Centrale Nantes has just obtained €2.8 MM (US $3.1 MM) in CPER funding (French state/regional infrastructure planning and investment program) to set up the GENIUS project, a test platform for the production, storage and use of green hydrogen.

Launched at the end of 2021, the GENIUS project is directly linked to the hydrogen roadmap of the Pays de la Loire region and is part of the hydrogen strategy at Centrale Nantes. Professor Malek Ghanes of the Laboratory of Digital Sciences of Nantes (LS2N) and head of the Renault Centrale Nantes chair on electric vehicles is currently heading the project.

Developing a test platform for the production, storage and use of green hydrogen

The project aims to build a full-scale test platform for the intelligent management of energy from renewable sources for applications linked to transport (electric vehicles in particular) and stationary applications (buildings, low-voltage networks, etc.).

Given that using hydrogen as an energy carrier is still an emerging technology, the GENIUS project aims to combine the fuel cell/electrolyzer combination with seasonal storage in the form of hydrogen to supply isolated or non-isolated networks. At the same time, this type of energy production (with hydrogen storage) and consumption makes it possible to design power systems combining production/storage/consumption for transport-related applications.

The GENIUS project receives funding from the State, the Pays de la Loire Region, Nantes Métropole and the ERDF.