At the General Assembly at FBK, 27 European partners discuss innovations in geothermal district heating for a sustainable energy transition with focus on demonstrators in Riva del Garda and Oslo.

How to build the district heating of the future with efficiency, sustainability and flexibility in mind? This was the question posed by the 27 partners attending the General Assembly of the USES4HEAT European project, organized at FBK on Wednesday, October 30.

The General Assembly, which saw 50 representatives at the European level gathered at FBK in Povo, discussed the progress of the USES4HEAT European project, which started in December 2023 for a duration of 4 years. USES4HEAT has received funding for 9.7 million euros from the European research program Horizon Europe out of a total budget of 12.4 million and is coordinated by the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden’s leading technical university.

USES4HEAT will specifically develop at two demonstration sites – Oslo in Norway and Riva del Garda in Italy – two units for seasonal thermal energy storage in an underground environment (Borehole Thermal Energy Storage – BTES and Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage – ATES). The two units will be connected to large-scale district heating networks capable of storing and using various sustainable heat sources. The Riva del Garda district heating system, built since 2007 and operated by Alto Garda Servizi, currently supplies more than 300 customers in a 27-km grid. Heat is generated by Alto Garda Power‘s cogeneration plant, which also supplies Cartiere del Garda paper mills. The primary power source is methane gas.

 Eight partners will be engaged in the Riva del Garda project, which can count on a budget of 4.1 million euros, 3 of which will come from Europe: Fondazione Bruno Kessler, through the Sustainable Energy Center, Cartiere del Garda, Alto Garda Power, Alto Garda Servizi, Hydra, Hiref, Endef, and Energenius.

The goal is to integrate four different innovative technologies:

1. new seasonal, large-scale ATES through advanced drilling technologies – provided by Hydra;

2. new groundwater high-temperature, low Global Warming Potential (GWP) heat pump connected to both ATES and district heating – provided by Hiref;

3. hybrid solar panels (PVT) – provided by Endef;

4. intelligent energy management through artificial intelligence, big-data and cloud-based computing tools – provided by Energenius.

FBK has been engaged in research projects on geothermal energy for more than 10 years, mainly on the province of Trento territory, characterizing its potential through special mapping and monitoring the operation of various plants in different locations across Trentino, also supporting the PAT Geological Service.

FBK’s Center for Sustainable Energy is involved in several activities for the USES4HEAT project, including baseline monitoring and planning of demonstration activities, modeling of district heating decarbonization through geospatial mapping and multi-objective dynamic optimization, transient modeling of the plant system, support for plant layout design, supervision of the experimental campaign and critical assessment.

The European project aligns well with the results of the scenarios developed by FBK for the new 2023-2030 PEAP Provincial Environmental Energy Plan, according to which methane gas usage will have to decrease by at least 22 percent over the 2016-2030 period, in a trajectory consistent with the full decarbonization (and fossil sources, including methane gas, phase-out) planned for 2050.

Also worth mentioning is that, following the European Union’s RED III directives on decarbonization and energy system security, the district heating and cooling sector will have to incorporate incremental shares of renewable energy, from 1 percent in 2024 to 34 percent in 2030.

In the first 11 months of the project, preliminary geological and engineering design was initiated and completed, and the first exploratory survey will be conducted in early 2025.

Source: FBK Magazine https://magazine.fbk.eu/en/news/toward-district-heating-of-the-future-efficiency-and-sustainability-in-focus-in-uses4heat-project/ 

Read it in Italian: https://magazine.fbk.eu/it/news/verso-il-teleriscaldamento-del-futuro-efficienza-e-sostenibilita-in-primo-piano-nel-progetto-uses4heat/ 

More information on the project: https://www.uses4heat.eu/ 

What a busy week for out Head of BET Unit!

From October 14 to 16, Edoardo Gino Macchi participated in two high-level and important events for the battery sector that took place in Lyon (France).

On October 14 and 15 took place the General Assembly of the two Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) on Batteries: 

• IPCEI on Batteries 

• IPCEI European Battery Innovation (EuBatIn). 

Both IPCEIs have in common that their participants represent the complete value chain, from material through the cells to the battery system and the final step of recycling. At the same time, there is a high degree of networking between the companies themselves and the two IPCEIs.

The event was organised by Direction Générale des Entreprises (DGE) and VDI|VDE|IT and participants had the opportunity to discuss the state of art of the projects and exchange views on the battery ecosystem in Europe. 

The event also included an exciting visit to the TOKAI KOBEX Savoie (part of the Tokai COBEX Group), a world leader for the supply of cathodic solutions for the aluminium industry, based on graphite materials and as developed an extensive know-how on carboneous raw materials selection and graphitization and more generally very high temperature processes through its 125 years of existence.

On October 16, Edoardo Gino Macchi participated to the conference Batteries Event, one of the main event of the sector with an interesting participation of both academia and industry representatives. The event organised 5 panel sessions on different topics: Li-metal batteries, safety, manufacturing, raw materials and trends.

LinkedIn post of the IPCEI General Assembly at this link.

More information on IPCEI Batteries: https://www.ipcei-batteries.eu/about-ipcei 

More information on Batteries Event: https://batteriesevent.com/ 

AGICI is a research and consultancy company specialized in the utilities, renewables, infrastructure and energy efficiency sectors. It collaborates with companies, associations, public administrations and institutions to implement development policies capable of creating value. Hydrogen is one of the topic AGICI deals with through the International Hydrogen Market Observatory.

On October 24, AGICI organised and hosted the final workshop of the International Hydrogen Market Observatory to discuss with operators, associations and institutions about the most recent developments, the actions necessary to launch a global hydrogen market and Italy's role in the European and international context to contribute to the achievement of European objectives for 2030.  

Our Director Luigi Crema is among the invited speakers of the event entitled The future of hydrogen: from national strategies to the global market.
Luigi participated in the panel "Elementi cardine del mercato: domanda e filiera italiana" and discussed about the key elements of the market and the needs of the Italian value chain with representatives of important companies and association such us Sasol Italy, Federacciai, Elettricità Futura, Proxigas.

More information (in Italian) at : https://agici.it/evento/il-futuro-dellidrogeno-dalle-strategie-nazionali-al-mercato-globale/

Gregorio Borelli, Silvia Ricciuti, Alessandro Sartori and Diego Viesi have just published a scientific article on the International Journal of Sustainable Energy Planning and Management and is entitled "Simulation of Energy Scenarios for the Transition of an Urban Neighborhood into a Renewable Energy Community". The article was written in collaboration with researchers of the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano (UNIBZ), the Ahsanullah University of Science & Technology (AUST), and the University of Trento (UNITN).

Abstract

The design of renewable energy communities requires multi-disciplinary approaches to identify the most promising solutions from technical, economic, and environmental perspectives. Indeed,different simulations tools can be adopted, ranging from urban modelling to energy planning methods. In this framework, this research focused on the Santa Chiara district in Trento, Italy, to assess the performance of different decarbonization strategies, encompassing fossil and renewable energy systems. To achieve this goal, the district energy balance, CO2 emissions, total costs, and impact of incentives for energy communities were analyzed for each scenario. Furthermore, the effects of current and future hot climatic conditions were investigated, coupling urban building energy modelling (umi) and energy planning codes (EnergyPLAN). 

Results highlighted major modifications to the energy balance of the district due to climate change, with an important increase of space cooling needs. Heat pumps coupled with photovoltaic and solar thermal panels were identified as the most suitable solution, effectively contributing to the transformation of the considered district into an energy community. Finally, the adopted methodology pointed out the relevant role played by different calculation tools when used in an integrated workflow, allowing for a more comprehensive understanding of the available urban decarbonization strategies and more robust design choices.

The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program under the project InCUBE, grant agreement N◦ 101069610. Authors would like to acknowledge the European Commission for the support granted to InCUBE. Authors are grateful to the Municipality of Trento and Habitat S.p.a. for the support during the activities within the “Demo Trento – Santa Chiara District”, including data provision.

Read the article in Open Access at the following link: https://journals.aau.dk/index.php/sepm/article/view/8235 

Last week, from 25 to 27 September, Trento hosted the AEIT2024 International Annual Conference and the Center for Sustainable Energy of FBK couldn't miss the opportunity to participate!

Marcin Buchajczyk - researcher of the BET Unit - presneted the paper "Techno-Economic Analysis and Sizing of RFB and Supercapacitor-Based HESS for an EV Charging Station" written with the colleagues Saman Korjani, Mattia Durante, Edoardo Gino Macchi.

The researcher Silvia Ricciuti presented the paper "Emerging security and legal challenges within renewable energy communities: key prevention and defence strategies". 

The paper sees the involvement of the Cybersicurity center of FBK and focuses on how the growth of renewable energy communities leads to incredible opportunities for sustainable development and energy independence. However, with these advancements come complex security and legal challenges that need to be addressed. 

Silvia outlined three main focuses explored in the paper:

• The cybersecurity risks tied to decentralized energy sharing

• Legal frameworks needed to safeguard community privacy and data

• Strategies for preventing threats and building robust defence mechanisms.

AEIT2024 explored digitalisation and AI’s profound impact on energy systems, from optimising renewable energy integration or managing the flexibility of distributed energy resources and multi-vector energy systems to enhancing energy system adequacy, security and resiliency. 

More information on the conference: https://convegni.aeit.it/ and final programme: https://convegni.aeit.it/aeit2024/documenti/aeit2024finalprogr.pdf 

In these days the third edition of the Big Science Business Forum is taking place in Trieste. The event is a business oriented congress, focused on high technology and innovation with the aim to be the main meeting point between Research Infrastructures and industry in Europe.

Our Director Luigi Crema has been invited as speaker in the roundtable entitled Hydrogen and Big Science: Innovation, Challenges and Future. An Italian-European Perspective.

This specific event was organised by Area Science Park and Ceric-Eric. The panel was dedicated to the entire hydrogen production chain: from scientific research to industry to Italian and European institutions. 

The speakers outlined the main innovations in scientific research and industrial applications, discussed policies under development and addressed challenges concerning the hydrogen supply chain.

More information on the website: https://www.bsbf2024.org/ 

“The role of renewable hydrogen in the energy transition has been recognized at European level, with the publication of the European hydrogen strategy, and also at Italian level, where the guidelines for the national hydrogen strategy have been published and where with the National Resilience Plan has allocated more than 3 billion euros to the development of projects in the sector" reports Elena Crespi, researcher at the Sustainable Energy Center of the Bruno Kessler Foundation, in her speech this afternoon at the Wired Next Fest in Rovereto.

“When we talk about hydrogen,” explained the FBK researcher, “we need to distinguish between hydrogen produced from fossil fuels with the emission of carbon dioxide, and renewable hydrogen produced without polluting emissions. Renewable hydrogen can be used for clean electricity storage and converted back into electricity when demand is greatest. In this way, hydrogen can allow greater penetration of renewables into the electricity grid. Furthermore, hydrogen can be used for the decarbonisation of sectors defined as "Hard to abate", difficult to decarbonise, i.e. those sectors in which electrification is not a viable option, as in the case of the steel industries, cement factories, chemicals. Finally, it can contribute to the decarbonisation of the transport sector, where it can be used as a fuel for both road transport and rail and water transport".

During the debate at Palazzo del Ben in connection with Francesco Sciortino, CEO and co-founder of the startup Proxima Fusion, moderated by the journalist Gialuca Dotti, Elena Crespi also spoke about the scientific and technological frontiers on which she is working and her research activities at the Bruno Kessler Foundation: “From a research point of view, we are active on the entire hydrogen value chain. On the one hand, the focus is on the optimization of electrolysers. The research is focused, for example, on the use of new, less expensive and better performing materials, but also on better integration with renewables and better management of these systems. At the same time, we are focusing on new hydrogen storage systems, which can complement the more traditional storage of hydrogen under pressure at 200 bar, also facilitating its transport. Finally, the research is also dealing with fuel cells, i.e. systems for converting hydrogen into electricity, which can be used both for stationary purposes and in the transport sector. At FBK, in the Sustainable Energy center, we follow various projects funded by the European Union and research projects to support industries. I'm mainly dealing with electrolysis. I am following experimental activities in which we test different electrolysis cells, to select the components with the best performance. Among the European projects I followed the SWITCH project, which has the aim of optimizing the functioning of a particular reversible system, capable of producing hydrogen both from water and from biogas, at a lower cost".

Read the article in Italian: https://magazine.fbk.eu/it/news/idrogeno-rinnovabile/ 

Partners of the North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley (NAHV) have gathered in Rijeka at the annual  Consortium meeting to review the implementation of key projects, assess risks along the way and focus on integration into their respective social and industrial environments.

Among them there was also the Center for Sustainable Energy of FBK: Marco Tomasi, Sasan Jorjani and Emanuele Martinelli had the opportunity to meet the Partners in person and discuss with the industrial ones about the test-beds development and the replication of the hydrogen valley. 

The North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley (NAHV) project’s high-level objective is the creation of a hydrogen-based economic, social and industrial ecosystem based on the capacity of the quadruple helix actors. Green hydrogen is essential to decarbonize hard-to-abate, distribution and end user sectors, as it can potentially be produced with no CO2 emission. 

FBK leads the project activities related to Exploitation and Replication and is involved in the establishment of a safety plan of the hydrogen valley, the creation of a digital twin to replicate the entire valley, study of a new market scheme for transnational hydrogen trading. 

Marco Tomasi presented the general situation of the progress of WP11, in particular in relation to the activities that have already started and the steps to be taken in the next months. 

Read the entire press release at this link

More information at: https://www.nahv.eu/announcing-nahv-consortium-meeting/ 

Sustainability and batteries: how can they be sustainable and what role do they play in the energy transition path?

Luigi Crema and Edoardo Gino Macchi, respectively Director and Head of Unit at the Centre for Sustainable Energy, talked about it during an episode of Trentino TV dedicated to the theme of sustainability.

"As Fondazione Bruno Kessler, we work on initiatives that take care of making the use of batteries more sustainable from the moment they are designed and engineered to the end of their life," explained Luigi Crema, while Edoardo Gino Macchi talked about the relevance of the issue of batteries in the energy transition path and some of the projects active at the Center.

Watch the episode of Trentino TV (in Italian): https://www.trentinotv.it/video-on-demand/progettiamo-il-futuro---sostenibilita_16-09-2024

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Sostenibilità e Batterie: come possono essere sostenibili e che ruolo hanno nel percorso di transizione energetica?

Luigi Crema e Edoardo Gino Macchi, rispettivamente direttore e responsabile di unità presso il centro Energie Sostenibili di FBK, ne hanno parlato durante una puntata di Trentino TV dedicata al tema della sostenibilità.

"Come Fondazione Bruno Kessler lavoriamo su iniziative che si prendono cura di rendere più sostenibile l’uso delle batterie da quando vengono disegnate e progettate fino al fine vita” ha spiegato Luigi Crema, mentre Edoardo Gino Macchi ha raccontato la rilevanza del tema delle batterie nel percorso di transizione energetica e alcuni dei progetti attivi presso il centro Energie Sostenibili di FBK.

Guarda la puntata di Trentino TV:  https://www.trentinotv.it/video-on-demand/progettiamo-il-futuro---sostenibilita_16-09-2024

On September 16, Radio 24 launched two different episodes with an interview to Luigi Crema and Matteo Testi, respectively the Director of the Center SE and the Head of HyRES Unit.

In the programme Autotrasporti, Luigi Crema spoke with Andrea Ferro about articulated lorries and trucks  powered by hydrogen.  "The hydrogen topic is closely linked to the entire supply chain of the sector. First of all it is necessary that hydrogen is obtained in a sustainable way, therefore hydrogen produced from renewable sources or with the capture of CO2, and then there is the issue, still very critical, of refueling infrastructures, today in Italy there is only one, in Bolzano”, reports Luigi Crema. 

On the same day but in the programme Smart Cities, Matteo Testi was interviewed by Maurizio Melis on the recent award Hydrogen TCP Award of Excellence 2024, won by the SWITCH Project.
Coordinated by the Bruno Kessler Foundation, the project led to the development of a particular type of fuel cell capable of operating in two distinct modes: as an electrolyser, producing hydrogen from water, and as a fuel cell, producing heat, electricity and hydrogen starting from hydrocarbons such as methane, preferably organic, of course. By doing so, it is possible to guarantee those who adopt this technology a supply of hydrogen with a low CO2 content, regardless of the discontinuity of sources such as the sun and the wind. 

