Disruption of security of supply associated with fossil fuels, global warming, exploitation of renewable energy sources, calls attention to the storage of intermittently produced excess energy. To this end, research is being carried out within the framework of the project of the National Laboratory for Renewable Energy Sources, transferred in June 2022 to the Faculty of Technology and Informatics of the University of Pécs (PTE MIK). The National Laboratory supports the achievement of the goals of decarbonization of our country, therefore, in the next 3 and a half years, PTE, as the leader of the consortium, in cooperation with its 9 partners, will create a scientific, technological, legal, economic, as well as its industrial legal protection base. To achieve the goals set in international and domestic plans, a large number of trained specialists will be required, which is why in February 2022, PTE MIC, the first and so far the only one in the country, began further training of specialized engineers/specialists in the field of fuel cells and hydrogen technologies, for which there is already a lot of demand. the demand for renewable energy and the importance of energy storage. The energy produced by solar panels, wind or nuclear power plants can be stored as hydrogen produced by splitting water, and fuel cells allow it to be converted into electricity. The diffusion of new technologies can make a significant contribution to improving the security of Hungary’s energy supply, as it supports the sustainability of the system on several pillars, primarily by increasing the capacity of solar panels, but also by maintaining the production of nuclear energy. One of the biggest problems in energy supply is manageability, if the sun shines strongly and for a long time, and the consumption is low, the solar panels generate excess energy, and it is not easy to store the electricity that is no longer needed. Hydrogen as an energy carrier is a solution to this problem, but the technology has not yet been fully developed. The R&D and educational activities of the National Laboratory serve the purpose of launching a hydrogen economy in Hungary, which requires the right technologies and people to manage them.
With hydrogen-related research resurging around the world, Pécs has been conducting research in this area for about a decade and a half, and the establishment of the National Laboratory allows the inclusion of a new, modern and relevant subject area among existing research topics. Within the framework of the project, three organizational units of the PTE, the Faculty of Engineering and Informatics, the Faculty of Economics and the Faculty of Natural Sciences, are involved in research on fuel cells and other developments related to hydrogen technologies. In PTE MIK, we have formed four groups: one is developing autonomous hydrogen-powered drones, another is creating non-destructive diagnostic methods based on measuring electrical impedance, the third is developing electrical components and fuel cell peripherals and exploring the processing of valuable raw materials, and the task of the fourth group will be educational development. As part of the latter, international projects, as well as new ones – incl. We are developing MSc, short-term forms of study that can significantly increase the international recognition of PTE MIK,” says Chaba Ver, Faculty Research Assistant. The projects already started and the work of the National Laboratory provide an excellent opportunity to renew the teaching and research staff, as well as to increase the international visibility of the scientific activities of individual research groups.
Hungary’s first and only engineer/specialist in fuel cells and hydrogen technology. PTE MIK has launched a professional development program that is already attracting considerable interest: all admitted students with an engineering background, most of them are company leaders or work in large companies, have applied for a two-semester course because they want to discover hydrogen technologies in the future professional we taught knowledge with the support of our industrial partners We conducted several exercises at KONTAKT-Elektro Kft., in Pécs, where there is a hydrogen laboratory, and spent the whole day in Budapest, at Linde Gáz Magyarország Zrt., where the only hydrogen filling station in Hungary is located. Here, the students got to know the car running on hydrogen better. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory and specialized training mutually support each other’s work, as research and education are two activities that build on each other. The results of the research of the laboratory are reflected in the training, so the students of specialized training can get modern, relevant knowledge,” says the head of the training program, Dr. Zoltan Kvasnica, head of the department, associate professor of the university. .It is not such a distant goal that hydrogen fuel cell technology will appear in PTE graduates in education, undergraduate and graduate courses. This is not found in any university in our country, while the European Union and the government are also allocating serious resources to start hydrogen technology and fuel cell development. Europe took this path later, such as South Korea, where multi-megawatt fuel cell power plants are already operating, and their car factories are developing developments that will allow the production of fuel cell systems or hydrogen-powered vehicles that can be immediately brought to market. Europe is currently creating this 21st century technology, which is expected to be of considerable interest in the future.
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