Paolo Colbertaldo is tenure-track researcher in System for Energy and Environment at Politecnico di Milano. He holds a Master’s degree in Energy Engineering and a PhD cum laude in Energy and Nuclear Science and Technology, with a thesis on integrated energy system modelling and the role of Power-to-Hydrogen, which was awarded the AIMSEA PhD Thesis Award 2020.

His research activity focuses on the modelling of complex energy systems, both at plant scale and at regional or national level, and on industrial decarbonization.
The overarching goal is the techno-economic assessment of deep decarbonization scenarios in multi-vector and multi-sector energy systems with a high share of variable renewable energy sources.
A common thread in his research is the integration of energy carriers, with particular attention to hydrogen technologies – across the entire value chain – and to electrification, extending to energy infrastructures (such as gas grid and hydrogen networks) and energy storage systems.
His scientific interests involve high-temperature hydrogen technologies (e.g., solid oxide cells), whose configurations and performance are investigated both as stand-alone systems and integrated within industrial processes and plants.

He is actively involved, also as Principal Investigator, in national (PRIN2017 HERMES, JET ZERO, PRIN2022 GREENENERGY), European (H2020 HiPowAR, HEU OUTFOX, HEU EMPHATICAL, HEU SYRIUS, CETP EISER), and international (US-DOE HySteel, AT HyEmpire) research projects.

Education

Master of Science in Energy Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, 2015
Diploma for Graduate Courses, Alta Scuola Politecnica (Politecnico di Milano e Politecnico di Torino), 2015 PhD cum laude in Energy and Nuclear Science and Technology, Politecnico di Milano, 2019