
Featured research projects
Research Ireland projects

NexSys is a Research Ireland & industry funded €12m all-island, multidisciplinary energy research programme, led by UCD, which comprises several strands.
Water Strand: The purpose of this strand is to enable water utilities adapt to climate and energy targets in the following ways: provide key services in terms of enabling a more efficient energy sector; be more resilient in the context of climate-driven hazards and events; uptake new technology to enable efficient energy use in the water sector; provide for more efficient water management at building and industry scale; understand the social and political contexts that are needed to underpin these changes.
Energy Strand: Using Life cycle analysis, whole life cycle costing and energy system modelling this project assesses the role of hydrogen in future energy system scenarios, as well as environmental impact and the cost of using hydrogen as an energy vector in Ireland towards 2050.
Transport strand: Engaging with the heavy duty vehicle fleet across the island of Ireland this project is developing archetypes that can define the challenges and opportunities to accelerate its decarbonisation, focusing on logistics, fuels and zero-emission drivetrains.
Industry Focused project in conjunction with DAVY: To deliver an independent analysis of the challenges & opportunities that lay ahead for Offshore Wind Development and the need to develop Port infrastructure in Ireland towards 2030 to enable 2050 ambitions.

HyLIGHT is a 25-strong industry consortium through MaREI the Research Ireland Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine, UCC, DCU & UG developing an understanding on how to decarbonise Ireland’s entire energy system across industry, electricity, heat & transport. A focus, using economic, social & environmental analysis tools, is to understand the role that green hydrogen can play, from production to use, to enable full and fast decarbonisation while creating economic benefits to Ireland's citizens.

RESR is a Research Ireland funded project that has been down selected in a competitive process as a key solution to solving key environmental 2050 Challanges. RESR is developing solid state energy dense, safe energy storage technology for a range of hydrogen applications.
SEAI projects

The GEONORM project demonstrates how geothermal heat can efficiently power a district heating system at the University College Dublin (UCD) campus. A collaboration between industry and academia, this project aims to showcase the viability of geothermal energy as a sustainable heating solution driving innovation in climate solutions, paving the way for cleaner and more efficient energy systems.

The ALIGN project, led by Maynooth University, in collaboration with DCU and ESRI, addresses the multi-faceted issues between the energy-health-policy nexus relating to energy poverty. Advanced energy models will be integrated with novel behavioural data to meaningfully simulate energy costs and indoor environmental quality, quantifying how different population subgroups are impacted. This project will establish optimal energy poverty alleviation pathways, effectively targeting the most vulnerable in society through the cost-optimal provision of energy-efficient, healthy, affordable and comfortable homes.
EU projects

SH2AMROCK - with a total investment of approximately €80m, will build the first Green Hydrogen Valley in Ireland, hydrogen production, supply and use in industry and transport. DESI partners will use the data gathered and learnings to help enable future Irish & European hydrogen deployments, accelerating the island of Ireland’s energy transition and decarbonisation across multiple end-user applications.

The HYSTORE project is a European initiative focused on advancing thermal energy storage systems by integrating cutting-edge technologies such as Phase Change Materials and Thermochemical Materials. These innovations aim to enhance energy efficiency in heating, cooling, and domestic hot water applications. By connecting to the grid, HYSTORE seeks to unlock hybrid services that provide both energy and power solutions, thereby improving grid flexibility and supporting the integration of renewable energy sources.
The HYSTORE project is a European initiative focused on advancing thermal energy storage systems by integrating cutting-edge technologies such as Phase Change Materials and Thermochemical Materials. These innovations aim to enhance energy efficiency in heating, cooling, and domestic hot water applications. By connecting to the grid, HYSTORE seeks to unlock hybrid services that provide both energy and power solutions, thereby improving grid flexibility and supporting the integration of renewable energy sources.