The episodes are in Italian. 

Listen to Matteo Testi's interview: https://www.radio24.ilsole24ore.com/programmi/smart-city/puntata/trasmissione-16-settembre-2024-6500-2377088007194755

Listen to Luigi Crema's interview: https://www.radio24.ilsole24ore.com/programmi/autotrasporti/puntata/trasmissione-16-settembre-2024-5800-2377088007266539 

On September 12th, our researchers Gloria Gottardi and ChandraKanth Reddy Chandraiahgari took part in the annual assembly of the NEST project (Spoke 9) held in Rome, at the CNR headquarters. The NEST project - Network 4 Energy Sustainable Transition, is funded by the European Union under the NextGenerationEU program and at the Italian level by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).

The NEST project has the ambitious goal of connecting the main university laboratories and research groups and the main national research institutions, building a competent Italian leadership, strongly integrated with the territory and businesses, capable of supporting future development towards sustainable and decarbonized energy production and distribution.

The project is organized in 9 spokes. FBK, is involved in 2 spokes (spoke 4 and spoke 9).

The meeting was aimed in particular at the partners involved in spoke 9 - Energy-Sustainable Advanced Materials, dedicated to developing advanced materials and technologies capable of improving the efficiency of materials and devices, reducing their carbon footprint and offering environmental and economic benefits in applications in the energy sector.  

Gloria Gottardi is the scientific manager of Spoke 9 and leads the Work Package related to characterisation. FBK conducts multiple research activities, both in the development of nanocatalysts for hydrogen production and in analytical support to project partners through chemical-physical characterization techniques of materials. 

Read more on: https://fondazionenest.it/ 

Our researchers Michele Bolognese and Michele Urbani presented the poster "Model order reduction for hydrogen applications in the Modelica environment" during the summer school titled "MODEL REDUCTION AND MACHINE LEARNING FOR SOLIDS, FLUIDS AND CONTROLS," organized by ETH Zurich (Switzerland) and TU Delft (The Netherlands). 

The two FBK researchers of the HyRES Unit presented their applications related to hydrogen systems, aiming to use reduced-order models derived from CFD simulations or experimental data to assess phenomena like electrolyzer stack degradation or implement complex PDE systems in a Modelica environment, allowing for robust control strategies with reduced computational effort.

The summer school introduced participants to advanced techniques in nonlinear model reduction, focusing on practical applications and covering methods such as projection-based approaches, invariant manifolds (including inertial manifolds, attractors, and spectral submanifolds), and neural-network-based techniques for reduced-order modeling (ROM) across various scientific and engineering fields. The event featured internationally renowned professors such as Charbel Farhat (Stanford University, USA), Michael Graham (University of Wisconsin, USA), George Haller (ETH Zurich, Switzerland), Balakumar Balachandran (University of Maryland, USA), Shobhit Jain (TU Delft, The Netherlands), and Gianluigi Rozza (International School for Advanced Studies, Italy).

Last September 11, our researcher Francesca Panaccione was in Rome to participate as invited speaker in the event NanoInnovation 2024. 

Through plenary sessions, parallel thematic symposia, round tables and different meeting opportunities, the event aims to update participants on the latest technologies developments and the latest results achieved in research activities. NanoInnovation hosts high-quality scientific sessions where world-renowned speakers will present the most recent results, newest updates and technical developments in the fields of nanotechnology and nano research. 

Francesca made the speech entitled "Hydrogen production chain from water to energy" which covered the entire hydrogen supply chain, describing its pillars as the production, distribution, storage and final uses. Different projects were also took as example, such as the Hydrogen Valleys that aims at replicating the whole hydrogen value chain in small and controlled environments, with the purpose of supporting and fostering the H2 economy creation and development.

More information on the event: https://www.nanoinnovation2024.eu/home/index.php/about-us 

Our researcher Eleonora Cordioli recently participated in the 19th Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems in Rome from 8-12 September 2024. 

SDEWES2024 gathered experts to explore cutting-edge methods, policies, and technologies that promote sustainable development by decoupling economic growth from natural resource use and driving the shift toward a knowledge-based economy—all while balancing the economic, environmental, and social pillars of sustainability.

At the conference, Eleonora presented her work titled "Green Hydrogen in the Alps: Mapping Local Stakeholders' Perspectives and Identifying Opportunities for Decarbonization" in the session Sustainable education, policies and governance 1. This study, part of the Interreg Alpine Space AMETHyST project, delves into the potential of green hydrogen applications in the Alpine region. 

The researcher reported that the event "was an excellent platform for exchanging ideas and connecting with fellow sustainability advocates". 

More information on the event: https://www.rome2024.sdewes.org/onsite-programme 

Last Monday, our researcher Mattia Duranti participated in the LOLOBAT Final Event that took place in Milan hosted by RINA Consulting.

LOLABAT is the acronym of "Long Lasting Batteries", a European Project dedicated to the improvement of various components for increasing the recyclability and decreasing the costs of NiZn batteries.

The project has been at the forefront of developing cutting-edge, rechargeable nickel-zinc batteries. This inherently safe technology has the potential to offer high energy and power densities at affordable costs, boosting Europe’s energy security autonomy. 

During the event, Mattia - researcher of the Battery and Electrification Technologies Unit (BET) - participated with a presentation and as a panelist.

Firstly, he presented the SMHYLES project explaining the objectives and the roadmap of the newly started project and exploring the affinity between the two projects. SMHYLES "Safe, sustainable and Modular HYbrid systems for Long-duration Energy storage and grid Services" is coordinated by FBK through the Center for Sustainable Energy. 

SMHYLES project proposes novel sustainable Hybrid Energy Storage Systems (HESSs) based on the combination of two storage technologies with a low content of Critical Raw Materials (CRM), one with long duration capacity and one with very high-power density providing ultra-fast ancillary services for the electrical grid. The project comprehends the design, construction, deployment and demonstration of an Aqueous-based Hybrid Energy Storage System (AHESS) and a Salt-based  Hybrid Energy Storage System (SHESS) as well as a storage duration expansion of a Vanadium Flow Battery.

Furthermore, Mattia participated in the Round Table "Empowering Tomorrow: Advancements in Battery Technology and Sustainable Material Solutions for Production, Recycling, and Supply Chain Management in the EU", discussing aspects related to safety, sustainability and recyclability of the materials used in building today's batteries. The topics spanned from market availability for materials coming from Li-ion battery recycling to novel batteries using abundant and not-flammable materials, built on a safe and sustainable by design approach.

More information on SMHYLES Project: https://smhyles.eu/ 

More information on LOLOBAT Project and Final event: https://www.lolabat.eu/ 

Sostenibilità e idrogeno verde: quali sono le sue applicazioni e quali ricerche sono attive presso FBK?

Luigi Crema e Matteo Testi, rispettivamente direttore e responsabile di unità presso il centro Energie Sostenibili di FBK, ne hanno parlato durante una puntata di Trentino TV dedicata al tema della sostenibilità.

”La sostenibilità per noi significa costruire un ambiente di sviluppo, creare benessere per l’ecosistema sociale che abbiamo attorno, creare industrie ma attraverso tecnologie che non vanno ad incidere sulle capacità di utilizzare dei beni che la terra ci offre nell’immediato futuro” ha spiegato Luigi Crema parlando del percorso di decarbonizzazione, mentre Matteo Testi ha raccontato alcuni progetti attivi presso l’unità HyRes relativi alla produzione, applicazione e alla sicurezza dell’idrogeno verde derivante da fonti sostenibili.

Guarda la puntata di Trentino TV: https://www.trentinotv.it/video-on-demand/progettiamo-il-futuro---sostenibilita_09-09-2024 

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Sustainability and green hydrogen: what are its applications and what research activities are active at FBK?

Luigi Crema and Matteo Testi, respectively Director and Unit manager at the FBK Sustainable Energy Center, talked about it during an episode of Trentino TV dedicated to the topic of sustainability.

"Sustainability for us means building a development environment, creating well-being for the social ecosystem around us, creating industries but through technologies that do not affect the ability to use the goods that the earth offers us in the immediate future" explained Luigi Crema speaking about the decarbonization process, while Matteo Testi talked about some active projects at the HyRes unit relating to the production, application and safety of green hydrogen deriving from sustainable sources.

Watch the episode of Trentino TV:  https://www.trentinotv.it/video-on-demand/progettiamo-il-futuro---sostenibilita_09-09-2024 (in Italian)

Ruben Bartali, ChandraKanth Reddy Chandraiahgari and Giulia di Gregorio participated in the 19th International Conference on Plasma Surface Engineering, which took place in Erfurt (Germany) from September 2 to 5, 2024.

The researchers presented their results on hydrogen production using innovative plasma technologies developed at the Center for Sustainable Energy of Fondazione Bruno Kessler. The focus was set on three main topics:

1. plasma cracking for hydrogen production,

2. fabrication of advanced electrocatalysts for hydrogen production using RF sputtering, and 

3. development of nanomaterial in liquids using RF Plasma Sputtering techniques.

The three researchers have proactively participated in the conference with two posters, two oral presentations and co-chairing a session!

Ruben Bartali co-chaired session 21 "Batteries and Green Hydrogen" and presented the work entitled Method for hydrogen production by methane cracking using vacuum plasma. The senior researcher explained the importance of plasma cracking and the developments in the sector. The cracking of methane-based compounds produces hydrogen gas and carbon-based materials without directly generating CO2.  However, many methane cracking processes operate at high temperatures (>600°C), requiring reactors made from refractory materials and the use of precious catalysts. Plasma cracking overcomes this issue, allowing methane cracking and hydrogen production to occur at ambient temperature. 

The presentation was done in the context of the project MECCA “H2 verde da cracking del bioMEtano tramite una tecnologia innovativa basata su plasma non-termico e Catalisi con nanoCArboni”. The Project is funded under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Project code: RSH2A_000002.

The PhD student Giulia Di Gregorio made the presentation entitled Radio Frequency Magnetron Sputtering of MoS2 electrocatalyst for Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis. Giulia explained how sputtering technique is gaining prominence as a catalyst fabrication method for hydrogen production, offering a more sustainable alternative to traditional approaches. In her recent work, Radio Frequency Magnetron Sputtering was used to deposit MoS2 electrocatalysts for Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis. This method enables precise control over the composition, microstructure, roughness, and thickness of the catalyst layers, which is crucial for optimizing electrochemical performance. By fine-tuning these parameters, sputtering can significantly enhance hydrogen production, making it a key technology for advancing electrocatalysts.

The researcher ChandraKanth Reddy Chandraiahgari presented two posters:

1. RF Sputtering onto Liquid Substrates for a Dry Single-Step Preparation of Nanofluids

2. Role of Oxygen Plasma Treatments in Cu/CNT Nanohybrids Synthesis by RF Sputtering

The two research works are highly innovative and sustainable approaches to the development of electrocatalysts by green plasma methods and have attracted a greater curiosity from the PSE community in activities done at the Center.

The posters are done in the context of the project NEST. The Project is funded under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Project code: PE0000021 “Network4 Energy Sustainable Transition – NEST”

The biennial PSE conference series is organized by the European Joint Committee on Plasma and Ion Surface Engineering. With nearly 600 participants from all over the world it is a well-established and leading forum in the field of plasma as well as ion- and particle-beam  assisted surface modification and thin film technologies. PSE provides an opportunity to present recent progress in research and development and industrial applications. For more information, have a look at the website and program of the Conference!

The SWITCH European project, coordinated by Fondazione Bruno Kessler, has won the Hydrogen TCP Award of Excellence 2024, the prestigious prize from the International Energy Agency, the supranational intergovernmental organization leading the global dialogue on energy, for its important contribution toward a clean hydrogen economy and a more sustainable future.

The SWITCH (Smart Ways for In-Situ Totally Integrated and Continuous Multisource Generation of Hydrogen) European project, coordinated by Fondazione Bruno Kessler, has been awarded the Hydrogen TCP Award of Excellence 2024, the prestigious award that recognizes excellence in the collaboration, research, development and application of new technologies for hydrogen production, from the International Energy Agency, the supranational intergovernmental organization leading the global dialogue on energy.

SWITCH is a green, cost-effective technology that can ensure an uninterrupted supply of hydrogen, regardless of the availability of renewable energy sources, designed for fueling stations, for mobility, for industrial stakeholders interested in decarbonizing their processes while ensuring their continuity, and for all sectors that need a sustainable and reliable hydrogen supply.

“SWITCH heralds a potential revolution in the way hydrogen is produced and used: it outperforms, in fact, traditional methods in terms of efficiency, cost-effectiveness and environmental friendliness,” said Matteo Testi, project coordinator and head with the HyRES unit at Fondazione Bruno Kessler’s Center for Sustainable Energy.  “It represents an important step toward a clean hydrogen economy, which promises reduced emissions, greater energy reliability and a more sustainable future,” the researcher added.

The SWITCH consortium, funded by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership and supported by the Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, is composed of seven highly interdisciplinary European partners: Fondazione Bruno Kessler, project coordinator, DLR – German Aerospace Center, EPFL – Ècole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, European companies HyGear and Solyd Era, consulting firm SWECO, and multinational corporation Shell.

Source: https://magazine.fbk.eu/en/news/switch-the-innovative-project-for-the-production-of-green-hydrogen-receives-award-from-iea/ 

The researchers Pejman Salimi, Gloria Gottardi, William G. Morais, Ruben Bartali, Nadhira Laidani and Edoardo G. Macchi have just published a scientific article on the journal of Batteries of MDPI and is entitled "Improving Lithium-Ion Battery Performance: Nano Al2O3 Coatings on High-Mass Loading LiFePO4 Cathodes via Atomic Layer Deposition".

Abstract

Lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4 or LFP) is a promising cathode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), but side reactions between the electrolyte and the LFP electrode can degrade battery performance. This study introduces an innovative coating strategy, using atomic layer deposition (ALD) to apply a thin (5 nm and 10 nm) Al2O3 layer onto high-mass loading LFP electrodes. Galvanostatic charge–discharge cycling and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used to assess the electrochemical performance of coated and uncoated LFP electrodes. The results show that Al2O3 coatings enhance the cycling performance at room temperature (RT) and 40 °C by suppressing side reactions and stabilizing the cathode–electrolyte interface (CEI). The coated LFP retained 67% of its capacity after 100 cycles at 1C and RT, compared to 57% for the uncoated sample. Post-mortem analyses, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), were conducted to investigate the mechanisms behind the improved performance. These analyses reveal that Al2O3 coatings are highly effective in reducing LFP electrode degradation during cycling, demonstrating the potential of ALD Al2O3 coatings to enhance the durability and performance of LFP electrodes in LIBs.

The article is written in the context of project IPCEI Batterie 2.  

This work is funded by the Italian Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy within the framework of the Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) European Battery Innovation (project IPCEI Batterie 2-CUP: B62C22000010001). The IPCEI European Battery Innovation is also funded by public authorities from Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, and Sweden.

Read the article in Open Access at the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/2313-0105/10/9/304 

On the CORDIS website, the article "Switching between fuel sources gives a constant supply of green energy" related to SWITCH Project has been published in six different languages.

The article outlines the Results in Brief of the recently concluded SWITCH project coordinated by FBK through the Center for Sustainable Energy. 

“We used solid oxide [cell] technologies to develop the system to produce hydrogen by multifuel. This means the same system can be fed by electrical power, renewable power and water electrolysis processes, switching between them as necessary,” explains project coordinator and Head of HyRES unit Matteo Testi.

Read more at the link: https://cordis.europa.eu/article/id/453215-switching-between-fuel-sources-gives-constant-supply-of-green-energy 

In the article "Green Hydrogen, strategies for an European and Italian leadership according to H2IT", Luigi Crema outlines how the EU aims at internally producing 10 million tons per year of green hydrogen by 2030 and the commitment needed to install big electrolysers on the territories.  This would be a huge opportunity to play a key role in the energy transition and collaboration among member countries is fundamental. 

H2IT signed together with other 23 European association the Cooperation Charter which aims at fostering the adoption of technologies linked to hydrogen and support the development of a European leadership.

Hydrogen Bank and Hydrogen Valleys are other important topics in the article together with the need of up- and reskilling collaborators to allow the creation of an hydrogen market. Crema reports some of the initiatives launched to promote trainings such as GreenSkills4Hydrogen and European Hydrogen Academy. 

