Whether for producing or storing electricity, hydrogen as a molecule is still underexploited. Given that France’s hydropower capacity is saturated and batteries will not be sufficient, it represents an ideal solution for the energy storage challenges posed by intermittent renewables and the surplus of nuclear energy.

Through the government’s Hydrogen Plan, a budget of €8.3 billion over ten years has been allocated to support this sector’s development and ensure that France does not miss out on the industrial shift in the hydrogen vector. As part of this plan, around ten Priority Research Programs and Equipment (PEPR) initiatives have been launched. One of these is the “decarbonized hydrogen” PEPR, which aims to support upstream R&D activities at the highest international level, assisting industrial actors in the sector and responding to priorities defined by the national strategy. Seven target projects have already been identified and are currently being launched. One of them is the “PEMFC 95” project, coordinated by Marian Chatenet, professor at Grenoble INP – Phelma, UGA and researcher at LEPMI.