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Research
Mary Pryce

Two DCU lead projects funded in SEAI energy research programme

Dr Mary Pryce
The two projects, worth €872061 in funding for DCU, cover the conversion of CO2 into formic acid for the purposes of storing green Hyrdogen, and a project looking at ensuring just green energy transitions.

The projects are to be led by Prof Mary Pryce, Head of the School of Chemical Sciences and Dr Louise Fitzgerald, an Assistant Professor in the School of Law & Government.

The SEAI National Energy Research Development and Demonstration (RD&D) Funding Programme invests in innovative energy RD&D projects which contribute to Ireland's transition to a clean and secure energy future. It welcomes research proposals from all research disciplines, as well as collaborative projects involving multiple organisations subject to alignment with the overall programme objectives.

Dr Fitzgerald’s ACHIEVE project is set to examine new pathways to successful green energy transition. Societal acceptance and citizen engagement are crucial for successful energy transitions. However, engaging citizens and developing community energy initiatives in Ireland has been challenging, leading to increased opposition and limited participation.

The project will produce a systematic review of EU and international best practices, drawing insights from exemplary case studies. This will allow the creation of a novel set of indicators and a toolkit for measuring the societal impacts of sustainable energy communities in addition to outlining methods for improved community engagement.

Prof Mary Pryce’s SUN2FA project draws on her extensive experience in electrochemical hydrogen production. The project examines routes towards converting captured CO2 into useful chemicals/feedstocks or fuels as a way of closing the carbon loop. However, as CO2 is inherently stable there are considerable scientific challenges to overcome. Prof Pryce and her team will integrate new metal-organic photocatalysts and coat onto photocathodes for the conversion of CO2 into formic acid, a hydrogen storage reservoir.

Despite the potential of renewable hydrogen, its widespread utilisation is limited by both hydrogen generation and storage technologies, and by safety concerns. Hydrogen stored in formic acid (HCOOH) can be released on demand by decomposing formic acid.