The proximity between the Engineering school Paoli Tech and the CNRS laboratory enables the students to be provided with research facilities and in particular experimental platforms, unique in the world, combining solar energy and hydrogen storage:
This project was developed in order to store renewable energy using hydrogen gas. During periods of lower demand, the electricity generated by a photovoltaic plant is transformed into hydrogen with an electrolyzer (storage phase). During peak demand, hydrogen is converted with a fuel cell into electricity, which is fed back to the power grid (discharge phase).
This project is a unique device implementing a smart-grid with different storage pathways (electrochemical, mechanical) and addressing electric mobility.
These platforms represent a tremendous asset for the training of the future engineers in Energetics. The students can indeed acquire knowledge from electronics to thermal heat transfers, all directly related to the use and storage of renewable energies.
