Last year, the FreeHydroCells project highlighted our efforts to improve laboratory sustainability practices, and reduce wastage. Now, we are delighted to see the impact of these efforts coming to fruition.
The Irish Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless TD, has announced 72 sustainable laboratory certifications to research spaces in 12 higher education institutions across Ireland, under a Research Ireland-led programme. Two UCC Environmental Research Institute (ERI) (this is now known as the Sustainability Institute) laboratories, where the FreeHydroCells team works, are proud to be named among the sustainable research spaces.
The certification is part of the Sustainable Laboratory Certification Pilot Programme, launched in October 2023 by Research Ireland in partnership with Impact Laboratories and My Green Lab. The initiative aims to bring world-class, environmentally conscious research practices into Irish labs – promoting energy efficiency, safety, and waste reduction.
“In the ERI laboratories, straightforward yet effective changes have been made to boost environmental sustainability,” said Justin D. Holmes, Professor of Nanochemistry at University College Cork, PI of TRANSLATE and a FreeHydroCells team member. “We have optimised fume hood use to save energy and improved inventory management to avoid over-purchasing supplies. These actions have decreased energy use and waste, while also enhancing safety and efficiency in our labs.”
After discovering the My Green Lab programme online, Prof. Holmes nominated two of his research labs at the ERI (now the Sustainability Institute) for the certification process. My Green Lab is an internationally recognised initiative supporting scientists in reducing their labs’ carbon footprints through practical, lasting improvements. With over 2,000 labs certified globally, it is considered the gold standard in lab sustainability.
Sustainability is central to the FreeHydroCells initiative – not just in our lab practices, but in the core technology we’re pioneering. We are developing a novel, freestanding photoelectrochemical system that emulates a leaf in capturing solar energy, but inorganic in nature so that we can store and then use the converted sunlight energy without the carbon influence that causes pollution: it absorbs sunlight and directly splits water into green hydrogen – ideally, with no external input power source needed.
Unlike traditional electrolysers that rely on rare or costly materials and be driven by an external input power source, FreeHydroCells uses earth-abundant semiconductors and transparent conductive oxides. Our design combines many-junction thin films with built-in electric fields to optimise solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency.
If successful, the technology could deliver a low-cost, modular, and readily scalable solution for clean hydrogen production – and offer a decentralised, zero-emission energy source that communities could deploy locally.
Read the full press release here.