Read the article (in Italian): https://www.canaleenergia.com/rubriche/scenari/idrogeno-verde-le-strategie-secondo-h2it/ 

The researchers Diego Viesi and Silvia Ricciuti in collaboration with the Free University of Bolzano and Ahsanullah Univeristy of Science & Technology have just published a scientific article on the journal of Energies of MDPI and is entitled "Modeling the Optimal Transition of an Urban Neighborhood towards an Energy Community and a Positive Energy District".

Abstract

Building renovation is a key initiative to promote energy efficiency, the integration of renewable energy sources (RESs), and a reduction in CO2 emissions. Supporting these goals, emerging research is dedicated to energy communities and positive energy districts. In this work, an urban neighborhood of six buildings in Trento (Italy) is considered.

Firstly, the six buildings are modeled with the Urban Modeling Interface tool to evaluate the energy performances in 2024 and 2050, also accounting for the different climatic conditions for these two time periods. Energy demands for space heating, domestic hot water, space cooling, electricity, and transport are computed.

Then, EnergyPLAN coupled with a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm is used to investigate 12 different energy decarbonization scenarios in 2024 and 2050 based on different boundaries for RESs, energy storage, hydrogen, energy system integration, and energy community incentives. Two conflicting objectives are considered: cost and CO2 emission reductions. 

The results show, on the one hand, the key role of sector coupling technologies such as heat pumps and electric vehicles in exploiting local renewables and, on the other hand, the higher costs in introducing both electricity storage to approach complete decarbonization and hydrogen as an alternative strategy in the electricity, thermal, and transport sectors. As an example of the quantitative valuable finding of this work, in scenario S1 “all sectors and EC incentive” for the year 2024, a large reduction of 55% of CO2 emissions with a modest increase of 11% of the total annual cost is identified along the Pareto front.

The article is written in the context of InCUBE Project.

Read the article in Open Access at the following link:

https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/16/4047 

The researcher Ruben Bartali have just published a scientific article on the journal of Next Materials of Elsevier and is entitled "Surface mechanical proprieties of materials: a brief review".

Abstract

In many fields such as aerospace, automotive, microelectronic, and biomedical applications the surface mechanical properties are crucial. Although in the last 30 years, the nanoindentation technique has allowed us to explore the surface mechanical properties of materials, few papers have reported a general overview of the hardness and elastic modulus of surfaces. 

In this work, we report the surface mechanical properties of the main polymers, ceramics, metals, and biomaterials. We report the hardness (H) and elastic modulus (E) estimated by nanoindentation using the Oliver Pharr method. 

We also include a qualitative evaluation of the material's H/E ratio, which is an indicator of wear resistance. In the mapping of mechanical properties, the new nano-structured materials and graphene are very interesting because they show, in contrast to traditional materials, very high hardness and relatively low elastic modulus, therefore a high H/E is an indication of good mechanical resilience.

Read the article in Open Access at the following link:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949822824000170 

The University of Aveiro (Portugal) hosted the 21st International Conference on Advanced Nanomaterials from 24 to 26 July 2024. 

Our PhD student Giulia di Gregorio participated in the conference with an oral presentation entitled "Radio Frequency Sputtering deposition of MoS2 electrocatalyst thin films for Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis (AEMWE)".

Giulia outlined how AEMWE’s distinct advantages lie in its reliance on alkaline feeds, making it compatible with cost-effective platinum-group-metal-free (PGM-free) electrocatalysts. Therefore, the fabrication of highly efficient PGM-free electrocatalysts is imperative for fostering the commercial growth of AEMWE. Herein, Giulia described a versatile method for fabricating self-supported molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) electrocatalysts onto nickel fiber papers using Radio-Frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering (MS) at room temperature. This technique is emerging as an environmentally friendly, industrially scalable, and highly reproducible one-step fabrication technique for catalyst deposition. Indeed, it enables precise control over the deposited catalyst properties, allowing for tailoring the composition of the material, optimizing its microstructure, and controlling the loading and thickness on the substrate. A comprehensive ex-situ characterization of the physico-chemical properties was performed to evaluate the influence of sputtering power, using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-Ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalytic performance of the as-sputtered thin films was assessed using a FlexCell® three electrode half cell setup, with a Pt wire serving as the counter electrode and a HydroFlex® electrode as the reference electrode. A solution of 1 M KOH served as the electrolyte. For benchmarking, a commercially available PGM-free electrocatalyst deposited on the same nickel fiber paper substrate, manufactured by Dioxide Materials, was used. XRD spectra showed no peaks corresponding to the crystalline phases of MoS2, indicating the amorphous structure of the samples. In contrast, XPS analysis demonstrated that slight variations in sputtering power influence the chemical bonding and oxidation states of the thin films. SEM-EDX revealed a rough surface morphology that closely followed the laminated nature of the substrate. The AFM results suggest that the surface roughness increases with increasing sputtering power. 

Giulia reported that electrochemical studies unveiled that the sputtering power also influences the HER performance of the MoS2 electrocatalysts. Intriguingly, the MoS2 sample deposited at the lowest sputtering power exhibited higher electrocatalytic activity for HER than the benchmark material.

Do you know that in June Rovereto hosted the second edition of the SETE Festival? 

The two-day event wishes to address climate change through a change of perspective, fosterings the dialogue from different topics and sectors and with the presence of scientists, activists and companies as well as shows and installations. 

The Senior Business Development Manager Marco Tomasi participated in the panel entitled "Energy transition is first of all a technological challenge" where the role of innovative ideas and new technologies was discussed in the perspective of sustainability. 

SETE Festival is organized by oSuonoMio in collaboration with the Municipality of Rovereto, Impact Hub as part of the “Lungo Le vie dell'Acqua” project co-financed by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation. More information at: https://www.setefestival.it/ 

Last July 5, our Director Luigi Crema participated in the Annual Assembly of Assovetro, the National Association of Glass Industrialists belonging to Confindustria. 

President Marco Ravasi presented a detailed picture of the sector, highlighting the difficulties faced in 2023 due to the geopolitical crisis, inflation and rising energy costs. Decarbonisation is one of the biggest challenges and the Association count on the government to support the effort with incentives and facilitations, as is happening in other countries.

In this context, Luigi Crema focused on the role of hydrogen during the round table with 

• Alberto Dossi - President of the Sapio Group and President of H2IT - Associazione Italiana Idrogeno

• Piero Ercoli - Executive Director Decarbonization of Snam S.p.A.

• Leonardo D'Acquisto - Head of Public Affairs of Italgas

• Aldo Belleli - Vice President Poseidon

• Filippo Rigoni - VP Business Development of Zhero.

Listen the interview at this link (in Italian).

Fondazione Bruno Kessler is partner of the North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley (NAHV) project and will be in charge of several activities such as the safety plan, the modelling of the digital twin of H2 valley and definition for a certification scheme for the green H2 guarantees of origin. Furthermore, FBK will be responsible of the activities related to exploitation and replication of the results.

Matteo Testi - Head of HyRES Unit at the Center for Sustainable Energy - has been interviewed by Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso transeuropa OBCT with regards to the NAHV project and how it can confirm the fundamental role of hydrogen in the energy transition. 

In the article Da Trento a Zagabria via Lubiana, il futuro dell’idrogeno [From Trento to Zagreb passing through Lubljana, the future of hydrogen], Matteo explains the objective of NAHV project, the importance of the collaboration between science, politics, industry and society. 

Matteo also explains the role of hydrogen and batteries in the sector of electric cars.

OBCT is a think tank and a media specialised on South-East Europe, Turkey, Eastern Europe and the Caucasus and on the EU policies in the fields of media freedom, civil society, the enlargement and coesion. It is committed to strengthening the European project by supporting transnational relations and exploring issues which are crucial for the EU democracy. 

The interview is done in the context of the project Energy4Future that aims to explore and narrate the support that cohesion funds provide to counter energy crisis and energy poverty and by stimulating energy transition at the European level.

Read the article (in Italian): https://www.balcanicaucaso.org/aree/Italia/Da-Trento-a-Zagabria-via-Lubiana-il-futuro-dell-idrogeno-232456  

Funded by the programme Interreg Alpine Space, AMETHyST project supports the deployment of local alpine green hydrogen ecosystems, with a focus on tourist areas. Designing and testing support services to roll out green H2 solutions in areas with high potential, the project aims at reinforcing the role of public authorities by raising their awareness on hydrogen and its importance in the decarbonisation of these territories. 

Eleonora Cordioli - researcher at the Center for Sustainable Energy - has been interviewed by Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso transeuropa OBCT with regards to the project. In the article, Eleonora explains the objective of AMETHyST and the involved regions and entitities. 

The researcher also explains the concrete results and impact expected on the Alpine regions, outlines the most urgent needs and those that might arise in the long term.

OBCT is a think tank and a media specialised on South-East Europe, Turkey, Eastern Europe and the Caucasus and on the EU policies in the fields of media freedom, civil society, the enlargement and coesion. It is committed to strengthening the European project by supporting transnational relations and exploring issues which are crucial for the EU democracy. 

The interview is done in the context of the project Energy4Future that aims to explore and narrate the support that cohesion funds provide to counter energy crisis and energy poverty and by stimulating energy transition at the European level.

Read the article (in Italian): https://www.balcanicaucaso.org/aree/Slovenia/Piu-idrogeno-verde-per-l-arco-alpino-232277 

Read the article (in English): https://www.balcanicaucaso.org/eng/Areas/Slovenia/More-green-hydrogen-for-the-Alpine-region-232277 

Experts from the Energy Institute at the Johannes Kepler Universität Linz visited FBK on Wednesday 10 July 2024 to open a partnership between Upper Austria and Trentino in the field of hydrogen technology and battery technology as part of the decarbonization pathway.

FBK is currently a partner of Upper Austria, Carinthia and Styria in HI2. HI2 is a Large Hydrogen Valley project that is currently under evaluation by the European Clean Hydrogen Partnership.

Large Hydrogen Valleys are ecosystems with a local or regional focus. They develop projects for the entire hydrogen chain, from production to storage and from distribution to final consumption.

"It is a pleasure and an honour for FBK to receive this delegation from Upper Austria, which includes leading personalities from institutions, research and industry. I hope that with this first exchange, we can quickly build a bridge of cooperation between our institutes on the key issues of climatic and energy challenges, in particular to the joint development of new hydrogen and battery technologies, also using our laboratories and infrastructures," comments Luigi Crema, Director of the Center for Sustainable Energy and President of Hydrogen Europe Research. 

Italian version:

Ieri FBK ha accolto esperti dell’Energieinstitut an der JKU Linz per avviare una collaborazione tra Upper Austria e Trentino su temi legati alle tecnologie dell'idrogeno e delle batterie all'interno del percorso di decarbonizzazione.

Attualmente FBK è partner con Upper Austria, Carinzia e Stiria di 𝗛𝗜𝟮, il progetto di Large Hydrogen Valley in fase di valutazione da parte della Clean Hydrogen Partnership europea.

Le Large Hydrogen Valley sono ecosistemi con focus locale o regionale che sviluppano progetti applicati all'intera catena dell'idrogeno: dalla produzione allo stoccaggio, dalla distribuzione all’utilizzo finale.

"È un piacere e un onore per FBK ricevere e ospitare questa ampia delegazione dall'Upper Austria, che coinvolge figure istituzionali, dirigenti del settore ricerca e dell'industria. Con questo primo scambio mi auguro si possa rapidamente costruire un ponte di collaborazione tra i nostri istituti sui temi chiave della sfida climatica e energetica, in particolare sullo sviluppo congiunto di nuove tecnologie per l'idrogeno e le batterie, coinvolgendo anche l'uso dei nostri laboratori e infrastrutture", commenta Luigi Crema direttore del FBK-SE | The Centre for Sustainable Energy | Bruno Kessler Foundation e presidente di Hydrogen Europe Research.

German version:

Experten des Energieinstituts an der JKU Linz haben gestern FBK besucht, um eine Partnerschaft zwischen Oberösterreich und dem Trentino im Bereich der Wasserstofftechnologie und der Batterietechnik im Rahmen des Dekarbonisierungspfads zu eröffnen.

FBK ist derzeit Partner von Oberösterreich, Kärnten und der Steiermark in HI2. HI2 ist ein Large Hydrogen Valley Projekt, das sich zur Zeit von seitens der European Clean Hydrogen Partnership unter Bewertung befindet.

Large Hydrogen Valleys sind Ökosysteme mit lokalem oder regionalem Fokus. Sie entwickeln Projekte für die gesamte Wasserstoffkette, angefangen bei der Produktion bis zur Speicherung und vom Vertrieb bis zum Endverbrauch.

“Es ist eine Freude und eine Ehre für FBK, diese Delegation aus Oberösterreich, an der führende Persönlichkeiten aus Institutionen, Forschung und Industrie beteiligt sind, zu empfangen,. Ich hoffe, dass wir mit diesem ersten Austausch schnell eine Brücke der Zusammenarbeit zwischen unseren Instituten zu den Schlüsselthemen klimatischer und energetischer Herausforderungen schlagen können, insbesondere zur gemeinsamen Entwicklung neuer Wasserstoff- und Batterietechnologien, auch unter Nutzung unserer Labors und Infrastrukturen", kommentiert Luigi Crema, Direktor des FBK-SE | The Centre for Sustainable Energy | Bruno Kessler Foundation und Präsident von Hydrogen Europe Research. 

Fabio Torazzi presented the poster entitled "Ba Zr0.8 Y0.2 O3" Proton Conductive ceramic: an electrolyte for H2 production at intermidiate temperature" about the results obtained reguarding one of the topic he is currently working on: synthesis and sintering of Yttria-doped BaZrO3 as promising electrolyte for Proton Conductive Electrolytic Cell (PCEC) for green hydrogen production.

Fabio is a PhD student at the University of Trento and FBK, financed by the project "Producing Hydrogen in Trentino (H2@TN)" is a project of the University of Trento and Fondazione Bruno Kessler, financed by the Autonomous Province of Trento.

H2@TN aims to develop innovative technologies for hydrogen production, providing valuable solutions to boost decarbonization and improve the flexibility of energy systems. The project is a concrete step toward realizing the Trentino Green Deal.

In H2@TN project, the team is working on different topic in collaboration with Università degli Studi di Trento. In particular:

• Solid Oxide Cells and Proton Conductive Cells for green hydrogen production at intermidiate and high temperature

• Plasma-assisted hydrogen production 

• Solar energy-based fotoeletrochemical Cells for green hydrogen production 

The project was born from the necessity to increase the green hydrogen production experience in Trentino region, joining experience of both University of Trento, FBK and companies of the sector.

Fabio reported that "The conference was a first experience for me, and I tried to bring home as much as possible: productive discussion about the topic, interesting networking, important new knowledge". Well done!

More information on the conference: https://www.hyceltec2024.it/

More information on the project: https://greendealtrento.eu/ 

Every year the Doctoral Program in Materials Science and Technology of the University of Padova organises the MST Days. The event aims to promote research activities, networking and career development of the PhD students. 

This year the MST Day took place on the 3rd of July 2024 and the Center for Sustainable Energy of Fondazione Bruno Kessler was invited to participate.

Elena Crespi and William Gomes de Morais were invited to participate and to represent the Center SE.

Following a general presentation of Fondazione Bruno Kessler and the activities done within the Center SE, the researchers focused on the two Research Unit:

• Elena Crespi presented the activities of the HyRES Unit (Hydrogen Technologies and Resilient Energy Systems)

• William Gomes de Morais presented the activities of the BET Unit (Battery and Electrification Technologies).

During the presentation, some concrete examples of ongoing research projects were also introduced. This gave the opportunity to the PhD students to understand how the skills they are developing in their studies can be applied in industrial-oriented research projects.

Have a look at the programme: at this link.

Our Emanuele de Bona attended the IX Symposium on Hydrogen, Fuel Cells and Advanced Batteries (HYCELTEC 2024) during the first week of July 2024, in Milazzo (Sicily, Italy).

This conference was a great opportunity to meet many key actors in the field of H2 production and renewable energies. The contributions were divided into 3 sessions, where the speakers shared the latest progress in their respective fields. General discussion and exchange among the different fields were fostered by the plenaries and the mixed poster session. The presence of some well known sponsors allowed also an update on their newest technologies and their possible application in the daily research work.

