Conception, design, fabrication, assembly, testing, diagnostics, analysis and modeling of fuel cells and electrolysers from Watts to 100 kW, in both high temperature ceramic (750°C) and ambient temperature polymer (20-70°C) technologies, for both natural and renewable fuels.
Research topics
1
Understanding of the long-term durability of fuel cells and electrolysers, separating and quantifying the various performance degradation processes with time.
2
Designing, fabrication and buiding of fuel cell/electrolyser components and of dedicated test equipment, in particular for in situ measurements.
3
Multi-physics multi-scale modeling, from micrometric interfaces to complete systems, to support the design (axis 2) and performance understanding (axis 1).
Our key projects
Reversible-CH4
We develop a complete pilot installation to demonstrate real seasonal storage of renewable electricity to methane injected into the gas grid, using a reversible fuel cell/electrolyser system (10/30 kW), with negligible emissions. Full operation expected in 2027.
A novel type of alcaline membrane water electrolyzer, free of critical materials, and of high power density (1 A/cm2, 5 kW/L), is developed and validated within our lab.
Canton VS GEM start-up
GREENHUB
Dedicated equipment is developed to measure the impedance of electrolysers at high current (300 A) and power (20 kW), to obtaining clean signals, allowing for detailed data analysis, and for linking results with smaller scale laboratory impedance measurements.
Innosuisse Flagship SolydEra (VD)
Our results and highlights
1
Our following findings were published for the first time in the scientific literature:
-a seminal study comparing 4 electrolysis technologies, in the high impact Journal Joule, and rapidly highly cited.
-a 3D model of an alcaline electrolyzer membrane-electrode-assembly.
-the measurement of a reversible fuel cell/electrolyser stack, with spatial and temporal resolution, during several months operation.
4 new EU projects were granted, 3 in collaboration with HESSO. All projects obtained scores of 14/15 and higher. Overall success rate was 12%. This maintains GEM as the No.1 lab of EPFL in EU grants.
4
2 patents filed, 1 start-up in creation
5
Starting a new activity in biocatalysis to convert liquid waste effluents into fuels, using bacterial catalysts grown on electrodes.
16 Journal articles published in 2024.
Team & talents
Lab team size
20 members + 10 master students + 3 guest PhD students
The GEM lab is composed of 1/3rd PhD students, 1/3rd scientists, 1/3rd engineers
Skills developed by the scientific team
Getting hands dirty in buiding and testing devices and specific characterisation equipment.
Overheating the brain into learning softwares, underlying maths, and programming code.
Other
GEM Team members learn self-responsibility, how to work in a team, to raise funding, to network, to collaborate with other academic and industrial entities, and the necessity of legal frameworks.
Regional and social impacts
1
Storing excess electricity into fuels for later clean and efficient reuse helps in making us less dependent on winter electricity import, which will become even more crucial if nuclear power is phased out.
2
Our seasonal storage pilot installation will be a first-of-a-kind hardware demonstration without simulating any component.
3
Our lab trains engineers into tomorrow’s technologies that define and shape the energy transition. Affordable available energy (clean and efficient) is a backbone of a productive industry and of a stable supportive society.
4
We initiate 15-20 new master students per year into our activities via direct project work.
Perspectives and challenges
Main opportunities
-Demonstrating full seasonal storage feasibility with reversible power-to-gas-to-power and the gas grid
-10/30 kW installation in Energypolis and 50 / 150 kW installation in Aigle with Gaznat and SolydEra
-Developing compact footprint alcaline water electrolysis
-In house fabrication of components
-Develop biogas as indigenous resource (it has >5-fold potential of current use)
Main challenges
-Funding cuts and ferocious funding competition
-Lack of test and fabrication infrastructure space
-Produce liquid fuels from electricity and carbon-sources
-Europe’s harmful self-isolation in its energy transition choices.
Future Partnerships
-Reinforce the Gaznat-SolydEra partnership
-Partnerships with other fuel cell / electrolyser companies
-Alignment with the gas industry for CH4 as vector
Industrial Process and Energy Systems Engineering (IPESE)
Prof. François Maréchal
Industrial Process and Energy Systems Engineering (IPESE)
IPESE develops digital twins based optimization for generating net-zero transition, integrating life-cycle metrics. Work spans efficient bio-based processes, CO₂ capture, high-efficiency SOFCs, waste gasification, and urban renewable hubs linking industry, energy, and smart districts.
Research topics
1
Integration of renewable energy in urban systems, considering local communities, photovoltaics, smart operation, efficiency and advanced energy converion technologies like heat pumps and district heating.
2
Decarbonising the industrial production, by efficient production, heat recovery, CO2 capture, renewable energy and waste management intergation and industrial symbiosis.
3
Modeling the energy tranistion : how is the energy system adapating to the innovation and the decarbonisation actions.
Our key projects
PinchSmall
A computer aided decision support for quick evaluation of decarbonisation options of industrial processes.
EPFL, HES-so, Swiss Federal Office of Energy
Net Zero Lab
Decarbonisation strategies for city integrated aluminium production.
IPESE, HES-so, Oiken, Novelis
Urban Energy Twins
Urban Twin and Sweet Swice & Sweet COSI, towards a holistic modle of the integration of renewable energy in cities : from behaviors to energy system adaptation.
Sweet consortium with utility companies
Our results and highlights
1
Indpendant and neutral Switzerland : what is the expected cost and consequences
2
Several best papers and poster awards in international conferences
3
François Marechal has contributed to the creation of six start-up companies : Bluewatt Engineering now part of PSE Siemens : energy efficient waste water treatment, Trea-tech : hydrothermal gasification for water treatment and biomass conversion, Exergo.ch : multi-energy systems design by CO2 based district heating and cooling systems, Urbio : decision suppport in urban energy system planing. Qaptis : CO2 capture in transportation systems. Emissium : CO2 tracking and certification.
4
CO2 network demonstrator in EPFL Valais Wallis campus.
Team & talents
Lab team size
30 reserchers at various levels
Skills developed by the scientific team
Computer aided process and energy system engineering, optimisation, machine learning and programming, pinch technology
Regional and social impacts
1
Showing and quantifying decarbonisation pathways for the decarbonisation and the energy transition by integrating technological innovations. How far is it from the social cost of doing nothing ?
2
The sustainability (economic, environmental and societal) impact of Net Zero Valais : what is the meaning of too expansive ?
3
What is the impact of integrating innovation for the industry decarbonisation ?
Perspectives and challenges
Main opportunities ?
Industry decarbonisation in a transitioning world\n Adapting the infrastructure to integrate decentralised productions, industrial symbiosis at the regional scale
Main challenges
Integrating innovation
Future Partnerships
Our lab has a long tradition of collaboration with the industry, we support collaboration for knowledge and technology transfer.
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