French Student Conducts Research Internship at the USS Center for Energy Transition

Tom Covolo, a student from École Centrale Méditerranée, a prestigious engineering school located in Marseille, France, is completing a four-month research internship at the Universidad San Sebastián (USS) Center for Energy Transition (CTE), contributing to research on green hydrogen production.

Universidad San Sebastián welcomed Tom Covolo, a student from École Centrale Méditerranée, one of France’s most renowned engineering schools, who is carrying out a four-month research internship at the USS Centro de Transición Energética (CTE). During his stay at the USS Valdivia Campus, Tom works alongside researcher and academic Dr. Hugues Renaudineau on projects related to renewable energy and green hydrogen production.

Research and International Collaboration

“This internship has been a unique and highly rewarding experience that has allowed me to discover the world of research, both in Chile and internationally. I am pleased to contribute to the CTE’s projects and to be working on my first scientific publication,” said Covolo, who also expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to be part of the research team.

The student was seeking a research opportunity focused on renewable energy. After reading Dr. Renaudineau’s publications, he contacted the researcher and arranged an internship in Chile as part of his university’s academic requirements.

“It was a pleasant surprise when Tom contacted me. It demonstrates how our research is reaching beyond national borders,” said Dr. Renaudineau. “We are currently working on green hydrogen production, specifically on calculations and simulations aimed at optimizing a production system that integrates an electrolyzer with a photovoltaic solar energy source and battery storage.”

The research conducted at the USS Center for Energy Transition seeks to determine the optimal configuration of this system. The objective is to identify, from a techno-economic perspective, an alternative capable of lowering hydrogen production costs.

Strengthening Collaboration with France

Internships such as this contribute to strengthening international partnerships, advancing human capital development, and fostering collaborative research with foreign institutions.

“This internship marks the beginning of a new collaboration with France and opens the possibility of welcoming more students to complete internships at our university and research center,” added Dr. Renaudineau. “Tom’s work is linked to my Fondecyt Initiation Project funded by the National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development. The results we have obtained will be included in a publication submitted to an international scientific journal.”