Emanuele was selected as oral contributor in the fuel cell session, where he gave the presentation entitled "Symmetric electrolyte-supported solid oxide electrolyser cell for green H2 production", which reported the development of the test bench for single SOECs testing in the FBK laboratories.

The presentation was done in the context of Hy-SPIRE project where the Center SE leads the Work Package 4, therefore managing the activities of communication, dissemination and exploitation, and providing a techno-economic analyses supported by life cycle assessment (LCA) addressing the recycling and end-of-life scenarios for the developed technology. During the project, FBK will also be in charge of the testing of the stack and the development of dedicated protocols and procedures for the testing activity on novel SOE stack based on metal and electrode supported cells

More information on the project: https://hy-spire.eu/ 

More information on the conference: https://www.hyceltec2024.it/

The researchers Francesco Ghionda, Alessandro Sartori, Zijie Liu and Diego Viesi have just published a scientific publication on the International Journal of Sustainable Energy Planning and Management. 

The article is entitled "Optimizing the Integration of Renewable Energy Sources, Energy Efficiency, and Flexibility Solutions in a Multi-network Pharmaceutical Industry" and is related to the project FLEXIndustries, where FBK-SE collaborates with and support the demo leader, the company SUANFARMA. The technology providers HiRef S.p.A. and Midac SpA collaborates in the Italian demo of this EU project.

Abstract

In the contemporary landscape, roughly one-fourth of worldwide carbon dioxide emissions stem from industrial energy usage. In the industrial sector, improving the efficient and flexible coupling among different energy demands (electricity, heating, and cooling) and exploiting the integration of  Renewable  Energy  Sources  (RESs)  and  waste  heat  can  lead  to  a  drastic  reduction  in  CO2 emissions, which are also the goals of the EU founded Horizon Europe FLEXIndustries project.

This  study  aims  to  establish  a  cost-optimized  decarbonization  strategy  for  an  energy-intensive industry, focusing on an Italian pharmaceutical company. It delves into the exploration of potential pathways  and  diverse  energy  mix  configurations.  The  approach  undertaken  involves  coupling  a customized  energy  system  simulation  framework,  specifically  designed  for  the industrial  site, with a Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithm (MOEA). The study, conducted with a focus on the year 2024, involves a comparative analysis of three distinct scenarios. Within the intricate and challenging constraints of the industrial demo site, 13 technologies are investigated. The outcomes of each scenario reveal a set of Pareto optimal solutions, which are thoroughly analyzed to discern the evolution of the energy mix along the Pareto front. These results shed light on the compelling potential of hybrid solutions, showcasing the feasibility of achieving substantial decarbonization with only moderate increases in costs. The availability of land for RES technologies, along with the existence of a biomass supply chain in the region, emerge as pivotal determinants.

Read the article in Open Access at the following link:

https://journals.aau.dk/index.php/sepm/article/view/8167/6841 

Read more about FLEXIndustries:

 https://%20https//flexindustries.eu/ 

Edoardo G. Macchi and Mattia Duranti participated in the International Flow Battery Forum  (IFBF2024) in Glasgow, Scotland. 

IFBF is the leading worldwide event for the flow battery community where, every year, experts present the most recent and cutting-edge developments on the flow battery technology. Scientific and business-oriented topics are showcased in a blend of competences heading toward the confirmation of this technology as a major player among electrical energy storage systems. 

From 25 to 27 June 2024, our researchers had the opportunity to discuss the latest innovations, policy updates and market challenges for the flow battery sector, as well as the possibility to participate in the extraordinary site visit to Invinity Energy Systems manufacturing site.

Our researcher Mattia Duranti had the opportunity to present a poster entitled "Debate on Safe, Sustainable and Abundant Inorganic Electrolytes for Redox Flow Batteries", where he reviewed promising alternatives to the Vanadium electrolytes commonly employed in the mainstream systems, with a special attention to safety, affordability and sustainability.

More information: https://flowbatteryforum.com/ 

More information on IFBF2024:

https://www.accelevents.com/e/international-flow-battery-forum-2024 

Batteries Europe and BEPA have recently released five Position Papers in 2024 that shed light on critical aspects of the battery industry. These papers represent a collaborative effort to address critical challenges and opportunities in the battery sector. The topics covered include Education and Skills, Sustainability, Safety, Social sciences and Humanities, Digitalisation and Hybridisation. 

Our Head of Batteries and Electrification Unit Edoardo G. Macchi is among the leading authors of the position paper of the Safety Task Force. The paper was published in April 2024.

Last June 18, Batteries Europe organised an online workshop to disseminate the papers. Edoardo Macchi was invited to speak about safety issues in Redox Flow Batteries and participate in the panel session "New approaches to develop enhances safety materials, cells and battery systems". 

Batteries Europe is a European Technology and Innovation platform connecting and supporting research and innovation stakeholders across the entire European Battery Value chain. 

More information on the position papers: https://batterieseurope.eu/results/position-papers-on-cross-cutting-topics-2024/position-papers-on-cross-cutting-topics-2/ 

Direct link to Safety Position Paper: https://batterieseurope.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Task-Force-Safety_.pdf 

On the 13th June 2024, Matteo Testi participated in a roundtable on policies and best practices for the deployment of hydrogen applications organized in the context of the third Exchange Program of the AMETHyST project.

The panel moderated by Maren Mayer (Klima Haus) saw the participation of:

• Gottfried Rier, CTO, GKN Hydrogen

• Matteo Testi, Head of HyRES Unit, FBK-SE

• Ulrich Santa, Director, Energy Agency South Tyrol - CasaClima

• Matteo Mazzolini, Director, Energy Agency Friuli Venezia-Giulia (APE FVG)

• Tomaž Robič, Energy Agency ENERGAP, Maribor

The experts discussed the main barriers to implementation and perspectives on the stationary use of hydrogen in the building sector.

The panel was part of a bigger event for companies, public authorities, and experts which was held in South Tyrol, Italy, at the headquarters and assembly lines of the innovative company GKN Hydrogen.

The 26 participants from Italy, Austria, Germany, and Slovenia visited GKN Hydrogen to learn about the company’s state-of-the-art hydrogen storage technology. They also toured the nearby farm and tourist accommodation “Arieshof,” where one such storage solution is in operation, aiming to provide maximum energy autonomy.

More information: https://www.alpine-space.eu/project-news/amethyst-exchange-programme-a-visit-to-gkn-hydrogen-and-pilot-site-arieshof/

One week ago, our Director Luigi Crema was invited as speaker in the event "L'ENERGIA NEL FUTURO: CONOSCERE PER PRODURRE, USARE E TRASFORMARE [Energy in the future: knowledge to produce, use and transform]", which took place in Storo hosted by Agri'90.

More than 100 entrepreneurs and professionals participated in the event focused on the sustainability of the energy market.

Luigi Crema firstly made a presentation about the context, vision and macro-trend of the energy market, then outlined to the participants the new technologies that will have an impact in the production, discribution and energy storage policies. 

This event is part of a series of meetings and initiatives called "InAgenda" organised by La Cassa Rurale Adamello Giudicarie Valsabbia Paganella for local companies to raise their awareness on the sustainable developments goals and the ESG criteria, and to provide them with tools to start or continue a sustainable path.

La Cassa Rurale is a bank of the Gruppo Bancario Cooperativo Cassa Centrale Banca and, among other activities, organises initiatives to favour exchanges of experiences, ideas and best practices on the territory. 

More information and the agenda on: https://www.lacassarurale.it/imprese/iniziative/inagenda-2030/ 

On the second week of June 2024, the 37th Topical Meeting of the International Society of Electrochemistry took place in Stresa (Italy) where experts meets "to discuss the latest developments in materials and related electrochemical results and applications in strategic sectors such as local energy distribution, automotive, smart grids and electrical network load management, trying to push the state of the art of novel electrochemical processes to a new advanced level".

Emanuele Maria Groiss participated in the event with an oral presentation entitled "Iron hydrolysis suppression by glycine addition in concentrated iron electrolyte for aqueous Redox Flow Batteries" in the session Beyond Lithium, new chemistries and approaches.

Emanuele is 1 year PhD student in "Materials, mechatronics and systems engineering" at the Industrial Engineering dept. of the University of Trento with focus on materials for energy and sustainable development. Emanuele works on iron-based Redox Flow Batteries at the Centre for Sustainable Energy in Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK). His thesis aims to investigate the employability of low-cost, low-impact, abundant materials to produce valuable inorganic aqueous electrolytes for RFBs. We approach the challenge of energy storage diversification focusing on the materials' sustainable design for possible long-term, high-volume, stationary energy storage RFBs.

Abstract:

Redox Flow Batteries (RFB) are flexible electrochemical energy storage systems relying on a wide landscape of chemistries with low environmental impact. With the possibility to employ abundant and cheap materials they can alleviate the demand for critical raw materials (CRMs), resulting in one of the most promising technologies for long duration energy storage (LDES) [1]. In this work, possible electrolytes for Fe-based RFB at acidic pH were studied approaching the problem of iron hydrolysis through the modification of the electrolyte via Glycine addition. In fact, the dissolution of iron salts in aqueous solution with pH>2 results in the formation of insoluble iron hydroxides [2]. This causes the loss of electroactive species from the electrolyte, resulting in a loss of battery capacity. Glycine was added as ligand with concentrations up to 4 mol/l to bind with iron ions at various Glycine-iron molar ratios at pH 0-3 in concentrated solutions of FeCl2 and FeCl3. The proportion of Fe(II) and Fe(III) was properly tuned between 0 and 2 mol/l to explore the analogous of what would be the State of Charge (SoC) of a possible cell using this electrolyte as catholyte. The best electrolyte preparation method is presented, evaluating the pH and the preparation temperature, since the latter showed an impact in the acceleration of the Glycine-iron complexation reaction. Physic-chemical characterization of the electrolytes was performed by evaluating the ionic conductivity, kinematic viscosity, and density. Furthermore, cyclic voltammetries with a glassy carbon RDE were performed in a three-electrode cell both in static and rotating conditions. Based on these measurements, the diffusion coefficients of the iron ions and their diffusion layer thickness on the electrode-electrolyte interface were deduced by employing Levich and Cottrell equations. In a purely activation-controlled regime, equilibrium potentials and reaction rate constants were obtained applying the Koutecky-Levich analysis, which is well suited for solutions with nonnegligible viscosity. With an equilibrium potential of 0.650 V vs. SHE, the 2:2 Glycine-iron molar ratio appears to be the most suitable catholyte composition for the FeCl2 and FeCl3 system with excellent suppression of iron hydrolysis as no precipitation is observed after more than eight months.

Authors:

Emanuele Maria Groiss, Mattia Duranti, Michele Fedel, William Gomes de Morais, Edoardo Gino Macchi. 

Have a look at the programme: https://topical37.ise-online.org/img_conf/TM-37-PROGRAM-A5.pdf 

Link to the abstract: https://abstracts.ise-online.org/infiles/doc_production/top240534.pdf 

The event hosted by the Politecnico di Bari took place on the 5th and 6th of June 2024, and was organised by the Italian Section of The Combustion Institute and the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche – Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie per l’Energia e la Mobilità Sostenibili (CNR-STEMS).

As reported in the brochure of the workshop, Ammonia Energy is emerging as a key topic towards the decarbonization of power, heat and transportation sectors. However, “ammonia economy” still presents many open issues, spanning from ammonia synthesis to utilization, before its deployment at different scales. In this context this event provides a unique opportunity where academics, SMEs and Industrial companies can profitably discuss the future of ammonia energy. The forum represents a tangible opportunity to share actors’ needs and expertise, towards the definition of common strategies to develop the role of Ammonia as a key player in the future of green fuels.

Workshop participants had the opportunity to proactively analyze ammonia energy peculiarities and define possible concrete roadmaps through their participation in round-table discussions and with their own contributions for oral presentations.

Our Head of HyRES Unit Matteo Testi outlined how direct ammonia fuel cells (DAFCs) are a promising technology for clean energy generation due to ammonia’s advantages as a hydrogen carrier, summarizing the state of DAFC research, highlighting progress in experimental activities in the framework of European and national projects. The presentation was done in the context of the AMON Project. 

More information https://amon-project.eu/

Our researchers Elena Crespi, Mattia Duranti and Sara Stemberger are among the future FBK Science Ambassador!

The project aims to enhance the people and the current topics of our Research in line with FBK's Talent Program Hundreds of young researchers, innovators and PhD students are involved in research and higher education projects at Fondazione Bruno Kessler each year. 

Human capital enhancement has always been one of FBK’s main goals, and to better meet this need, several initiatives have been launched, including the upcoming Talent Program. This program aims to uncover the potential and maximize the skills of each talent by offering individual experiential learning pathways linked to their respective professional vocations.

To ensure the success of such initiatives, it is crucial to effectively convey innovations, research and technology advances to people and society. In this context, the quality of science communication plays a critical role. This is why the FBK Science Ambassador project, a high-level training course on science communication topics for 25 young FBK talents, was created.

Monday, June 10, 2024, at FBK’s Povo site, the 25 ambassadors together with the centers’ scientific management met for the project’s kick-off, that featured an opening motivational speech by FBK President Ferruccio Resta.

The future Ambassadors, 12 female and 13 male with an average age of less than 35 years and from the different centers of the Foundation, presented their backgrounds and research interests, along with expectations about the educational path for their careers.

“The aim of the project is to train talented researchers who can become true ambassadors of Fondazione Bruno Kessler’s research, spreading the results and value with clarity, passion and enthusiasm,” President Ferruccio Resta said. “Science communication is key to making science accessible to all, but it brings with it delicate challenges.  We need to find the perfect balance between rigor and clarity, between precision and involvement.”

The actual training will start in September, that during the first edition will give the talents participating in the project the opportunity to delve into modules inherent to science communication, the creation of effective content, and the enhancement of written, oral, and multi-channel communication.

The 25 Science Ambassadors, upon completion of the training, will have the opportunity to put the acquired knowledge into practice and present themselves at events and outreach initiatives as FBK voices.

Read the press release in Italian: https://magazine.fbk.eu/it/news/presentati-i-25-futuri-science-ambassador-di-fbk/ 

We are speaking of AMON and COMMUNITAS, two European projects that see the involvement of the Center for Sustainable Energy of FBK.

The goal of the AMON project, in which FBK coordinates the 13 participating partners, is to use ammonia as an energy carrier in a solid oxide cell system, i.e. to convert the chemical energy of ammonia into electrical energy, with a conversion yield of up to 70% and in a process free of CO2 emissions.

Creating new communities in which citizens are the protagonists of the energy transition path: this is the goal of COMMUNITAS, a European project that provides users with the technological infrastructure necessary to be able to determine when and how much energy to feed into the system, becoming active players in the energy market.

The two projects are described in the report 100 Italian Renewable Energy Stories promoted by Symbola - Fondazione per le qualità italiane, Enel Group and KEY - The Energy Transition Expo.

Link to the report: https://buff.ly/3VD9F2w

More information on AMON Project: https://amon-project.eu/

More information on COMMUNITAS Project: https://communitas-project.eu/ 

__________________________________________________________________

Due progetti FBK tra le 100 Italian Renewable Energy Stories

Si tratta di AMON e COMMUNITAS, due progetti di ricerca europea in cui collabora il centro FBK-SE - The Centre for Sustainable Energy.

Obbiettivo del progetto AMON, in cui FBK coordina i 13 partner partecipanti, è utilizzare l’ammoniaca come vettore energetico in un sistema di celle a ossidi solidi, ovvero convertire l’energia chimica dell’ammoniaca in energia elettrica, con una resa di conversione fino al 70% ed in un processo privo di emissioni di CO2.

Realizzare nuove comunità in cui i cittadini sono protagonisti del percorso di transizione energetica: questo l’obbiettivo di COMMUNITAS, progetto europeo che mette a disposizione degli utenti l’infrastruttura tecnologica necessaria per poter stabilire quando e quanta energia immettere nel sistema, diventando player attivi nel mercato energetico.

I due progetti sono raccontanti nel rapporto 100 Italian Renewable Energy Stories promosso da Symbola - Fondazione per le qualità italiane, Enel Group e KEY - The Energy Transition Expo.

