Overview

In a world of rising energy costs and urgent climate targets, how do engineers lead real decarbonisation?

In this episode, Professor Rory Monaghan, Head of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Galway and Coordinator of SH2AMROCK, a €54 million initiative creating Ireland’s first Hydrogen Valley, explains how hydrogen can store excess wind energy for months, where it fits in Ireland’s energy mix, and why unlocking the planning system is the make-or-break move before 2030.

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What We Cover

• Why Ireland’s high electricity prices are driven by fossil-fuel backup, not wind.
• How hydrogen acts as a long-duration battery for excess renewable power.
• What SH2AMROCK will demonstrate across transport, industry, and aviation.
• Where policy timelines are slipping and the funding levers that matter.
• The single biggest unlock for 2030: planning and delivery of energy infrastructure.

Key Takeaways

• Design for positive impact from the outset. Engineers must build solutions that reduce environmental harm by design, not as an afterthought.
• Cost narrative is upside-down. Ireland’s high power prices reflect the cost of fossil backup, while wind is cheap when it’s available.
• Hydrogen’s role is targeted. Best suited for heavy transport, high-temperature industry, and long-duration storage.
• Momentum needs delivery. Strategies exist, but slow enactment risks first-mover projects.
• Planning is pivotal. Unlocking the planning system is essential to scale renewables, grid extensions, and storage.

Guest: Professor Rory Monaghan

Professor in Energy Systems Engineering at the University of Galway, where he leads the Mechanical Engineering Discipline and the ERIN research group focused on energy system decarbonisation.

He is Coordinator of SH2AMROCK, a 5-year, €54 million project to build, operate, and grow Ireland’s first Hydrogen Valley. He holds a B.E. from the University of Galway, and both M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from MIT.

His passion for hydrogen began over 20 years ago and has guided his research ever since.

Connect with Rory:

• LinkedIn
• Research Group

Memorable Quotes

“We’re robbing from the future. The way we produce and use energy today isn’t sustainable.”  

“We need to educate engineers to design for society’s real needs, and for positive environmental outcomes from day one.”

“Ireland makes strong strategies, but enacting them on time is the challenge.”

Ireland’s First Hydrogen Valley: Building a Blueprint for Decarbonisation

The SH2AMROCK project is more than an academic exercise, it’s a national blueprint for how Ireland can decarbonise through innovation. As the country’s first Hydrogen Valley, it demonstrates how renewable energy can be captured, stored, and reused efficiently, closing the loop between production and consumption. By converting excess wind power into hydrogen, Ireland can create a flexible energy system that supports both sustainability and security of supply.

This approach offers tangible benefits for industry, transport, and infrastructure, showing how hydrogen can complement electrification and reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels. Professor Rory Monaghan and his team at the University of Galway are helping to place Ireland at the centre of Europe’s emerging hydrogen economy, proving that the future of clean energy can start right here at home.