The NEST Laboratory (Network for Energy Sustainable Transition) is part of the inter-university network of the same name and of the Extended Partnership funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR) within the framework of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).
Within this project, the NEST Laboratory is actively involved in two main areas:
- Spoke 4 – Clean Hydrogen and Final Uses:
Within this spoke, research activities focus primarily on two fronts:Electrolysis technologies, for the design, characterization, and testing of electrochemical components and devices for the production and use of hydrogen.
Final uses of hydrogen, with a focus on enabling the integration of hydrogen into existing energy systems, includingblending with natural gas for combustion in conventional systems and the development of sustainable industrial applications, aimed at reducing emissions in hard-to-abate sectors.
This research area benefits from collaboration with the Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering and the Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry of the University of Pisa. The equipment used for this spoke is part of an extended and distributed interdepartmental laboratory: several instruments are shared in cooperation with other departments of the University of Pisa.
- Spoke 6 – Energy Storage:
In this spoke, innovative solutions for thermal energy storage are being studied, particularly those based on microencapsulated phase change slurries (MPCS). These are advanced fluids composed of paraffin-core particles microencapsulated in a polymeric shell and dispersed in a carrier fluid (typically water). This solution allows for increased energy density compared to water by exploiting the paraffin’s latent heat, while maintaining fluidity across different operating phases. This research aims to optimize thermal energy use in complex energy systems, contributing to sustainability and energy efficiency. This activity is developed in collaboration with the Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering at the University of Pisa.
A third line of research at the NEST Laboratory concerns applied studies in environmental monitoring, aimed at improving energy efficiency and indoor comfort in buildings. Experimental campaigns are carried out in indoor environments, with measurements of illuminance, CO₂ concentration, acoustic comfort, temperature, and relative humidity. Measurements are performed using both analog and digital environmental sensors and professional multimeters. The collected data are used to support energy optimization and the design of low-impact, high-comfort environments.