H2020

This coming June 30^th, the Horizon2020 research project FotoH2, will have reached the mid-point of its 3 year contract and will have to report to the European Commission on the progress made regarding the design and development of a photoelectrochemical device capable of producing the direct conversion of solar energy into chemical energy contained in the bonds of hydrogen molecules.

To prepare this report, as well as review latest results and plan for the next months’ work, the FotoH2 consortium gathered at Hygear in Arnhem, the Netherlands, on June 13^th and 14^th, in their fourth face to face meeting. A key result of the recently completed modeling phase provided the computational proof that the FotoH2 architecture makes the prototype’s efficiency goals feasible.

The Horizon2020 research project FotoH2, is reaching the end of its first year, and the partners met on December 13 & 14, 2018, in the installations of partner CNR-ITAE in Messina to evaluate the work done in this year, and plan for the next months.

The discussions centered on the results of computational electrode material studies and the physical simulation of the photo-electrochemical reaction and planned the completion of the computational work package and the utilisation of gained knowledge for the prototyping work.

The consortium concluded that the project work is progressing according to the plan, and good results should be expected in time for the mid-term review next summer.

Members of the FotoH2 consortium met at the facilities of partner Broadbit Energy Technologies in Finland last June, for their first face-to-face coordination meeting after the project’s kick-off meeting last February. This meeting highlighted the excellent progress the project has made in its first six months, particularly with regards to computational modeling and lab experiments, putting it firmly on track to meet its goals and with a clear roadmap to proceed for the next months.

FotoH2 is a Horizon2020 research project, financed by the European Commission and coordinated by the University of Alicante which focuses on the design and development of a photoelectrochemical device capable of producing the direct conversion of solar energy into chemical energy contained in the bonds of hydrogen molecules. More information is available at http://fotoh2.eu/.

One of the main challenges of the 21st century is to solve the growing energy demand to cope with the depletion of fossil fuels, as well as reduce CO2 emissions. In this sense, artificial photosynthesis is presented as one of the most sustainable techniques to obtain hydrogen as fuel from two resources as abundant as solar energy and water. The European FotoH2 project, coordinated by the University of Alicante, focuses precisely on the design and development of a photoelectrochemical device capable of producing the direct conversion of solar energy into chemical energy contained in the bonds of hydrogen molecules.