Venkatasubramanian Lakshminarayanan

Background

I am a PhD Researcher at Cranfield University focused on the integration of renewable energy and electrolysis. I hold an MSc in Advanced Mechanical Engineering from Cranfield. My background includes roles as an R&D Engineer and Research Assistant, where I worked on battery management systems and green hydrogen pilot plants.

I have published research on optical meta-surfaces in Physica Scripta and co-authored work on hydrogen techno-economics in Energies. My work aims to connect mechanical design with practical control systems for energy applications.

Research opportunities

My research focuses on the technical and operational interface between power sources and hydrogen production:

- System-Level Optimization: Improving the coupling efficiency between variable renewable electricity and electrolyser stacks.

- Control Systems: Developing MATLAB-Simulink models and hardware control for PEM electrolysers to handle fluctuating solar power.

- Hybrid Energy Systems: Designing energy management strategies for systems combining different power sources.

- Operational Safety: P&I, system safety, and electrical designs for hydrogen infrastructure.

Current activities

My PhD research investigates methods to improve efficiency in renewable electrolysis coupling. I am currently working on the following:

- Automation and Control: Upgrading hydrogen plant systems with novel controls to increase flexibility when using renewable power.

- System Design: Developing the electrical, mechanical, and P&I systems for a 20kW pilot-scale green hydrogen plant

- Safety Engineering: Establishing safety cases and standard operating procedures according to BS-ISO 22734:2019 and HSE standards.

Publications

• Articles in journals