Hydrogen as sustainable energy storage
Doctoral Network “Unite!Energy” receives funding as a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action
2024/12/03 by Claudia Staub
Research for the energy transition: The international Doctoral Network “Unite!Energy”, with the participation of TU Darmstadt, is investigating the use of hydrogen for chemical energy storage. The network is being funded by the EU for four years with around 3.2 million euros. For the first time, all partners of the university alliance Unite! are involved in a joint doctoral network.

A fundamental problem of the energy transition is that the demand and the production of renewable energies do not sufficiently coincide – neither in terms of time nor location. Electricity can be generated in an environmentally friendly way, for example by converting wind, water or solar energy. However, the electrical energy generated in this way is usually not needed on site. In addition, the energy must be available where it is needed, reliably and independently of external factors.
It is therefore essential to store energy, transport it and then release it again elsewhere. Hydrogen is such a storage medium. With the help of electricity, water can be split into hydrogen and oxygen by electrolysis. If the electricity for electrolysis comes from renewable energies, this is known as “green” hydrogen. The hydrogen obtained in this way can now be stored and distributed. In the reverse process, for example in a fuel cell, the stored hydrogen is allowed to react with oxygen in order to convert the energy stored in the hydrogen back into electricity.
Training a new generation of scientists
, twelve PhD students will work with partners from industry and other universities from the As part of “Unite!Energy” to research hydrogen as a sustainable energy storage medium. The international collaboration aims to prepare a new generation of creative, entrepreneurial and innovative researchers who can successfully implement the integration of hydrogen in the energy field. Unite! network
The researchers are investigating the use of hydrogen to store surplus electrical energy generated from renewable energies outside of peak load times, as well as its use for power generation during peak load times. The hydrogen is produced by electrolysis, stored on site and used to generate electricity in fuel cells. The aim is to increase the competitiveness of chemical energy storage with hydrogen.
Research in a tandem
At TU Darmstadt, the groups of Professor Christian Hasse from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Professor Ulrike Kramm from the Department of Chemistry and Professor Jan Philipp Hofmann from the Department of Materials- and Geosciences are involved in “Unite!Energy”. They are each conducting research in tandem with a scientist from the Unite! network.
Professor Hofmann is working with Professor Piotr Rutkowski from Politechnika Wrocławska (Poland) on carbon-metal composites for water electrolysis in order to reduce the content of critical precious metals in the catalysts. Professor Kramm will be working on precious metal-free fuel cell catalysts in collaboration with Professor Stefania Specchia from the Politecnico di Torino (Italy). Professor Hasse will be researching safer hydrogen storage concepts in cooperation with Professor Manel Soria Guerrero from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya in Barcelona (Spain). The other researchers involved have also formed teams of two.
The doctoral students benefit in particular from the international networking of the Unite! alliance, as they are each assigned to one of these tandems and therefore conduct research at two universities at the same time. In addition, they complete practical placements with the participating industrial partners. At the end of the programme, they will receive a so-called cotutelle doctorate, i.e. a joint doctorate from two universities.
The project is coordinated by the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. In addition to the TU Tandem partners Politechnika Wrocławska, Politecnico di Torino and Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, researchers from all other Unite! universities are also involved: from Aalto University (Finland), Institut Polytechnique de Grenoble (France), KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden), TU Graz (Austria) and the Universidade de Lisboa (Portugal) as an associated partner. Other partners from the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, non-university research institutions and industry are also involved.
“Unite!Energy” fits perfectly into the context of the Unite! network and now offers the first large cohort of doctoral students a structured doctoral programme under the supervision of the Unite! Doctoral School in the field of Energy, one of the four focus areas of Unite! (Energy, Industry 4.0, Artificial Intelligence, Entrepreneurship).
“Unite!Energy” strengthens the research field of Energy and Environment (E+E) at TU Darmstadt and complements the portfolio of research projects that deal with the technology for the production of hydrogen and contribute to the implementation of the climate transition with their research work.
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) were established by the European Commission to promote transnational and intersectoral mobility and career development of researchers and to enhance the attractiveness of scientific careers. Support is provided for doctoral training networks, research stays by experienced researchers, staff exchange programmes and mobility programmes.