Skip to main content

The Deploy Pillar

The Trienens Institute Deploy pillar aims to advance clean hydrogen production and exploit hydrogen’s unique properties to decarbonize agriculture and manufacturing.

Decarbonization research and innovation are central to the work of the Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy. Together, the Trienens Institute Pillars of Decarbonization are building a suite of complementary solutions for a vibrant, sustainable future. Northwestern researchers, who are global leaders in their fields, are guiding diverse teams of experts to progress in this urgent mission.

pillar-webpage-836x400-with-text.webp

 
How does hydrogen fit into a decarbonized energy future?

Generating electricity from energy sources that do not emit greenhouse gases, or that emit low levels of them, is key to the overall mix of solutions for climate change. These sources include wind, solar, and even nuclear energy. And while there are many ways to deploy green electricity, several Northwestern researchers see hydrogen production as an important avenue. Hydrogen is an ideal way to store energy from green electricity sources. When it is used to generate power—for transportation, for industry, or for homes—the only byproduct is water (H2O). This means hydrogen, when produced renewable or nuclear electricity, can ultimately help decarbonize high-polluting industries, mitigate climate change, and reduce emissions, while creating more jobs—a vision called the “hydrogen economy.”

How can we produce hydrogen?

Today, most hydrogen is developed using fossil fuels—by steam reforming either natural gas or coal. Using carbon-free electricity to make hydrogen generally involves electrolysis, a process that splits water into hydrogen and oxygen using carefully designed electrochemical devices. Another approach uses solar concentration to generate high temperatures to split the water. These early stage approaches are still not cost competitive with fossil fuel derived hydrogen. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has set a target for clean hydrogen of a dollar per kilogram. At that price, the DOE anticipates that hydrogen could be a game-changer as a fuel and energy storage medium.

Beyond reducing the cost of generating hydrogen, there are technical barriers to deploying it that Northwestern researchers are tackling. These include the large volume of space required to store hydrogen compared to liquid fuels, and the costly infrastructure for shipping and delivering it. Safety concerns also must be addressed as hydrogen infrastructure expands.

As part of the Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy’s Deploy pillar, Northwestern is leading the development of new technologies for hydrogen production, use, and storage. The pillar is one of the Trienens Institute's Six Pillars of Decarbonization aimed at leading interdisciplinary research in decarbonization.

Experts

Jennifer Dunn, Deploy Pillar Co-Chair

dunn-jennifer.webp


Jennifer Dunn 

Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering
Director, Center for Engineering Sustainability and Resilience
Associate Director, Northwestern-Argonne Institute of Science and Engineering

Sossina Haile, Deploy Pillar Co-Chair

haile-sossina170x170.webp


Sossina Haile

Walter P. Murphy Professor of Materials Science and Engineering
Professor of Applied Physics

 

Sossina M. Haile is the Walter P. Murphy Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University, a position she assumed in 2015 after serving 18 years on the faculty at the California Institute of Technology. She earned her Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1992. Haile’s research broadly encompasses materials for sustainable electrochemical energy technologies. Her work in fuel cell science and technology has pushed the field to new insights and record performance metrics. In parallel, she has created new avenues for harnessing sunlight to meet rising energy demands and demonstrated viable solutions to the challenge of hydrogen delivery. Haile directs the DOE Energy Frontier Research Center, Hydrogen in Energy and Information Sciences (HEISs) and is a Hans Fischer Senior Fellow at the Technical University of Munich. Amongst her many awards, in 2008 Haile received an American Competitiveness and Innovation (ACI) Fellowship from the U.S. National Science Foundation in recognition of “her timely and transformative research in the energy field and her dedication to inclusive mentoring, education and outreach across many levels.” In 2010 Haile was the recipient of the Chemical Pioneer Award (American Institute of Chemists), in 2012 the International Ceramics Prize (World Academy of Ceramics), and in 2020 the Turnbull Lectureship (Materials Research Society). She is a fellow of the Materials Research Society, the American Ceramics Society, the Electrochemical Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry, the African Academy of Sciences, and the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences, and serves on the DOE Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Board and on the editorial boards of Joule and MRS Energy and Sustainability. Haile is also a board member of the non-profit Ethiopia Education Initiatives, which aims to bring educational opportunities to an underserved region of the world.

Jawayria Mujtaba

milad headshot


Jawayria Mujtaba

Senior Research Associate
Deploy Pillar Representative,
Trienens Research Implementation Committee (TRIC)
jawayria.mujtaba@northwestern.edu

Charles Musgrave

charles musgrave headshot


Charles Musgrave

Kreamer CleanTech Innovation Fellow,
Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy
Postdoctoral Scholar, Sargent Group
charles.musgrave@northwestern.edu

Current Projects

The Trienens Institute Deploy pillar aims to develop and test hydrogen production, use, and storage. The pillar works in tandem with existing centers and research initiatives across Northwestern.

Center for Hydrogen in Energy and Information Sciences

The Center for Hydrogen in Energy and Information Sciences (HEIS) is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC). Northwestern University received $10 million from the DOE to lead the center which is focused on developing hydrogen-based energy technologies.

HEISs is led by Deploy Pillar co-chair Sossina Haile. 

Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen

Northwestern is a key partner in the Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen (MachH2), one of seven regional clean hydrogen hubs funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The public-private entity is working to promote commercially scalable projects that will stimulate clean hydrogen production and supply hydrogen to end users. The hub plans to produce tens of thousands of metric tons of hydrogen per year.

Deploy Pillar Co-Chair Jennifer Dunn serves as the Chief Decarbonization Officer for MachH2. 

LEARN MORE

In the News

  • Deploying green energy, cheaply and cleanly

    Northwestern researchers collaborate on hydrogen as a clean fuel source through the Trienens Institute Deploy pillar | FULL STORY >

  • Northwestern is part of national effort to develop hydrogen fuel economy

    Midwest Alliance for Clean Hydrogen is one of seven new Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs selected to receive $7B accelerate the domestic market for low-cost, clean hydrogen | FULL STORY > 

  • Northwestern receives $10 million for new national energy research center

    U.S. Department of Energy funded the Hydrogen in Energy and Information Sciences (HEISs), one of 43 Energy Frontier Research Center awards announced today that will bring together teams of scientists focused on developing hydrogen-based energy technologies | FULL STORY >

How can I support hydrogen production, use, and storage research efforts?

Consider making a gift in support of the Institute. For industry professionals and other leaders who wish to go deeper, consider corporate partnership opportunities. For broader impact, consider joining the Trienens Institute Executive Council.