R&D project director in H2 at Sener: “The application of technologies such as quantum computing allows us to tackle with greater accuracy the operational optimisation of complex processes such as those taking place in an electrolysis plant. This advanced simulation capability not only improves efficiency, but also paves the way towards broader adoption of green hydrogen, an area in which Sener has extensive experience.”