Link al report: https://buff.ly/3VD9F2w

Maggiori informazioni sul progetto AMON: https://amon-project.eu/

Maggiori informazioni sul progetto COMMUNITAS: https://communitas-project.eu/ 

Luigi Crema, director of the Center for Sustainable Energy at Fondazione Bruno Kessler, has been reappointed as president of Hydrogen Europe Research (HER), Europe’s leading hydrogen research organization. The appointment of the president and new board took place in Budapest today Thursday, June 13, at HER’s General Assembly.

Hydrogen Europe Research, composed of more than 150 international universities and research centers, is a member of the Clean Hydrogen Partnership-along with the European Commission and Hydrogen Europe for the industrial sector: the main objective is to contribute to the Green Deal and the European hydrogen strategy by supporting research and innovation activities.

Luigi Crema, who has held the role of HER president since January 2023, commented on the appointment that officially took place this morning with thede words: “I’ll continue with great enthusiasm and motivation my activity as President of Hydrogen Europe Research, a role that allows to affect policies supporting European hydrogen research. This is also a significant achievement for the national context, as well as for FBK’s visibility at the European and global level. 

This role enables participation on the Governing Boards of the Clean Hydrogen Partnership, now halfway through its program, as the sole research delegate, along with Hydrogen Europe’s three representatives from the European Commission and five from industry. New working groups are gathering important information to identify priorities for the future partnership for the 10th Framework Program, one of HER’s upcoming relevant goals.  In our proposal, research and innovation will have a well-defined role in a European strategy that will take into account three different areas, which it is important to consider in a united vision: improving competitiveness, supporting industrialization, and a framework for market building.”

Also on the new board is Viviana Cigolotti – Head of Division of Technologies and Vectors for Decarbonization at ENEA – who with CNR and Fondazione Bruno Kessler has a collaboration agreement for hydrogen research – and who, at HER, will play the role of technical committee leader of TC4 – hydrogen end uses for stationary and industrial applications.

Read the press release in Italian: https://magazine.fbk.eu/it/news/luigi-crema-e-stato-rieletto-presidente-di-hydrogen-europe-research/ 

Experts from the eighteen partners of the European Horizon Europe COMMUNITAS project met in Fiera di Primiero for three days of meetings on the topic of energy communities, from June 5th to 7th. The first two days were held behind closed doors to analyze the progress of the project activities as well as the next steps in implementation at the demonstrator sites, including the Primiero Valley. 

On Friday morning, a community event was held in collaboration with the European project LIFE ECOEMPOWER, coordinated by the Center for Sustainable Energy of FBK, on the topic of social participation in energy communities. Speakers at the event included Debora Cilio from RSE, Massimo Plazzer from APRIE (Province of Trento), Isacco Corradi from the Trentino energy community Green Land, Simone Canteri from the Azienda Consorziale Servizi Municipalizzati (ACSM S.p.A), and Roberto Pradel, president of the Primiero Community. 

Additionally, workshops involving active public participation were organized during the morning. The first workshop focused on the ideation of solutions and activities aimed at social engagement of citizens in the development of energy communities, while the second workshop addressed regulatory contexts and governance, involving participants in defining cooperation strategies for optimizing economies of scale. 

The Primiero Valley in Trentino is one of the eight European pilot sites involved through ACSM S.p.A., which has always been committed to the production, distribution, and sale of electricity and heat from renewable energy sources, specifically through hydroelectric plants and wood biomass district heating plants. 

COMMUNITAS (operating for three years, from 2023 to 2026) is supporting the creation, operation, and expansion of energy communities at the European level, while also leading a paradigm shift to make citizens central elements of energy markets. To achieve this goal, the project supports eight pilot sites across Europe. In particular, the project is developing a Knowledge Base that will provide users with technical, administrative, and legal information about energy communities, simplifying the creation and expansion of this concept. COMMUNITAS is also creating a series of innovative tools – leveraging technologies such as IoT, Blockchain, and Cloud Computing – to unlock active citizen participation in energy markets and communities. 

ECOEMPOWER (operating for three years, from 2023 to 2026) is working on creating regional One Stop Shops in the five partner regions of the project: Trentino in Italy, Central Greece in Greece, Prague in the Czech Republic, Allgau in Germany, and Rhone Alps in France. Additionally, the project is developing a series of tools (technical, economic, social) for energy communities, which are being tested in the field on 15 selected pilot sites in the project regions. 

Read the press release in Italian, at this link.

JUST GREEN AFRH2ICA is a Clean Hydrogen Partnership project that aims to develop a Green Hydrogen Just Transition Roadmap that would make African-European transition pathways to H2 synergic, sustainable and avoiding any “Africa hydrogen colonization”, but promoting a mutual benefit collaboration of the two continents towards the development of independent and collaborative hydrogen economies, R&D ecosystem and value chains.

Africa has a unique potential to exploit low cost renewable energy to produce green hydrogen for domestic and external markets. Green Hydrogen could become indeed the booster of a sustainable development of the continent, enabling African countries to reduce their environmental impact as well as to make them less dependent to fossil fuels which can create geopolitical issues too. African green hydrogen development could be helpful for European hydrogen transition, that’s why it’s important that both EU and AU hydrogen policies and development roadmaps are conceived in a cross-fertilizing way.

On May 28, the project organised in Genoa (Italy) a Stakeholder event where local and national authorities discussed with stakeholders from the private sector on the importance of a strategy for the collaboration between Italy, Europe and Africa when creating a hydrogen market. 

The first session entitled "Italy as protagonist in Green Hydrogen Transition in EU/AU and the role of green hydrogen in Italian Piano Mattei" delved into the impact of the Italian Piano Mattei and the abundant opportunities for hydrogen ventures bridging Italy and Africa. In this occasion, Luigi Crema spoke about the green hydrogen production projects in Italy and the national roadmap. 

The second session will be dedicated to real experiences of hydrogen experts from industries already engaged both in Europe and Africa.

More on the project: https://just-green-afrh2ica.eu/about/

More on the event: https://just-green-afrh2ica.eu/2024/05/16/next-stakeholders-event-in-genoa-28th-may-2024/ 

ReBuild is the event dedicated to sustainable innovation in the built environment which this year reaches its tenth edition. It took place at the Congress Center of Riva del Garda on 14 and 15 May 2024.

The Director of the Center SE Luigi Crema participated in the panel 'New models for the energy transition: green sharing scenarios', held during of the first day of ReBuild - Meeting the next built environment. 

As reported in the article of AdnKronos (below), Luigi Crema outlined how Italy has an industrial sector that can potentially be involved in the hydrogen sector in a positive way, with many areas of the supply chain, components and systems from various industrial sectors that can be reconverted to produce similar components and systems within the hydrogen supply chain. 

However, the SE Director reported that there are still several gaps to be filled in which include authorization processes and incentives for the sector and tools that create a more accessible market framework should be available to operators interested in the development of this supply chain.

Furthermore, in teh article Luigi Crema outlined how Italy can constitute the southern energy supply corridor hydrogen for the European creating an infrastructure that will participate in the European Hydrogen Backbone, i.e. the hydrogen transport framework throughout Europe, which by 2040 will provide for the development of 60,000 kilometers of hydrogen network hydrogen in Europe. 

Read the article in Italian: https://www.adnkronos.com/economia/rebuild-2024-crema-fondazione-bruno-kessler-e-her-idrogeno-opportunita-per-litalia_3ZxaWzjWCcJRAgl1jSBY1a

Read the report: at this link. 

During the forth week of May, IMDEA Energy has organised together with the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos the Spring School of the SH2EProject and eGHOSTProject.

The event aimed to showcase and train in new tools and technical developments around the hydrogen economy as a basis for achieving a decarbonised society in 2050, including environmental, economic and social aspects to ensure sustainability in its broadest concept.

Along with its technical development, it is important to ensure its sustainability in its broadest concept, including environmental, economic and social aspects. 

During the School, the guidelines proposed in SH2E for harmonized life cycle assessment, life cycle costing, social life cycle assessment and its combination in life cycle sustainability assessment were presented as well as the criticality indicator proposed in the project and the SH2E software tool to support these guidelines will be explained. 

The School also focused on the eco-design of hydrogen systems following the guidelines developed in the eGHOST project, the first European project on the sustainable-by-design of hydrogen technologies. The methodology and guidelines developed in the project are the basis for the corresponding lectures. As a complement, some of Europe’s most important researchers will present the current and future state of hydrogen research and technologies.

To this end, some of Europe's leading researchers presented the current and future state of hydrogen research and technologies.

Following a practical eco-design workshop, our Director adn President of Hydrogen Europe Research Luigi Crema, presented the research activities on hydrogen that are taking place in Europe.

More information at this link: https://sh2e.eu/join-us-we-look-forward-to-seeing-you-from-20th-to-24th-of-may-at-spring-school/ 

On the 21st of May 2024, our researcher Eleonora Cordioli was in Vipiteno to visit the manufacturing site of Prinoth, together with APE FVG - the Energy Agency for Friuli Venezia Giulia, PromoTurismoFVG and Funivie Madonna di Campiglio.

Prinoth Group is specialized in producing heavy equipment for challenging conditions and their machines are designed for specific purposes, whether moving earth, grooming snow or managing vegetation.

The company guided the guests through a visit and showed the prototypes of hydrogen-powered snow groomers, that the company is developing. 

FBK and APE FVG - partners in the AMETHySt project - together with Funivie Madonna di Campiglio and PromoTurismoFVG - which are involved in the project's pilot studies, are interested in understanding the potential and feasibility of implementing hydrogen-powered snow groomers in ski areas. 

Interreg Alpine Space AMETHyST project supports the deployment of local alpine green hydrogen ecosystems, with a focus on tourist areas.  Designing and testing support services to roll out green H2 solutions in areas with high potential, the project aims at reinforcing the role of public authorities by raising their awareness on hydrogen and its importance in the decarbonisation of these territories. 

On Thursday 24 May 2024, Fondazione Caritro hosted the panel entitled "ALLA RICERCA DELL’EQUILIBRIO TRA ECONOMIA, ENERGIA ED AMBIENTE [The Pursuit of balance among economy, energy and environment]" moderated by Silvia Di Rosa, President of the Engineers Association of Trento Province.

Speakers:

• Massimo Beccarello, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca

• Dina Lanzi,  Head Of Technology Development Snam Decarbonization Projects

• Emanuele Martinolli, Operational Manager of the "Codes and calculation methods" Department at FRAMATOME

• Luigi Crema, President of Hydrogen Europe Research and Director of the Center for Sustainable Energy of Fondazione Bruno Kessler - FBK

In the introductory speech, Silvia di Rosa outlined of the energy global situation underlining that "There is not a General Manager of mankind, every country should do its part in compliance with rules. The production of energy is still the main responsible of greenhouse gases, this is the reason why the panel focuses on energy topic. We need to remember that there are no single solutions, we need to think of a paradigm of combined solutions. Energy transition comes with a cost, and there is a delicate balance among society, territory and envirnment".

Massimo Beccarello gave the audience an overview of energy economic framework in Italy and in the world, and outlined the trends of the renewable sources in the EU with a focus on the future.

Beccarello underlined that the become independent in the field of energy is a challenge for the EU considering that the vast majority of raw materials comes from China and Asia. There is the need for an EU strategy to develop the industrial production capacity.

Dina Lanzi offered an techno-economic assessment of the European energy market and defined the potential new alternatives that can support us in the energy transition and in reaching the zero-emissions target within 2050. Technologies that helps reaching the decarbonisation are numerous with different development perspectives, and can be divided in two main categories: (i) technologies with the objective of producing without CO2 emission, and (ii) technologies that capture the CO2. Not all the sectors are good for both technologies and depending on the sector where these technologies are located, there are different cost perspectives. Dina Lanzi underlined that there is not a single solution but there are numerous variables to be taken into consideration, and policies play an important role.

Emanuele Martinolli gave an European and global overview of the nuclear energy before stepping in its role in the energy transition. Globally, nuclear is the second electricity source with low CO2 emission following hydroelectric. There are 400 reactors in the world and in Europe there are 150, where almost all countries have nuclear reactors. France is strongly contributing to Green Deal objectives as this country thanks to the nuclear production.

Luigi Crema was asked to explain the role of hydrogen in the energy transition and the necessary actions from the industrial supply chain to support the transition. Luigi outlined how hydrogen has become a global phenomena creating a "H2 geopolitic". 75 million of hydrogen are currently used each year in the world and it mainly comes from fossil fuels. Hydrogen is a energy vector easy to be transported and can create energy. There is a strong industry of hydrogen in Europe and it represent a entire supply chain. The EU considers H2 a strategic industrial asset and aims at entering in a global situation where there are huge projects going on to create hydrogen, base on renewable energy. Two approaches are being used by the EU to strengthen the hydrogen production: (i) top-down through policies, incentives and realisation of infrastructure, and (ii) bottom-up through the creation of projects from small to large such as hydrogen valley. There is the need to combine three assets to develop this sector: competitiveness, industrialisation and market creation.
Locally, the Autonomous Province of Trento is going in this direction through the creation of the new Center for Sustainable Energy in Rovereto on a relevant scale, where FBK will validate technologies for the industrial sector. This is combined with the support of Trentino Sviluppo to realise a local industrial ecosystem, where lots of companies have already started to locate assets. An example is UFI Group, with the realisation of UFI Hydrogen that will create a manufacturing site which is promising in the field of electrolysers. There are also other companies such as SolydEra and Tormene. 

Watch the panel in streaming (Italian): https://www.festivaleconomia.it/it/evento/alla-ricerca-dellequilibrio-tra-economia-energia-ed-ambiente 

More information: https://www.festivaleconomia.it/it 

Press release of FBK: https://www.fbk.eu/it/press-releases/il-delicato-equilibrio-tra-economia-energia-ed-ambiente/ 

On the 31st of March 2024, the consortium partners brought the curtain down on SWITCH, an innovative project focused on the development and validation of an in-situ fully integrated and continuous multisource hydrogen production system. This European project was funded by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership and implemented by seven interdisciplinary organisations from across Europe led by Fondazione Bruno Kessler since it began in 2019.

One of the key principles of the EU Green Deal is to ensure a secure and affordable EU energy supply. Hydrogen generation is aiming to support the growth of clean and low carbon energy systems and their diffusion in order to have a fully decarbonized society. 

At present, unfortunately, the large majority of hydrogen is produced from natural gas and oil, resulting in the co-production of CO2, a significant greenhouse gas. The remaining hydrogen is generated through electrolysis, although the majority of this production relies on non-renewable sources.

The European research project SWITCH attempted to tackle these challenges. During four years of intense research and collaboration, the consortium succeeded in different directions by creating a system that accommodates the intermittency of renewable energy by being able to rapidly switch between electrolysis and fuel cell operation modes. Furthermore, the flexibility of the system is a big added value as it allows to use distinct energy carriers, the connections to the grid as it ranges from the production to the consumption of energy with a focus on mobility due to its reversibility. 

The project provided a robust baseline from which to start further system development through the creation of demo sites.

“The SWITCH project has successfully concluded, leaving behind a lasting legacy in the field of sustainable energy production that will be felt for the years to come. The project's groundbreaking achievement lies in the development of a novel hydrogen production system that leverages solid oxide cell technology” reports the Project Coordinator Matteo Testi – Head of HyRES Unit at the Center for Sustainable Energy of FBK. “This system surpasses traditional hydrogen production methods in terms of efficiency, cost-effectiveness and environmental friendliness, heralding a potential revolution in the way we produce and utilize hydrogen. SWITCH represents a major leap forward in the journey towards a clean hydrogen economy, promising reduced emissions, enhanced energy security and a more sustainable future. The project's significant contribution to the development of a low-carbon future has been duly recognized on the international stage. SWITCH was recently bestowed with the prestigious Energy Globe Award 2023 for Italy, a testament to its remarkable impact in the fight against climate change and its potential to create a real difference in the world. The SWITCH project's success serves as an inspiration, showcasing the potential of innovation and collaboration to drive positive change and propel us towards a cleaner, brighter future”.

On May 15th, SWITCH held the final event “Hydrogen production and the society decarbonisation: SWITCH contribution to continuous energy supply and creation of flexible and interconnected energy systems grids”.

