In October 2021, the Federal University of Itajubá (UNIFEI) was selected through a call for proposals from GIZ, to receive the allocation of funds for the construction of the Green Hydrogen Production and Research Center (CH2V), within the scope of the National Hydrogen Program (PNH2), of the Germany-Brazil cooperation.

The CH2V project began in March 2022 with the main objective of implementing a green hydrogen production and storage unit free of CO2 emissions, in a scale and conditions that allow it to operate as a laboratory for research, development and demonstration of the production and use of hydrogen, covering the basic aspects (measurement, protection and safety in production, logistics and end use) and applications of greater potential in the scope of mobility, energy generation and industrial uses. The benchmarks for this objective are:

Integration of renewable sources and generated distribution.
Research on internal combustion engines with hydrogen.
Mobility with green hydrogen.
Industrial processes with green hydrogen.
Establishment of partnerships with institutions and companies.
Training and qualification courses on the topic of hydrogen.
Development of technical-economic and environmental studies involving the production and use of green hydrogen.

As a result of the CH2V project, it is expected to:
Establish structural conditions for the development of research and technological innovation projects.
Disseminate information, promote qualification and contribute to the expansion of the green hydrogen market in Brazil.
Develop research with the objective of obtaining experimental design parameters, values and operational parameters for hydrogen processes and paths with added value according to Brazilian conditions.

Different uses of H2 (steel, chemical, oil and gas).
Carbon Footprint Calculator and Financial Feasibility Analysis.
Use of H2 in motors /Energy Transition/ Electrolysis with PV systems.
Fuel cell network forming converters.
Water quality for electrolysis processes.
Storage and distribution of H2.
Economic Arbitration for H2 and Electricity Production.
Simulations and numerical models with H2/H2 burning.
Traceability of green hydrogen.
Use of green H2 in public transport and heavy vehicles.
Studies of the main safety regulations in the handling of fuel gas storage.

Construction of a laboratory for the production of green hydrogen including a pilot electrolysis plant on the campus of the Federal University of Itajubá (UNIFEI).

With the construction of CH2V, UNIFEI will become a pioneer university in sustainable energy development globally, aiming at the decarbonization of the planet since the construction of a center focused on the production and study of technologies involving hydrogen, places UNIFEI as a world reference in the field.