Hi everyone! My name is Giulio Guandalini, and I’m an Associate Professor at the Department of Energy of Politecnico di Milano, in Italy. I coordinate POLIMI’s activities within the IsoPROPEL project and contribute to the techno-economic assessment and integration of the overall process.
What was your original motivation to become a researcher?
I think curiosity has always been my strongest driver. I have always enjoyed understanding how things work, especially when facing complex problems where the solution is not immediately clear and you need to break the problem down into simpler parts. As an engineer, I also enjoy building the tools I need. When an existing model is not enough to answer a question, developing a new one that can reproduce and explain the behaviour of a real system is particularly rewarding. Over time, another motivation became equally important: sharing what I have learned. This naturally led me towards an academic career, where I can combine research with the very rewarding experience of working with students and helping to train new generations of engineers and researchers.
What is your (main) research area today?
My main research area is the modelling and techno-economic optimisation of complex energy systems, with a particular focus on hydrogen technologies, including electrolysers and fuel cells, energy storage and alternative fuel production. I mainly work on the integration of these technologies with variable renewable energy sources, considering different options for hydrogen production, transport and use, both in stationary applications and in the transport sector. I also collaborate with industrial partners on Power-to-Gas and eFuels solutions, with the integration of alternative energy carriers into existing energy infrastructures.
What is the main objective of your team in IsoPROPEL?
The main objective of the POLIMI team within IsoPROPEL is to evaluate the integration of the entire process, from the initial raw materials to the synthesis of the hydrogen carrier, as well as to carry out a complete techno-economic assessment of the supply chain. The integrated plant will be modelled and optimised using process simulation tools, while different operating scenarios for a full-scale plant will be explored through high-level mathematical optimisation. This will allow us to consider factors such as electricity availability and price, economic conditions, and other technical and operational constraints. Finally, we will estimate costs across the entire value chain, considering different application scenarios, hydrogen production pathways and possible incentive schemes.
What expertise and facilities does your team have to meet these objectives?
The POLIMI team involved in IsoPROPEL is part of the Group for Energy Conversion Systems (GECOS), whose expertise covers a broad range of advanced technologies for electrical, mechanical and chemical energy conversion, from small-scale applications to large industrial plants. Our research covers different aspects of energy and fuel production, use and conversion, including energy efficiency, process design, techno-economic analysis, system optimisation and environmental impact. Our approach builds on extensive experience in modelling complex energy, industrial and chemical processes, using both in-house software and commercial tools to simulate mass and energy balances, operational strategies and techno-economic performance. We devote particular attention to developing digital tools that support the intensification, integration and optimisation of energy systems.
Which aspects of your research at IsoPROPEL do you believe are the most innovative and what unique opportunities offer IsoPROPEL to yourself and/or your organisation?
IsoPROPEL gives us the opportunity to investigate an innovative and fully integrated value chain, while developing and validating simulation tools that can later be extended to other synthetic fuels and CO₂-reuse solutions. The opportunity to exchange knowledge with experts working on innovative components, such as synthesis reactors and alternative fuel cell technologies, is also helping us improve the level of detail and capabilities of our models. Integrating these different areas of expertise is a demanding but extremely stimulating challenge, and an excellent opportunity to further develop our modelling capabilities.
How do you see the future use of the IsoPROPEL results and the impact of IsoPROPEL project in our daily lives?
The need for alternatives to conventional fuels is becoming increasingly urgent, both for passenger transport and for freight, due to the environmental impact of traditional solutions as well as the geopolitical challenges we are facing today. Where electrification is difficult because of the high energy requirements involved, IsoPROPEL offers an alternative based on renewable electricity, carbon reuse, and a logistics system similar to the one we are already familiar with. The aim is to improve environmental performance without requiring major changes to the way we use and experience transport in our daily lives. However, the technological challenge is still open, and there is still a long way to go in terms of research and development before these solutions can be widely implemented.
