Presentation

This century is marked by a race against time to limit global warming to 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels, as agreed in the Paris Agreement by 192 Parties in December 2015 [1]. In this context, technologies using decarbonized hydrogen have become a national priority for many countries [2, 3]. As disruptive innovations, they promise to decarbonize the most energy-intensive sectors (industry, transport, energy storage) and to reduce the real costs (environmental, climatic, health-related) across the energy value chain, from conversion to end-use [4]. In particular, they play a crucial role in decarbonizing the steel and fertilizer industries, electrifying heavy transport, and storing electricity from intermittent or seasonal renewable energy sources (RES). On the scale of non-interconnected grids, such as those in island territories, the hybridization of multi-source conversion units relies on the deployment of storage systems, both to decouple energy production and demand from the availability of local RES and to manage the complementarity of variable and flexible resources. Storing energy in the form of hydrogen and its stationary reconversion into electricity help mitigate the intermittency of variable RES by optimizing electrical production capacity.

Currently, the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is the most widely adopted fuel cell technology [6]. However, it faces technological challenges that must be overcome for large-scale commercialization, such as low power densities, high costs, and limited lifespan [7]. In particular, the transient operating conditions induced by RES variability lead to performance, reliability, and durability issues in hydrogen systems: cell degradation, premature aging, or the occurrence of faults (water management, corrosion, etc.). To address these challenges, global institutions have set several development targets for PEMFCs. Regarding power and current density improvements, the European Union aims to reach 1.2 W·cm⁻² at 0.675 V by 2030 [8], while Japan targets 6 kW·L⁻¹ and 3.8 A·cm⁻² for the same year [7]. For cost reduction, the European Union seeks a price below €50/kW by 2030 for fuel cells in heavy-duty vehicles [8]. Finally, concerning lifespan, the European Union aims for 30,000 operating hours for hydrogen buses by 2030 [8].

Numerical modeling of fuel cells contributes to achieving these development goals. Indeed, models provide insights into the internal states of cells that traditional sensors cannot capture, as placing them directly inside the ultra-thin cell layers is impractical. With this precise information, PEMFC diagnostics can be enhanced [9, 10]. This enables more effective real-time control of fuel cells by adjusting operating conditions—such as pressure, temperature, humidity, and gas flow rates—which can improve performance, prevent faults like cell flooding, and reduce degradation.

The general objectives of the OPUS-H2: « Optimization of Performance and dUrability of hydrogen Systems using an advanced digital twin » project, led by Prof. Michel Benne and running from May 2025 to May 2027, are to significantly contribute to the development of numerical models for PEM fuel cells in order to improve their performance and durability, as well as to build experimental expertise in collaboration with ZSW, a well-established European partner in the field, with the aim of transferring these skills to Réunion Island. The sharing of knowledge and cross-disciplinary expertise within this partnership will foster innovation and research. 

The OPUS-H2 project is funded by the European Union with a grant of €136,060.78 under the FEDER-FSE+ Réunion program, with the Réunion Region acting as the managing authority. Through the FEDER fund, Europe is committed to supporting Réunion. The Région Réunion complements this funding with a national co-financing contribution of €24,010.72.

Sources:
[1] The Paris Agreement, United Nations 2015 (https://unfccc.int/documents/9064)
[2] The Future of Hydrogen. Seizing Todayʼs Opportunities, IEA 2019 (https://www.iea.org/reports/the-future-of-hydrogen)
[3] Y. Wang et al. 2011 (10.1016/j.apenergy.2010.09.030)
[4] Panchenko et al. 2023 (10.1016/j.ijhydene.2022.10.084)
[5] Stratégie Nationale Pour Le Développement de l’hydrogène Décarboné En France, Gouvernement français, Dossier de Presse 2020 (https://www.economie.gouv.fr/presentation-strategie-nationale-developpement-hydrogene-decarbone-france)
[6] A. Dicks et al. 2018 (ISBN 978-1-118-70697-8 978-1-118-61352-8)
[7] K. Jiao et al. 2021 (10.1038/s41586-021-03482-7)
[8] Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking. Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda 2021 – 2027 (https://www.clean-hydrogen.europa.eu/about-us/key-documents/strategic-research-and-innovation-agenda_en)
[9] Fei Gao et al 2010 (10.1109/TIE.2009.2021177)
[10] J. Luna et al 2016 (10.1016/j.jpowsour.2016.08.019)