TECNODELTA SRL

Their core work

TECNODELTA SRL is an Italian engineering SME based in Chivasso (Piedmont) specializing in thermal energy systems and industrial energy installations — "impianti" in their domain name signals a systems-builder, not a lab. Their H2020 work demonstrates hands-on expertise in designing and integrating thermal energy storage components: heat exchangers, phase-change materials (PCM), heat transfer fluids (HTF), and underground thermal storage for industrial applications. More recently they have extended that thermal core competency into hydrogen energy systems, working on metal hydride hydrogen storage vessels that recover and store heat as a byproduct of hydrogen charge/discharge cycles. Their value in a consortium is as an industrial-grade component and systems integrator who can translate laboratory concepts into hardware that works inside real industrial plants.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their first H2020 project (2015–2019), TECNODELTA focused squarely on recovering and storing waste heat from energy-intensive industries — underground thermal reservoirs, PCM tanks, HTF loops — with no connection to hydrogen. By their second project (2019–2023), the thermal storage expertise remained central but was now deployed in an entirely different application: storing the heat released when metal hydrides absorb hydrogen, and coupling that system to electrolyzers and fuel cells. The shift is not a pivot away from thermal engineering but a deliberate extension of it into the hydrogen economy, where thermal management of storage vessels is a critical unsolved problem.

TECNODELTA is positioning itself at the intersection of thermal systems engineering and green hydrogen infrastructure — organizations building hydrogen storage or Power-to-X pilots that require integrated thermal management should take note.

How they like to work

TECNODELTA has participated exclusively as a non-coordinating partner in both projects, indicating they join consortia to contribute specific technical components rather than to manage research programmes. With 20 distinct partners across just 2 projects (an average of 10 per consortium), they are comfortable operating inside medium-to-large multi-partner teams typical of RIA projects. There is no evidence of repeat partnerships, suggesting they are willing to work with new consortia and bring portable, hardware-focused expertise rather than relying on a fixed network.

TECNODELTA has collaborated with 20 unique partners spread across 8 countries, a respectable breadth for a two-project SME, reflecting the international composition of their RIA consortia. Their geographic footprint points to a genuinely European collaborative network rather than a purely Italian or regional one.

What sets them apart

TECNODELTA occupies a rare niche as an industrial SME that bridges classical thermal-fluid engineering (heat exchangers, PCM storage, HTF systems) with emerging hydrogen storage materials (metal hydrides) — a combination that most academic or large-industry partners cannot provide in one package. For a consortium that needs someone to actually build and integrate a thermal-hydrogen storage demonstrator at industrial scale, a Piedmont-based systems company with hands-on plant engineering experience is a different kind of asset than a university lab. Their modest funding profile suggests lean, targeted contributions rather than budget-heavy leadership roles, which makes them an efficient and low-overhead partner for hardware work packages.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SUSPIRE
  Largest funded project (€470,753) and the foundation of their thermal storage identity, targeting real industrial heat recovery at scale using underground storage and PCM technology.
• HyCARE
  Signals TECNODELTA's strategic move into hydrogen storage hardware, combining metal hydride vessels with thermal energy recovery in a system designed to couple with electrolyzers and fuel cells.