Read the entire press release (English), download the presentations and photos at this link: https://switch-fch.eu/a-novel-flexible-solution-validated-using-a-reversible-solid-oxide-system-smart-ways-for-in-situ-totally-integrated-and-continuous-multisource-generation-of-hydrogen-switch-project/ 

Download the press release in Italian: https://magazine.fbk.eu/it/news/si-e-chiuso-il-sipario-sul-progetto-switch/ 

Italy, France, Austria, Switzerland, Slovenia and Germany together for the development of hydrogen in the Alpine valleys. The Alps divide European countries, but at the same time unite them in terms of lifestyles and objectives. This is where the AMETHyST project was born with the objective of supporting the development of local green hydrogen ecosystems in the Alpine territory. 

Eleonora Cordioli, researcher at Fondazione Bruno Kessler, explains the steps done so far in the project and briefly outlines the research done to define the key role that hydrogen can play in Alpine territories with a strong tourist vocation. The researcher underlines the fundamental role of the networking created among partners of different European countries as well as with possible key stakeholders and users from industrial sectors and public authorities.
What are the next steps? The project is currently working on creating pilot sites that will allow preliminary economic feasibility assessment of hydrogen ecosystems, to foster the application of hydrogen in Alpine territories. 

Listen to the interview "The Alps as cradles of hydrogen valleys [Le Alpi culla delle valli dell'idrogeno d'Europa]" (in Italian) here: https://stream24.ilsole24ore.com/video/economia/le-alpi-culla-valli-idrogeno-d-europa/AFgfB3qD 

The interview is part of the project Energy for Future. We thank Il Sole 24 ORE and Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso transeuropa for the opportunity!

Luigi Crema, Director of the Center SE, has been interviewed by Maurizio Melis of Radio 24 with regards to the "Gap of hydrogen".

The first episode was broadcasted on May 8.

Abstract:

"The road to the hydrogen economy is not an easy one. In fact, there are still many unknowns surrounding this energy vector, ideal for the environment from a chemical point of view, but complicated from a logistical one. Above all, it is expensive, as demonstrated by a study carried out by the Sustainable Energy Center of the Bruno Kessler Foundation, according to which the combined arrangement of a supply chain based on European technologies and Italian energy costs would require, to make it economically sustainable, an incentive varying between 8 and 15 euro per kilogram of hydrogen. A cost gap that is decidedly too high, even though completely opposite signals are coming from European countries such as Spain and Portugal, with the first hydrogen auctions ending with subsidies of a few cents of euros."

Listen the first episode at this link (in Italian).

The second episode was broadcasted on May 9

"A study by the Sustainable Energy Center of the Bruno Kessler Foundation has estimated the cost gap between green hydrogen and what would replace it. This is a good indicator of how far there is still to go to reach a state of competitiveness. And, as we heard in the previous episode, this is still a long road, especially in the hypothesis of a supply chain based on European technologies and Italian energy costs. How realistic is it, therefore, that this gap will narrow? And under what conditions?

Listen the second episode at this link (in Italian).

On May 8, the FBK Project Manager Cinzia Morisco was in Milan to take part in the workshop organized by the company Ricerca sul Sistema Energetico - RSE Spa on the social impact of Renewable Energy Communities within the ECOEMPOWER Project.

Cinzia, the Project Coordinator, presented ECOEMPOWER focusing on the efforts that are being made on building the indicators for social impact. 

These indicators will be soon measured in the 15 pilot cases spread around Europe.

Several experts from the Italian landascape as well as Vincenzo D'Andrea and Letizia Zampino from the project partner University of Trento participated in the event fostering the discussion on how to build a methodology for measuring the social effects of the RECs. 

More information on the project: https://ecoempower.eu/

Programme, at this link.

In the newsletter you will find a lot of news, events, findings, key points and achieved results in it.

The Newsletter #3 contains information on

• the project meeting in Ljubljana and the exchange programme hydrogen landscape in Slovenia (political framework & pilots).

During the first week of April, Eleonora Cordioli, Ilaria Alberti and Sara Stemberger from the Center for Sustainable Energy of FBK participated in the project meeting hosted in Ljubljana by the Slovenian partner ENERGAP.

• on the publication: Current status of hydrogen application in the Alpine Region.

Our researcher Eleonora Cordioli and Jacopo de Maigret gave an insight into the first results of the Alpine Space Project AMETHyST. The first report shows the current status of hydrogen in the Alpine region. The second report illustrates the spatial distribution of applications using a mapbased representation.

• the Midterm-Conference Trentino that will take place on the 16th October 2024 in Trento!

AMETHyST is an Interreg Alpine Space project that supports the deployment of local alpine green hydrogen ecosystems, with a focus on tourist areas. Designing and testing support services to roll out green H2 solutions in areas with high potential, the project aims at reinforces the role of public authorities by increasing their capacity.

Click here to download the Newsletter #3: https://www.alpine-space.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/AMETHyST_Newsletter3.pdf 

Interview to Cordioli and de Maigret:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FW1ZNLxKPKo&t=61s? 

Fondazione NEST - Network 4 Energy Sustainable Transition and the incubator of the Politecnico di Bari, BINP - Boosting Innovation in Poliba organize a learning path dedicated to doctoral students of any disciplinary sector through which to develop, in learning by doing mode, skills aimed at promoting the ability to translate their research into entrepreneurial opportunities.

The school will be held at the headquarters of the BINP incubator from 10 to 14 June and is organized over 5 days, from 9:30 to 13:30 and from 14:30 to 18:30 for a total of 40 hours.

Those who complete the entire course will be awarded 4 CFU.

Fondazione NEST is the reference for the extended Partnership for the topic "Energy Scenarios of the Future Line 2a: Green Energy of the Future". The incubator BINP is specialized in the development of high-tech entrepreneurial initiatives and tools for the economic growth and employment of the territory.

PROGRAMME: https://ow.ly/BaXB50RuYj6 

APPLICATION DEADLINE: 31 May 2024 - https://ow.ly/cNc250RuYj2 

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Fondazione NEST - Network 4 Energy Sustainable Transition, soggetto attuatore e referente unico per il Partenariato esteso per la tematica “Scenari Energetici del Futuro Linea 2a: Energie Verdi Del Futuro” e l’incubatore del Politecnico di Bari, BINP - Boosting Innovation in Poliba, specializzato nello sviluppo di iniziative imprenditoriali high-tech e in strumenti per la crescita economica e occupazione del territorio, organizzano un percorso di apprendimento dedicato ai dottorandi di qualsiasi settore disciplinare attraverso il quale sviluppare, in modalità learning by doing, competenze finalizzate a favorire la capacità di tradurre le proprie ricerche in opportunità imprenditoriali.

La scuola si terrà presso la sede dell'incubatore BINP dal 10 al 14 giugno ed è organizzata in 5 giornate, dalle 9:30 alle 13:30 e dalla 14:30 alle 18:30 per un totale di 40 ore.

A coloro che completeranno l'intero percorso saranno riconosciuti 4 CFU.

PROGRAMMA: https://ow.ly/BaXB50RuYj6

ISCRIZIONI: entro il 31 maggio 2024 - https://ow.ly/cNc250RuYj2

Our researchers Elena Crespi, Gionata Luca and Matteo Testi are the author of the scientific article entitled "Renewable hydrogen production through electrolysis: An analysis of the cost gap for its economic competitiveness in Italy" recently published on the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy.

The article focuses on the economic competitiveness of renewable hydrogen production and among the authors there are also H2IT Associazione Italiana idrogeno and the companies A2A Ambiente and SNAM.

Abstract

With global policies targeting greenhouse gas emission reduction, renewable hydrogen produced by water electrolysis powered with renewable electricity appears a promising alternative to fossil fuels. However, still high capital costs, reliance on intermittent renewable electricity sources, and high electricity cost hinder the economic viability of electrolyzers. This work develops a comprehensive analysis for assessing the need of an incentive to make renewable hydrogen economically viable, identifying different archetypes of electrolysis plant representative of a wide range of applications. A techno-economic optimization model is set up that minimize the average hydrogen production cost and compute the cost gap that makes hydrogen economically competitive with the fossil alternative, defining the optimal size and operation of the plant components while satisfying the hydrogen demand. The model is applied to the Italian case study. Sensitivity analyses investigate the impact of economy of scales, renewable electricity availability and introduction of the emission trading system. Cost gaps ranging between 8.1 €/kg and 29.9 €/kg highlights the need of an incentive to allow the deployment of this technology, thus meeting the hydrogen penetration targets.

Keywords

Renewable hydrogen; Hydrogen cost; Incentive; Economic assessment; Hydrogen targets

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2024.04.303

By 2050, hydrogen is expected to fulfill over 20% of Europe's and the global energy demand, becoming a crucial element of the energy transition. Yet, there are concerns about fugitive and vented H2 emissions potentially increasing anthropogenic hydrogen levels, indirectly impacting the greenhouse effect. The uncertainty remains about the extent of H2 emissions expected across future hydrogen value chains and their environmental impact. Existing literature offers various scenarios, differing not only in projected H2 demand but also in how this demand is distributed across sectors.

The NHyRA Project (Pre-Normative Research on Hydrogen Releases Assessment) aims to comprehensively assess potential H2 releases throughout the entire hydrogen value chain. Given the main information on the amount of anthropogenic H2 in the atmosphere available in the literature, improving the capability to quantify both small and large releases is critically important. NHYRA will deliver validated methodologies and techniques for measuring or estimating these emissions.

The project is structured around four main macro-activities:

1. Establishing a hydrogen release inventory to catalog anthropogenic H2 emissions across the hydrogen value chains.

2. Developing and validating methodologies for detecting and quantifying H2 releases.

3. Quantifying H2 releases and defining scenarios with various time horizons, such as 2030 and 2050.

4. Providing recommendations to International Standard Bodies and developing mitigation strategies to reduce identified H2 releases.

FBK through the Center Sustainable Energy is actively involved in the creation of the hydrogen release inventory, leading the definition of the entire hydrogen supply chain. FBK's role extends to quantifying potential H2 releases across the H2 value chain and evaluating the impact of mitigation strategies at the process level. Additionally, FBK will quantify H2 releases in future hydrogen economy scenarios, highlighting its pivotal role in advancing hydrogen safety and sustainability measures.

More information on the project: https://nhyra.eu/

Have a look at the press release: https://nhyra.eu/news-and-publications/news/press-release-launch-of-the-eu-funded-project-nhyra-pre-normative-research-on-hydrogen-releases-assessment/ 

Last Friday the Center SE hosted two classes of the Liceo Rosmini of Rovereto and gave them a guided tour of the laboratories related to batteries.

The programme of the visit was the following:

09.00 - 10.15 | Introduction on FBK, on the Center SE and focus on the activities of the Battery and Electrification Technologies Unit. The presentation was given by the researcher Mattia Duranti.

10.30 - 11.50 | Laboratory tour by Gloria Gottardi, Emanuele Groiss and Mattia Duranti.

Gloria presented the Cluster, Emanuele the chemical lab and Mattia the battery lab.

The students were divided in 4 groups to visit the three laboratories in turns and receive all the clarifications needed. 

These days, Venice is hosting the Alkeemia Battery Forum which is "an open event organized by Alkeemia and reserved for companies and professionals working within the battery and storage ecosystem, with the aim of supporting the European market growth by creating effective connections along the value chain and sharing updates on relevant projects underway."

The Center SE could not miss the opportunity to be there! Our Head of Battery and Electrification Technologies Edoardo Macchi participated in the event and had the opportunity exchange views with people of the sector of the latest innovations and receive top-level technical perspectives.

The company organising the event is ALKEEMIA.

As it is possible to read on their website, "ALKEEMIA is one of Europe’s largest producers of hydrofluoric acid and fluoroderivatives. The company operates through its plants in Porto Marghera (Venice) and Frankfurt, from which major manufacturers operating in the fluoropolymer, refrigerant, pharmaceutical, agrochemical, electronics, metallurgy, fertilizer, construction and other industries are supplied. With its technological expertise and great industrial tradition of respect and responsible development, ALKEEMIA works with quality and reliability alongside its partners to make the products of the future."

https://finanza.lastampa.it/News/2024/03/13/alkeemia-battery-forum-il-futuro-delle-batterie-in-europa-passa-per-la-supply-chain-/ODVfMjAyNC0wMy0xM19UTEI 

More information on the event: https://www.alkeemia.com/alkeemiabatteryforum/ 

In the context of the project InCUBE a new paper has been published entitled "Energy Performance Analysis of the Renovation Process in an Italian Cultural Heritage Building". Among the authors there are the FBK-SE researchers Silvia Ricciuti and Diego Viesi. 

Abstract

Renovating buildings with cultural heritage significance is an important step toward achieving sustainability in our cities. The benefits are not only energy-related but also encompass social aspects that make these renovations a high apriority. The present work investigates the renovation process of a cultural heritage building in the Municipality of Trento in Italy, specifically focusing on achieving energy savings and renewable energy integration by implementing various renovation actions. These renovation actions include improvements to the building envelope, such as roof insulation and window replacements. Additionally, the renovation actions for active systems involve the installation of a ground-source heat pump for heating / cooling coupled with a borehole thermal energy storage system, which is an innovative technology for the renovation of cultural heritage buildings. The electrical systems of the building are upgraded through the addition of standard rooftop photovoltaics, innovative building-integrated photovoltaics (shingles), and the installation of an LED lighting system. The baseline and the renovation scenarios are studied using the dynamic simulation tool INTEMA.building, written in the programming language Modelica. This tool simulates both the building envelope and the energy systems with a high level of detail, using advanced control systems and adjustable time steps. According to the simulation analysis, the primary energy demand is reduced by 30.49%, the final energy demand by 36.74%, and the net electricity demand by 8.72%. Results from this study can be useful to interested stakeholders (e.g., building owners, architects, construction companies, public agents, and urban planners) dealing with the renovation of cultural heritage and protected buildings. Also, the results can be exploited for estimating energy savings by applying advanced renovation strategies for cultural heritage buildings.

DOI: 10.3390/su16072784

Citation: Ziozas, N.; Kitsopoulou, A.; Bellos, E.; Iliadis, P.; Gonidaki, D.; Angelakoglou, K.; Nikolopoulos, N.; Ricciuti, S.; Viesi, D. (2024). Energy Performance Analysis of the Renovation Process in an Italian Cultural Heritage Building. Sustainability 2024, 16, 2784.

Read the article in Open Access here: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/7/2784 

How to create the district heating of the future between efficiency, sustainability and flexibility? This is the question that the 12 speakers and around 100 participants asked themselves at the workshop organized by Alto Garda Servizi, Cartiere del Garda and Alto Garda Power within the new European project USES4HEAT at Riva del Garda.

The workshop addressed various topics of interest, including technological innovations in the district heating sector, strategies to increase energy efficiency, sustainable approaches for the production and distribution of thermal energy as well as the role of renewable energies in the future of district heating. Industry experts, institutional representatives and local stakeholders participated in the event, sharing their experiences and perspectives to outline an increasingly sustainable and cutting-edge future in the field of district heating.

The workshop illustrated the general characteristics of the USES4HEAT project, started in December 2023 for a duration of 4 years. The project will develop two units for the seasonal storage of thermal energy in an underground environment (Borehole Thermal Energy Storage - BTES and Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage - ATES) at two demonstrator sites (Oslo in Norway and Riva del Garda in Italy). The two units will be connected to large-scale district heating networks capable of accumulating various sustainable heat sources.

8 project partners will be active in the area of Riva del Garda (4.1 M€ budget of which 3 M€ of EU funding): Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Cartiere del Garda, Alto Garda Power, Alto Garda Servizi, Hydra, Hiref, Endef, Energenius. The goal is to integrate four different innovative technologies:

1. New seasonal, large-scale ATES through advanced drilling technologies - provided by partner Hydra;

2. New groundwater heat pump with high temperature, low Global Warming Potential (GWP) and connected to both ATES and district heating - provided by partner Hiref;

3. Hybrid solar panels (PVT) - provided by partner Endef;

4. Intelligent energy management using artificial intelligence, big data and cloud-based IT tools – provided by partner Energenius.

The event was introduced by a welcome speech from Ruggero Moser, General Director of Alto Garda Servizi (AGS), and Stefano Cenedese, Technical Director at Cartiere del Garda (CDG) and Alto Garda Power (AGP).

