ERC Proof of  Concept Grant for Philip de Goey 

Philip de Goey, professor of Combustion Technology in the Power & Flow section within TU/e's Mechanical Engineering Department and founder of Metalot has been awarded an ERC Proof of Concept Grant from the European Research Council for his research on the combustion of metal fuels. A grant from the ERC is the most prestigious grant in Europe for researchers. Typically, the top 20% of researchers apply for it and 10 - 20% of them receive such a grant. In 2020, De Goey received an ERC Advanced Grant MetalFuel (2.5 million euros) on which 6 researchers (PhD/PD) are working on new science related to the combustion of metals.

Storage of sustainable energy

De Goey is one of the founders of the concept of using iron as a medium for large-scale long-term storage of renewable energy. By burning iron powder in seasons when there is not enough sun or win dis, for example in a refurbished coal-fired power plant or biomass plant. energy can be generated for industry. The rust powder produced is transported to a place where there is plenty of sun/wind and formed back into iron powder by reacting it with green hydrogen extracted from that solar or wind energy.

This creates a cyclic fuel that can be used again and again, no CO2, low emissions of nitrogen oxides, safe, very compact and also cost competitive. This is complementary to and supports the rollout of green hydrogen because it can be stored longer, easier, more compact and safer. This will have a huge impact and provide solutions to the energy crisis, climate crisis, nitrogen crisis and can give a huge boost to the economy in NL.

This grant forms the core of the world-leading research group on iron power within the department, which now has several staff members (professors, etc.) with many PhD students and students.

Want to know more? Click here for the news release on the TU/e website.

ERC Proof of Concept Grant

The European Research Council (ERC) has announced the 66 winners of its Proof of Concept Grant scheme. The grants, each worth €150,000, will be used to explore the commercial or societal potential of the results of their research projects. This funding is part of the EU's Horizon Europe research and innovation program.