Interview with Pierre Bénard, Director of the Institute for Research on Hydrogen (IRH) and Co-Director of Thème 3.2 – Long-Term Storage of the RQEI’s Scientific Program
April 2020
Q. Over the past year, the hydrogen sector has gained prominence in Quebec's media space. Can you describe the context?
R de P.B: Yes, indeed, we have been able to read headlines in the newspapers that indicate a major interest in green hydrogen, produced by electrolysis of water. Among other things, Air Liquide recently announced a project to build a PEM electrolyzer with a capacity of 20 MW in Bécancour. Similarly,
Green hydrogen is envisaged to accelerate the energy transition, in particular through the electrification of high-density and energy-intensive applications, the electrification of heavy transport, the decarbonisation of heavy industry, a better integration of intermittent energies (solar, wind), and the recovery of surplus electricity production via “Power-to-X” technologies which, if they can be scaled up, would make it possible, if they can be scaled up, Transform surplus electricity into value-added chemicals (synthetic materials and fuels).
Q. What are the priorities that researchers need to work on right now to support the hydrogen economy in Quebec?
R de P.B: Significant R activities are carried out in higher education networks, and in particular by members of the RQEI. Together, our expertise spans the entire renewable hydrogen value chain, from production to end-uses. More specifically, we prioritize the following themes:
- The efficient and less expensive production of green hydrogen (in particular by electrolysis);
- The displacement of grey-walking hydrogen by green hydrogen;
- Fuel cells for high-power applications (heavy-haul: trucks, buses and trains, marine applications, mining, data centres);
- Technologies for storing hydrogen in chemical form and the reduction of the costs of conventional storage systems (compression);
- And finally industrial green hydrogen for use in industrial processes.
These priorities are entirely consistent with the measures of the Master Plan of Energy Transition Québec.
Q. In your opinion, what is the place for interdisciplinarity in this energy sector?
R de P.B: To tackle complex problems from all angles, nothing beats the pooling of complementary expertise. In concrete terms, physicists, chemists and biochemists must be used to produce and store hydrogen. We need engineers to improve the energy efficiency of our transportation, buildings, and industrial processes. And innovations in materials science have a direct impact on the improvement of existing technologies and the development of disruptive technologies by engineers.
In addition, the humanities, economics and social sciences also contribute to the acceleration of hydrogen uses through teaching, life cycle analyses and techno-economic analyses.
Q. In February, researchers from the RQEI participated in the HyVolution Exhibition which was held in Paris. What are your main conclusions from this experience?
R of P.B: French industry was there with more than 150 companies and Quebec was well represented. The summit allowed us to better understand the main orientations of the French industry regarding hydrogen in order to align our actions.
In the coming months, we will be actively working with our partners, including the Ministère de l’Économie et de l’Innovation, to develop partnerships and bilateral training and research programs.
Pictured and from left : Hugues Doucet (Director of the Business-University Liaison Office – UQTR), Christian Bélanger (Director of Research and Innovation – Strategic and Transversal Projects, Hydro-Québec Research Institute), Kodjo Agbossou (UQTR), David Vincent (Senior Director, Business Development at Hydro-Québec), Michèle Boisvert (Delegate General of Québec in France), Christine Chan (Director of Business Development – Investissement Québec), Pierre Bénard (UQTR), Oumarou Savadogo (Polytechnique Montréal) and Damien Pereira (Economic Affairs Attaché, Innovation Manager – Québec Government Office in Paris)
Q. Finally, for students who are interested in energy sciences, are there opportunities to work here in Quebec?
R of P.B: In the context of the energy transition, we need to diversify our workforce to meet new challenges. In Quebec, we have large companies that work closely with universities, including Hydro-Québec and Énergir. We also have several college technology transfer centres that are interested in the energy transition and that train the workforce throughout the territory. The opportunities are therefore excellent.