“It is a pleasure to open this event - underlined Ruggero Moser - which means bringing innovation in the energy sector to Riva del Garda through the use of European resources, with a green project in line with the directives, linked to the storage of energy that is produced in excess in certain periods of the year. This energy is functional to the business activity of the three local companies involved in the project, Alto Garda Servizi, Cartiere del Garda and Alto Garda Power. It is equally a pleasure to have the presence at this event of national and European bodies and companies, innovative in the district heating sector, as well as technical firms, universities and many professionals.”

“Alto Garda Power was founded in 2006 - explained Stefano Cenedese - and is 80% controlled by Cartiere del Garda and 20% by Alto Garda Servizi. The aim of this company was immediately to create and manage a new cogeneration plant capable of satisfying the thermal and electrical needs of its shareholders. Precisely in that period, a new European cutting-edge electric and thermal cogeneration system was created with an efficiency increased from 71% to 85%, connected with the new Riva del Garda district heating system. Now, almost 20 years later, the challenge is to further increase efficiency, sustainability and flexibility, fundamental ingredients to guarantee competitiveness for local businesses. A project promoted at a local level by the Bruno Kessler Foundation, through the Sustainable Energy Center, which has proven particularly attentive in supporting the Trentino area with its excellence and potential, networking with other important national and European research and business entities.”

The first presentations of the workshop were dedicated to the local context which was presented by Aldo Bronzini (Technical Director of AGS) regarding the district heating of Riva del Garda and by Luciano Lucchi (Energy and Cogeneration Manager of CDG and AGP) for the power cogeneration plant of Alto Garda Power. Diego Viesi, FBK researcher and local scientific manager, presented the USES4HEAT project, while Gianfranco Bazzoli and Carlo Piemonte illustrated the geological and engineering design activities at Riva del Garda respectively.

The activities of the USES4HEAT project were then inserted into a broader framework linked to the energy transition in the district heating sector (Lorenzo Spadoni, AIRU President), to the potential of geothermal energy (Bruno Della Vedova, UGI President) and to research at a European level (Gabriele Fish, Euroheat & Power).

Finally, multiple case studies were presented including the "Montegrotto Geothermal District Heating Project" (Jacopo Vivian, UNIPD Researcher), "Practical experiences of integrating geothermal energy and heat pumps in district heating in Italy and Europe" (Carlo Piemonte, SAI Associate Engineering Studio), "State of the art of Low, Medium and High Temperature ATES in the Netherlands" (Bas Godschalk, IF Technology) and "Study of the ATES potential in Italy, modeling and guidelines" (Gabriela Squarzoni, Researcher RSE).

Author:

Alice Pesarin

+39 3477067069

pesarin.a@altogardaservizi.com 

Read the entire press release in Italian: at this link.

The PNRR has allocated over 3 billion euros to promote the production, distribution and use of hydrogen, considered a fundamental component for the energy transition process. Many of these funds were allocated during 2023, raising the awareness of the need for a national strategy capable of combining decarbonisation objectives with a clear vision of industrial development around this vector.

Yesterday, 27 March 2024, the Partners of the Zero Carbon Community of The European House - Ambrosetti met in Trento with the various public and private stakeholders,  to stimulate a concrete debate about the critical success factors for the birth of a national hydrogen supply chain.

During the meeting, the state of the art of hydrogen in Italy and results achieved during the first year of activity of the Zero Carbon Community were presented and themes and stages of the 2024 path was launched.

The meeting has also been the opportunity to discuss the strategies through which to promote industrial initiatives around the development of hydrogen valleys with a focus on the opportunities offered to companies by the ecosystem of the Autonomous Province of Trento.

Among the speakers, there was Luigi Crema - Director of the Center and Vice-President of H2IT, and Matteo Testi - Head of HyRES Unit.

Luigi spoke about the "Political and regulatory conditions for the development of a market for hydrogen applications in Italy" while Matteo Testi presented the activities and  the future steps of the Center SE.

Among the speakers: 

• Dr. Steffen Bäuerle (CEO, Globe Fuel Cell Systems)

• Dr. Federico Boschi (Head of the Energy Department, Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security)

• Jorgo Chatzimarkakis (HYDROGEN EUROPE, Chief Executive Officer)

• Ms. Jane Toogood (UK Hydrogen Champion)

• Eng. Alessandro Viviani (Associate Partner, The European House - Ambrosetti)

• Dr. Bernhard Wienk-Borgert (Co-Founder and CTO, Globe Fuel Cell Systems)

Check the agenda and presentations at this link: https://innotechhub.ambrosetti.eu/it/incontri/view/13630 

The first edition of the European PhD Hydrogen Conference (EPHyC) recently concluded!

The conference is aimed solely at EU-based PhD researchers working on a hydrogen-related research topic, and provides a nurturing environment for early-stage researchers to grow, learn and establish their academic presence. 

The event was organized by BE-HyFE and Hydrogen Europe Research and  took place from 20 till 22 March 2024 in Ghent (Belgium).

EPHyC gathered together over 160 Ph.D. students to unveil the future of hydrogen technology. Among them, there was also Giulia di Gregorio.

"My PhD project focuses on the development of novel platinum-group metal-free electrocatalyst materials for anion exchange membrane water electrolysis (AEMWE)" explains Giulia di Gregorio, PhD student at the Center for Sustainable Energy of FBK. 

Giulia gave the presentation "Radio Frequency Sputtering deposition of MoS2 electrocatalyst thin films for Anion Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis" where she outlined a one-step method for fabricating ionomer-free MoS2 electrocatalysts onto graphite laminate substrates using radio frequency sputtering. A preliminary ex-situ screening of the functional properties was conducted to evaluate the influence of sputtering operating parameters, using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The as-sputtered samples were integrated into a 25 cm2 AEMWE cell setup as cathode electrodes, alongside commercial anodes and anion exchange membranes. Under optimal sputtering conditions, the obtained current density values were comparable to those achieved with benchmark materials. This highlights the potential of radio frequency sputtering for tailoring the physicochemical and electrochemical properties of electrocatalysts, thus contributing to the advancement of AEMWE technology.

Luigi Crema as President of HER made the keynote welcoming speech, in collaboration with Marijke Mahieu, Project coordinator BE-HyFE.

More information on the event: https://www.ephyc2024.com/program 

Last week the 2024 National Ski Championships of Engineers and Architects were held in Corvara in Badia. The event was organized by the Order of Engineers of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, the Order of Engineers of the Province of Trento, the Order of Architects PPC Bolzano and the Trento Order of Architects with the support of the National Council of Engineers and the National Council of Landscape Architects, Designers, Landscape Architects and Conservators.

Numerous engineers and architects from all over Italy participated in the event. Fundamental part of the initiativa has been the conference "Mobility and sustainable construction in mountain areas".

Our researcher Eleonora Cordioli was invited as speaker during the conference and presented the opportunities and challenges of hydrogen in the sector, with the speech "Hydrogen mobility in the Alpine context: technologies, opportunities and barriers". With her presentation, the researcher illustrated the state of the art of hydrogen applications and the initiatives in the Alpine mobility sector, and therefore the possibilities of integrating hydrogen in mountain areas and the priorities to be managed.

Among the initiatives mentioned, also the AMETHyST project, which aims to define the role of hydrogen in the Alpine context, share best practices and support the development of policies and strategies for the creation of hydrogen-based ecosystems at Alpine level.

More information on the event, at this link.

Programme: https://www.ingbz.it/it/modulistica-docman/lingua-italiana/news/80-campionato-nazionale-sci-ingegneri-architetti-2024/file 

_____________________________________________________

La scorsa settimana a Corvara in Badia si sono tenuti i Campionati Nazionali di Sci degli Ingegneri e degli Architetti 2024, organizzati dall'Ordine degli Ingegneri della Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano, l'Ordine degli Ingegneri della Provincia di Trento, l'Ordine Architetti PPC Bolzano e l'Ordine Architetti Trento con il patrocinio di Consiglio Nazionale degli Ingegneri e Consiglio Nazionale Architetti Pianificatori Paesaggisti e Conservatori. 

Numerosi ingegneri e architetti da tutta Italia hanno partecipato all'evento. In questo contesto ha preso luogo il  convegno "Mobilità e costruzioni sostenibili nelle zone montane". 

Tra i relatori era presente anche Eleonora Cordioli, ricercatrice del Centro Sustainable Energy della Fondazione Bruno Kessler, che ha presentato le opportunità e le sfide dell'idrogeno nel settore, con l'intervento "Mobilità a idrogeno nel contesto alpino: tecnologie, opportunità e barriere". Con la sua presentazione la ricercatrice ha illustrato lo stato dell'arte delle applicazioni a idrogeno e le iniziative nel settore della mobilità alpina, e quindi le possibilità di integrazione dell'idrogeno in territori montani e le priorità da gestire. 

Tra le iniziative menzionate, anche il progetto AMETHyST, che mira a definire il ruolo dell'idrogeno nel contesto alpino, condividere best practice e supportare lo sviluppo di policy e strategie per la creazione di ecosistemi basati sull'idrogeno a livello alpino.

Maggiori informazioni, at this link.

Programma: https://www.ingbz.it/it/modulistica-docman/lingua-italiana/news/80-campionato-nazionale-sci-ingegneri-architetti-2024/file 

A new scientific article has been published!

The work is entitled "Modelling of the leaching process by the extended quadrature method of moments"  and has been written by Mohsen Shiea - researcher of the Battery and Electrification Technologies (BET) Unit at the Center SE - with Luigi Crema and Edoardo Gino Macchi.

Abstract

An approach based on the extended quadrature method of moments (EQMOM) has been developed to solve the population balance equation written for the evolution of shrinking-core particles in transient leaching processes. It has been shown that the EQMOM can naturally address the dependency of the shrinkage-core model on the unreacted core size and outer size of particles. The approach has been validated by comparing its predictions with either analytical or reference solutions for several test cases. Moreover, the approach has been employed to simulate an experimental leaching process taken from the literature. The obtained results confirm the significance of considering the particle size distribution in the simulation of the leaching process, hence the importance of solution methods such as that presented in this work. Finally, it has been shown that the proposed approach is also useful for the simulation of the dissolution process with shrinking particles.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ces.2024.119987 

Have a look at the article here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0009250924002872 

Last week, on the 13th and 14th of March 2024, CINEA - European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency organised the LIFE-CET Energy Communities Contractor’s Meeting.

Cinzia Morisco, researcher at the Center SE of FBK and Coordinator of the ECOEMPOWER project was in Brussels to participate in the event to foster collaboration and synergies between European project working on Energy Communities.

A lot of interesting discussions sparkled between projects and with CINEA on the energy systems of the future and how to support this transition in the best way through our projects.

The meeting was an opportunity for our on-going projects dealing with energy communities to get to know each other and identify cooperation opportunities. Several discussions happened on subjects related energy communities such as financing, One Stop Shops, capacity building and energy poverty. CINEA members, project referents and EU policy officers animated the discussions to understand how to provide the best support to the growing and active number of energy communities in Europe.  

In addition, the participation of relevant policy officers from different DGs provided the opportunity to carry out exchanges on policy recommendations and reflect on future needs. 

More information on the project: https://ecoempower.eu/ 

After the great success of the EHEC 2022 with over 1100 attendees and 200 + speakers from across the entire hydrogen value chain, the event took place again last week. 

From the 6th to 8th of March 2024, Bilbao (Spain) hosted EHEC, the European Hydrogen Energy Conference 2024 and the Center for Sustainable Energy could not miss the opportunity to participate!

Luca Pratticò, researcher at the Center for Sustainable Energy at Fondazione Bruno Kessler, presented the work entitled “From direct use of ammonia in solid oxide fuel cells to the next generation of ammonia fuel cell systems“, in the cotext of AMON Project. 

In its presentation, Luca the objectives and results of AMON and updated the audience about the activities implemented and the progress achieved so far, as well as the next steps and expected impact.

Hossein Namdar, PhD student at the Center SE, also participated in the event presenting the work "Investigating PEMWE commercial membrane performance using argon-oxygen plasma and ALD-TiO2 technology".

As reported in the website: “The European Hydrogen Energy Conference (EHEC) is Europe’s conference of reference in the hydrogen sector. Hosted every two years, EHEC is organized by the Spanish Hydrogen Association (AeH2) and brings together experts, researchers, and industry leaders in the field of hydrogen, providing a platform for sharing the latest advances, innovations, and developments in hydrogen-based technologies.

With a focus on promoting sustainable and clean energy solutions, EHEC seeks to play a crucial role in advancing the adoption of hydrogen as a clean energy source across Europe and the world."

More information on the agenda at this link: https://ehec.info/   

The online journal Watergas interviewed Director Luigi Crema.

After a year as President of Hydrogen Europe Research (HER), Luigi Crema takes stock of the situation and outlines future objectives.

In this interview given to Watergas, Crema - who is also vice president of the Italian Hydrogen Association - H2IT - underlines the importance of HER's role in shaping European research policies on hydrogen, highlighting the involvement in the Clean Hydrogen Governing Board Partnership and commitment to the adoption of innovative strategies.

In particular, Crema illustrates the launch of two new working groups within HER, focused on advanced research and technological infrastructures, highlighting the intention to promote transversal collaborations to address the challenges of the sector.

Looking to the future, the president identifies advanced hydrogen technologies, such as new materials and electrochemical processes, and highlights the key role of research in the industry, proposing collaboration to accelerate innovation and reduce development times.

In this interview, Crema finally expresses confidence in the Italian potential and says he is satisfied with the working groups recently activated by MASE to create a national strategic plan for hydrogen, even if he underlines that "resources are needed" to develop a market framework that allows to attract investments.

Read the entire article in Italian: https://www.watergas.it/it/News/INTERVISTA-Hydrogen-Europe-Research-bene-tavoli-su-piano-strategico-nazionale-dell039-idrogeno-Ma-servono-risorse 

The SMHYLES project, coordinated by FBK is funded by the EU under Horizon Europe with around €6 million for a period of four years from January 2024 on.

One of the greatest challenges of the 21st century is the transition to climate-neutral energy sources. Here, reliable energy storage plays a key role, as production and load peaks in the electricity grid require flexible storage systems that can be used for a wide range of applications. The recently launched EU project SMHYLES aims to develop innovative, sustainable, and safe salt- and/or water-based hybrid energy storage systems. These combine two storage technologies and their respective advantages: long duration capacity and high power density. The new low-CRM (critical raw materials) systems will also contribute to Europe’s energy independence. The SMHYLES project, coordinated by the “Fondazione Bruno Kessler” (Italy), is funded by the EU under Horizon Europe with around €6 million for a period of four years from January 2024 on. The consortium includes 16 partners from seven countries.

Each storage technology has technical and economic characteristics that are ideally suited for a specific application. These characteristics include, for example, energy and power density, reaction time, environmental sustainability, and safety. Redox flow and salt batteries have a large storage capacity but can only be charged and discharged slowly. A supercapacitor, on the other hand, has fast charging times but cannot store large energy quantities over a long period of time. Only the efficient combination of both functionalities provides the necessary performance and flexibility in use.

“Modern energy storage systems need to guarantee security of supply, performance and safety, have flexible management software and be manufactured and operated in the most sustainable and environmentally friendly way possible,” explains SMHYLES coordinator Edoardo G. Macchi, Head of Battery and Electrification Technologies Unit at the Fondazione Bruno Kessler in Trento, Italy. 

The central goal of the SMHYLES project is to develop and demonstrate such innovative, safe, and sustainable hybrid energy storage systems on an industrial scale. [...] In SMHYLES, a water-based supercapacitor and, either a redox flow battery or a salt battery, are to be combined to create innovative hybrid energy storage systems. During the second half of the project, various use cases will be trialled for 12 months in the three pilot plants in Portugal and Germany [...].

Fondazione Bruno Kessler, through the Center for Sustainable Energy, will be the Project Coordinator and also a work package leader, where it will be responsible for the development of new digital tools. These will be used to support techno-economic analyses on the sizing of the aqueous-based and salt-based hybrid energy storage systems (HESSs) and the optimization of control strategies and operations. In this work package, FBK will also supervise the identification of the most promising use and business cases for the proposed hybrid systems along with the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA).

“We are really proud to coordinate SMHYLES project. It is for us an important initiative to scale up and implement in several EU territories hybrid energy storage solutions. This is developing further the concept of a specific technology and looking for the best integration approach for end use applications, following their specific requirements. This is indeed a general approach we are favouring and supporting, trying to develop more integrated solutions and going beyond the technology silos approach” states Luigi Crema, Director of FBK’s Center of Sustainable Energy.

