Trine Klemensø is the project manager of a significant project at Risø National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy aimed to develop the next generation of SOFCs, the so-called metal-supported fuel cells. The project focuses on developing a newly designed fuel cell with improved properties and cheaper use of material. The project is funded by the Danish National Advanced Technology Foundation and conducted in close collaboration with industry (Topsoe Fuel Cell A/S).
SOFCs (Solid Oxide Fuel Cells) are effective when fuel is to be converted into electricity. They reduce CO2 emissions from power generation considerably, even when fossil fuels are being used. However, fuel cells can also use CO2-free or CO2-neutral fuels such as hydrogen, ammonia and biogas.
Furthermore, fuel cells act as membranes, facilitating CO2 separation from the emission gas when fuel is converted into electricity (and heat). This separation is normally an expensive part of the CCS-processes (Carbon Capture and Storage) and could be another way of reducing the CO2 amount in the atmosphere.
About the Siemens climate award
The Siemens foundation's climate award is given to one or more scientists in Denmark under the age of 40, in the form of a travelling scholarship. The award is given to research into technological solutions that will reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. When choosing prize winners, the level of research is emphasised, among other things, together with the potential of the projects for reducing CO2 and the possibilities of implementation outside the laboratories.