The Aero-Thermo-Mechanics Department of ULB is currently developing a test bench for an energy production system based on a hydrogen fuel cell coupled with a heat pump, operating in cogeneration at the scale of a single house.

The purpose of the heat pump is to meet the space heating demand, while the heat recovered from the fuel cell cooling circuit would be used to cover domestic hot water needs. To date, the heat pump has not yet been ordered, but the test bench with the PEM fuel cell is already available. This test bench will be temporarily relocated to the Solvay site in Neder-Over-Hembeek, Brussels, before being installed in Charleroi’s District Cleantech in 2028–2029. The PEMFC–heat pump coupling is scheduled for 2026–2027.