Read the full press release in English: https://magazine.fbk.eu/en/news/eu-project-smhyles-develops-novel-salt-and-water-based-hybrid-energy-storage-systems-hess-on-an-industrial-scale/ 

Read the press release in Italian: https://magazine.fbk.eu/it/news/il-progetto-ue-smhyles-sviluppa-nuovi-sistemi-di-accumulo-ibrido-di-energia-hess-a-base-di-acqua-e-sale-su-scala-industriale/ 

The kick-off meeting of the Horizon Europe project Hy-SPIRE “Hydrogen production by innovative solid oxide cell for flexible operation at intermediate temperature” was held in Warsaw on 8-9 February 2024, hosted by coordinator – the Institute of Power Engineering – National Research Institute (IPE-NRI).

According to long-term goals of EU, green hydrogen produced using renewable energy sources will become an energy vector for decarbonisation of the EU economy, in particular the hard-to-abate industry and transport sectors. 

Water electrolysis is the most well-known technique used for zero-emission production of hydrogen and the technology of solid oxide electrolysers (SOEL) can become a key technological advantage for EU to become a world leader in hydrogen economy. 

What is the aim of the Hy-SPIRE project?

The overarching objective of Hy-SPIRE project is to further boost the potential of SOEL by lowering the operating temperature below 700°C and increasing its flexibility in order to match the profiles of electricity generation in renewable energy sources (RES). 

Through the development and application of new materials, advanced manufacturing techniques and optimized cell as well as compact stack designs, the project focuses on the creation of novel oxygen ion- and proton-conducting cells (O-SOE and P-SOE, respectively) on both, ceramic and metallic supports. Among the key goals of the Hy-SPIRE a low degradation equal to or lower than 0.75% per 1,000 h, operation at high current densities ca. 1.2 A/cm2 and ability to operate dynamically and fast ramping, can be listed. 

Furthermore, the technoeconomic analysis with the support of life cycle assessment (LCA) will be used for the evaluation of project novelties and the market potential, as well as the definition of barriers and research directions to achieve the objectives of the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda. This, among others, includes the reduction of hydrogen production cost to 3 €/kg by 2030, reduction of CAPEX 520 €/(kg/kW) and OPEX 45 €/(kg/kW).

These goals will be reached thanks to the collaboration of the consortium coordinated by the  Institute of Power Engineering – National Research Institute (Poland). The partners of the project are prominent research institutes such as Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale De Lausanne (Switzerland), German Aerospace Center (Germany), Fondazione Bruno Kessler through the Centre for Sustainable Energy (Italy),  Fundació Institut de Recerca en Energia de Catalunya a (Spain), Technical University of Denmark (Denmark), and one of the key European supplier of solid oxide cell electrolysers SolydEra (Italy).

Fondazione Bruno Kessler, through the Center for Sustainable Energy, will lead the Work Package 4, therefore managing the activities of communication, dissemination and exploitation, and providing a techno-economic analyses supported by life cycle assessment (LCA) addressing the recycling and end-of-life scenarios for the developed technology. FBK will also be in charge of the testing of the stack and the development of dedicated protocols and procedures for the testing activity on novel SOE stack based on metal and electrode supported cells.

“The HyRES unit of the Center for Sustainable Energy is honoured to participate in the Hy-SPIRE project” states Matteo Testi – Head of Hydrogen technologies and Resilient Energy Systems Unit. “HyRES will provide expertise and perform activities for Work Package 3 concerning the test of the short-stack solution developed in the project, and in Work Package 4, managing communication, dissemination, and exploitation efforts, including the techno-economic analysis of the iconic and proton cell solutions, providing valuable insights into the market potential and sustainability of these technologies.”

“FBK, through the Center for Sustainable Energy, is proud to participate and support Hy-SPIRE project. FBK-SE is preparing to support the hydrogen sector and be a key stakeholder for industrial players in the next future” states Luigi Crema – Director of the Center Sustainable Energy of FBK. “Hydrogen is part of the political agenda, a market framework is under development but, in any case, and even more it is necessary to support research and innovation on actual and next generation hydrogen technologies, to keep Europe in the forefront of the global hydrogen competition”.

Read the full press release in English: https://magazine.fbk.eu/en/news/innovative-solid-oxide-electrolyzers-to-produce-hydrogen-will-be-developed-in-the-hy-spire-project/ 

Read the press release in Italian: https://magazine.fbk.eu/it/news/al-via-il-progetto-hy-spire-che-sviluppera-innovativi-elettrolizzatori-a-ossidi-solidi-per-la-produzione-di-idrogeno/ 

Last 8th of February 2024, Luigi Crema and Luca Prattico’ were in Rome at the Info Day of the Clean Hydrogen Partnership that took place at the Congress Center of Rome, Italy. 

The Clean Hydrogen Partnership is the public-private financing program established with the aim of contributing to fostering the transition towards a clean hydrogen economy.

As it is possible to read on the event poster, the tender was opened on January 17, and a total of €113.5 million will be made available through Horizon Europe for projects covering research and innovation activities along the entire hydrogen value chain. An additional amount of 60 millions of euros (from the RePowerEU plan budget) will be used to support various activities including the creation and management of a “Hydrogen Valleys Facility” to increase the number of valleys of hydrogen in Europe.

ENEA and H2IT organized this national event to present the 2024 Call, addressed to all public and private entities interested in participating in thetender: Universities, public and private research centres, small businesses and large industry.

In his role of President of Hydrogen Europe Research, Luigi Crema gave an overview of the European associations members of the Clean Hydrogen Partnership.

The researcher Luca Pratticò presented AMON Project which was among the success stories invited to the event to provide suggestions for submitting competitive proposals. 

More information at this link: https://www.h2it.it/info-day-nazionale-clean-hydrogen-partnership/ 

In these days, the green hydrogen roadshow is taking place in four districts of the Mantova territories. The event is organised by Confindustria Mantova and wishes to present the "Mantua model" in order to raise the awareness on the potential of the green hydrogen for the industrial districts and the entire territory. 

The project HYMANTOVALLEY represents an represents an ambitious collaborative effort aimed at creating a Hydrogen Valley in the province of Mantua, Italy" outlines Matteo Testi - Head of the Hydrogen Technologies and Resilien Energy System Unit. 

With a total investment of around 9 million euros, co-financed by the European Union through various programmes including the Interregional Innovation Investments Instrument (I3), the project aims to demonstrate the possibility of local decarbonisation in a of the most polluted regions in Europe, the Po Valley.

"FBK is happy to participate in this new growth opportunity in the H2 sector, located in a context with a high multimodality potential that will be able to optimize the management and economic aspects of hydrogen" continues Matteo Testi.

This integrated ecosystem is based on the river port of Valdaro, a logistics platform and a three-modal transport system (inland water, rail, road) to make the most of the strategic position of the site. The project aims to produce more than 1,500 tonnes of green hydrogen per year from renewable sources, reducing CO2 emissions by more than 14,000 tonnes per year.

The project involves 16 partners from 4 European countries: Italy, Austria, The Netherlands and Belgium. Among the partners there are public institutions such as the Province of Mantua, companies specialized in energy management such as AGIRE and SAPIO Srl, prestigious universities such as the Polytechnic of Milan and the Bruno Kessler Foundation, and other key organizations in the sector.

Fondazione Bruno Kessler - through the Center for Sustainable Energy - will participate in HYMANTOVALLEY with several activities such as the techno-economic assessment of the H2 transport solutions to be adopetd in the context of the hydrogen valley. The Center will also coordinate the activities connected to the business case definition and will participate in the definition of a R&D hub that will be created within the valley. 

Read more about the roadshow here (article in Italian - press release of Confindustria Mantova)

Read more about the kick-off meeting here (article in Italian - Gazzetta di Mantova)

In these days, Antwerp hosted the event EIGA Winter Summit 2024 – Enabling Hydrogen together! 

The European Industrial Gases Association (EIGA) is a "safety and technically oriented organisation representing the vast majority of European and also non-European companies producing and distributing industrial, medical and food gases". 

The event was divided in 5 "steps" in order to allow participants to embark on a journey to discover, aware, understand, believe and act on the present and future of hydrogen, with the leading voice in safety, health and environmental care in the handling of industrial gases in Europe."

Luigi Crema, Director of the Center SE and President of HER, participated in the Undestand session, with the speech entitled The perspective of hydrogen in the field of energy storage.

More information on: https://www.eiga.eu/ws/2024_ws_programme/ 

Within the Interreg Alpine Space AMETHyST project, Eleonora Cordioli and Jacopo de Maigret - researchers of the Center Sustainable Energy - developed a report entitled "Green Hydrogen in the Alps. Identification of needs and targets for the deployment of green H2 solutions with a focus on touristic uses".

The document dives into the heart of sustainable energy innovation through the exploration of hydrogen solutions, with a special focus on transforming the Alps into a hub of green excellence.

The report reviews the state-of-the-art of hydrogen solutions, with a focus on touristic uses in the Alpine regions, gathering insights from local stakeholders, identifying the barriers to and the solutions for the development of local Alpine hydrogen ecosystems, and uncovering the immense potential of hydrogen.

What is the purpose of the document?

The objective is twofold. Firstly, the study aims to map the level of interest and commitment of local communities and authorities in pursuing higher sustainable development objectives. Secondly, it seeks to identify their specific needs for the implementation of hydrogen-based pilot initiatives. The analysis is intended to outline the role of hydrogen in the Alpine territories, informing and sharing knowledge among local stakeholders, thus paving the way to the creation of Alpine hydrogen ecosystems.

Have a look at the report, at this link. 

More information on the project here.

AMETHyST supports the deployment of Alpine green H2 ecosystems for a post-carbon future in the Alps. It reinforces the role of public authorities by increasing their capacity, designing support services to roll out green H2 solutions. This is done through 6  pilot territories in 5 countries which work together to implement the most appropriate solutions and test the ecosystem models.

Charting the Future of Green Fuels Bunkering at Trincomalee Port is the title of the Sri Lanka Hydrogen and Green Fuels Forum 2024, which took place last Thursday 18 January 2024 and was organised by the Ceylon Italy Blue Economy Association (CIBEA) and supported by the Sri Lankan Ministries and by the Italian Embassy in Sri Lanka.

As outlined by Vittorio Coco, President of CIBEA, "l'evento mira a generare attenzione ed interesse per una audience italiana ed internazionale qualificata di investitori, fornitori, autorità governative, operatori nel settore dei servizi ed imprese anche piccole e medie sull'opportunità di partecipare direttamente alla catena del valore dell'idrogeno e derivati verdi nell'Oceano Indiano [The conference aims to generate interest in the opportunity of actively participating in the Indian Ocean value chain of hydrogen and green fuels. The event addresses an Italian and international audience of investors, suppliers, policy-makers. service providers and companies].

Gionata Luca, researcher of the FBK Center for Sustainable Energy, presented the Key Note speech on the topics of costs behind the Italian green hydrogen supply chain. In particular, the researcher focused on the production costs of the green hydrogen, the cost gap with the reference fuel to be substituted (grey hydrogen for industries, natural gas for heating and diesel for mobility), and the strategies to reduce these costs. 

In his speech, Gionata presented some results of a research work done within the HyRES Unit of FBK-SE to evaluate possible incentives that can fill the cost gap with the reference fuel and launch the green hydrogen market. 

What are the strategies presented to reduce the green hydrogen production costs?

• The impact of the plant complexity (modular and standardised solutions can reduce the investment capital cost);

• The increase of the electrolyser load factor that can lead to the absorption of the capital cost;

• The impact of the scale effect; 

• The support of the investment costs through the active participation in calls and tenders to promote the hydrogen supply chain and the development of a scale manufacturing industry.

Read more here: https://cibea.net/2024/01/03/sri-lanka-h2-forum-future-of-green-fuels-bunkering-at-trincomalee-port/ 

On January 16, 2024, Diego Viesi, Masoud Manafi, Silvia Ricciuti and Francesco Ghionda - researchers of the Sustainable Energy Center of FBK - participated in the first site visit of USES4HEAT Project.

The visit took place in Riva del Garda, at the cogeneration plant of Alto Garda Power which is connected to Cartiere del Garda and the district heating of Riva del Garda.

The objective of this visit was to show the current state of art of the demo site of the project to the  partners that will be involved in the local activities: Fondazione Bruno Kessler,  Alto Garda Power S.r.l., Cartiere del Garda S.p.A., Alto Garda Servizi S.p.A., HYDRA S.r.l., HiRef S.p.A., Endef Engineering, Energenius S.r.l., Università degli Studi di Genova.

The fist analysis to the engineering and geological challenges have been launched in orde to find the optimal integration in the innovative solutions that will be creatd for the Italian demo site: 

1. New seasonal, large-scale, ATES via advanced drilling technologies – provided by the partner HYDRA;

2. New groundwater heat pump at high temperature, low GWP and ATES/DH-connected by HIREF;

3. Hybrid solar panels provided by ENDEF;

4. Intelligent energy management via AI, big-data and cloud-based tools by Energenius.

More information on the project: https://magazine.fbk.eu/en/news/uses4heat-project-launched-to-enable-the-decarbonisation-of-european-heating-and-cooling-through-innovative-seasonal-thermal-energy-storage/ 

This year again PSE will take place the first week of September, in Erfurt (Germany). The 19th International Conference on Plasma Surface Engineering is the established Conference for plasma and ion surface engineering. 

PSE Conferences are established since 1988. The event provides opportunities to present recent progress in research, development and industrial applications. Its topics span a wide range from fundamentals such as e. g., process modelling and simulations of plasmas or thin film physics, through experimental studies which establish the relationships between process parameters and the structural and functional properties of modified surfaces and/or thin films, towards applications in industrial production.

PSE Conferences are organized by the European Joint Committee on Plasma and Ion Surface Engineering. 

Conference Topics of PSE2024

1. Plasma and ion sources

2. Process technologies

3. Properties and applications

4. Characterization and simulation

Important Deadlines

Abstract Submission Deadline: January 31, 2024

PSE Award 2024 Proposals: January 31, 2024

In parallel, an exhibition is also organised. It is an important part of the conference and provides opportunities to stay informed about new developments as well as innovative products and services, discuss new ideas and cooperations with the experts and gives time to take care of customers. Exhibitors use the chance to present their products and services to the community with growing interest. In this exhibition you find providers of coating systems, components, equipment, materials, vacuum and plasma technologies, analytical measurement instruments, simulation tools, products for process automation and coating services. The exhibition will take place from September 3 – 4, 2024.

More information on the conference: https://pse-conferences.net/

Information package, at this link

BM Group Holding started the new year with the celebration of its 30th Anniversary. 

For this occasion, the company organised the Convention Inspiring innovation: BM Group per la transizione tecnologica ed energetica dell’industria with three roundtables. The first on the integration of renewable energies to decarbonise industries, the second on the energy challenge of green hydrogen and the third on th Industry 5.0, with the human as main actor of the digital transition. The fil-rouge of the event was the industry decarbonisation through renewable energies and digital transition. 

Luigi Crema, Director of the Sustainable Energy Centre of the Fondazione Bruno Kessler - FBK and President of Hydrogen Europe Research was invited as panelist in the round table "Energy challenge of green hydrogen. 

The panel, moderated by Filippo Astone - Industria Italiana Magazine, saw the participation of Luca Gnali (Executive Board of Iniziative Bresciane and founding partner of CreaConsulting), Paolo Argenta (Executive Vice President, Tenova Metals) and Luca Mion (CEO of HYDROALP).

"To achieve the objectives of decarbonization, a well-developed path is needed. It is not enough to introduce renewables; we need a secure supply of energy, and this requires the integration of energy carriers that allow storage and high density. And one of these energy carriers is hydrogen", as explained by Luigi Crema. "After all, the European Union's objective is to consume 20 million additional tons of hydrogen compared to the current level by 2030. A European Hydrogen Bank has been created, and it is believed that, when hydrogen reaches 3 euros per kg of production cost, it will be ready to replace methane, in addition to fossil fuels used in mobility".

Source: Industria Italiana Magazine | HydroAlp

Read more about the event: https://www.industriaitaliana.it/bm-group-energia-rinnovabile-automazione-industriale-meccatronica/?latest