Robert Steinberger-Wilckens is Professor for Fuel Cell and Hydrogen research in Chemical Engineering. He is director of the research Fuel Cell and Hydrogen group and the Centre for Doctoral Training Fuel Cells and their Fuels, which is run by the universities of Birmingham, Nottingham, and Loughborough, Imperial College, and University College of London.

He works and has worked in many areas across the fields of renewable energies, energy efficiency, fuel cells, hydrogen production and distribution, as well as electric vehicles.

Currently, his main areas of interest include Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, high temperature electrolysis (SOE) and reversible fuel cells (SOC) with methane synthesis, intermediate temperature polymer fuel cells, and market introduction of fuel cells and fuel cell vehicles.

He has a total of over 250 publications in journals, books, and conference proceedings and is a regular peer reviewer for a large number of journals, as well as international funding programmes and publishing houses.

He is Chair of the Scientific Committee of the EU Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH 2 JU). He was the Conference Chair of the 2008 European SOFC Forum conference in Lucerne, and has been a member of the International Board of Advisers to the European Fuel Cell Forum ever since.

Robert contributes the lectures on Renewable Energies and Energy Storage to the Sustainable Process Engineering module (2nd Year, Semester 1) and coordinates the optional module Efficient Use of Energy for 3rd Year students (Semester 2). He is lead for the modules Fuel Cell Technology, and Advanced Energy Technologies (Semester 1), and Energy Storage,(Semester 2) for 4th Year, MSc and CDT students.

Presentation Title

‘Hydrogen-based fuels for long-range transport’

In long-range transport large amounts of fuel have to be carried or bunkered. Hydrogen may not be the best match as though it is wonderfully light, it also requires a lot of space. Ways need to be sought to bring hydrogen into a shape or compound that will allow its facile use, but at the same time dramatically reduce the volume of fuel. Green hydrocarbon fuels based on atmospheric carbon could be a viable solution.