Interview with Maria Beatrice Falasconi

The involvement of educational institutions and students is fundamental in European projects to raise awareness on specific technical topics, share concrete knowledge on hydrogen and improve skills that will be useful once concluded the academic path. The PROMETEO Consortium is well aware of this and has already implemented numerous activities such as summer schools and master lectures. PROMETEO interviewed Maria Beatrice Falasconi, who recently completed her PhD in Science and Engineering for Humans and the Environment at Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma.

How did you decide to specialise in hydrogen production systems?

I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering and a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering for Sustainable Development. These academic paths laid the foundation for my specialization in hydrogen production systems and culminated in the PhD and the thesis I graduated with. The work is entitled “Analysis and Optimization of Innovative Solar-driven Electrochemical and Thermochemical Processes for Green Hydrogen Production” and reflects my strong commitment to advancing sustainable energy technologies.

Tell us more about your PhD and how you got in contact with the PROMETEO Project.

Throughout my doctoral studies, I carried out various research activities that allowed me to build a solid background in both electrochemical and thermochemical hydrogen production. As part of this journey, I undertook two research internships: a six-month placement at SNAM (Milan, Italy) and a four-month internship at IMDEA Energy Institute (Madrid, Spain), where I am currently continuing to work after my PhD defense. These experiences gave me the opportunity to actively contribute to the European project PROMETEO.

What is the focus of your thesis?

My thesis focuses on the techno-economic modeling and optimization of Solid Oxide Electrolysis (SOE) systems powered by renewable sources such as photovoltaic (PV) and concentrating solar thermal (CST) energy, coupled with battery and thermal energy storage (TES) systems. Compared to previous state-of-the-art approaches, my work introduces important refinements in both the individual technology models and their integration. I analyzed off-grid and on-grid configurations for two reference locations, Gela (Italy) and Seville (Spain), simulating system performance, energy flows, and economic indicators such as the Levelized Cost of Hydrogen (LCOH). The models were also improved to account for realistic SOE operating conditions, including partial load and night mode, enabling a more accurate assessment of system behavior under real renewable energy availability.

How does your thesis support the objectives of PROMETEO?

The outcomes of this research offer broader insights for the hydrogen sector and it is directly linked with PROMETEO. The results provide strategic guidance on how to optimally size and integrate renewable and storage technologies to meet both technical and economic targets, paving the way for future demonstration and scale-up. Ultimately, this work contributes to the development of a sustainable, competitive green hydrogen economy in Europe.

What about the future? As you said, you had the opportunity to make two internships, one in Snam and one in IMDEA. The first is a large company while the other is a research institute, therefore different missions and approaches. Will you stay in the industrial or academic sector?

At the moment, I am continuing my research activities at IMDEA Energy, as I want to further strengthen my technical and scientific skills, and this experience is giving me valuable opportunities to do so. During my PhD, I understood that research is what I want to pursue professionally: that is my only certainty for now. I am particularly interested in applied research, especially on technologies with relatively high TRL, like those I have been working on recently. I truly enjoy research that is both innovative and grounded in real-world implementation.
In the short term, continuing within a research institute feels like the right step to deepen my expertise. In the future, I also see the possibility of working in a company, provided that I can remain closely involved in research and development activities, as I was during my time in the R&D department at SNAM.
I don’t envision a purely academic career, but I truly value the opportunity to be involved in teaching and training alongside research, as I did during my PhD.