Hydrogen valley: leverage local assets and address local needs

Reference person
Livio
De Santoli
livio.desantoli@uniroma1.it

Host University/Institute
Università of Rome La Sapienza

Internship
Y

Research Keywords
Green hydrogen
Hydrogen production
Hydrogen storage and use

Reference ERCs
PE8_6 Energy processes engineering
PE8_9 Production technology, process engineering
PE8_11 Environmental engineering, e.g. sustainable design, waste and water treatment, recycling, regeneration or recovery of compounds, carbon capture & storage

Reference SDGs
GOAL 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

Studente
Bekele Endeshaw

Supervisor
De Santoli Livio

Co-Supervisor

Description

Decarbonising the global economy is one of the essential challenges of the 21st century. During the last decades, the effects of global warming have been visible worldwide. European countries face this urgent issue, promoting several directives and guidelines to reduce fuel emissions, energy consumption and pollution levels.Carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas responsible for global warming, comes primarily from fossil fuel-based energy production, which is still prevalent today. The Hydrogen Valleys fall within this context. Fuel cells and hydrogen (FCH) technologies have the potential to play a crucial role in this energy transition process. Indeed, fuel cells and hydrogen provide a safe and competitive zero-emission solution for many applications when produced as "green hydrogen" with renewable energy sources.The main goal of the project is to create an integrated infrastructure that aims to demonstrate the feasibility, functionality, sustainability, resilience and safety of a hydrogen-based ecosystem, as well as to offer the industry the possibility to experiment and validate in a dedicated ecosystem, the technological solutions with different TRLs, on a significant scale.Specifically, it is planned to evaluate a city district's multifunctional infrastructures that will allow, with a technology-neutral approach, the demonstration and integration of hydrogen technologies to help achieve energy transition objectives in the short and longer term.

Suggested skills:

Ideally, the successful candidate should have a basic knowledge of:

Global and the local energy cycle,processes at Earth's surface and underground, Energy Engineering and have experience with data analysis;

Sound background in Applied Physics,atmospheric and climate sciences. Experience in the treatment and analysis ofdata;

Skills in numerical modelling;

Work in a multidisciplinary team and an international context;

Research team and environment

The research team will involve researchers of Applied Physics and Energy Engineering (DIAEE), Chemical Engineering Materials Environment (DICMA), Environmental Biology (DBA), and Civil, Constructional and Environmental Engineering (DICEA) at Sapienza University. In addition, the group collaborates with several other research groups in Italy (e.g. CNR, ENEA and Ministry of the Environment. Furthermore,international research links are active in Europe.