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CESI and THM: innovative collaboration for tomorrow’s energies

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Check out the interview with Hugues Delalin, educational engineer at CESI, who introduces us to the recent partnership with the Mittelhessen University of Applied Sciences (THM), the joint projects carried out, as well as the promising prospects for the future.


“I’m an educational engineer at CESI’s Grande École Program. My role is mainly to transfer research results to pedagogy, by integrating educational innovations into our teaching programs. I work closely with Mathieu Kister, Studies Director, to achieve these goals.” Hugues Delalin

Partnership between CESI and THM: joint projects

This partnership, which is still very recent, is the result of knowledge exchanges with Michael Arnt, a professor-researcher at THM, and was officially launched last year with a collaborative project conducted remotely between CESI and THM students on the theme of energy.


Having smart grids as a theme with a particular focus on microgrids, the project focused on optimizing power consumption using photovoltaic panels and batteries.
The students first conducted a theoretical analysis based on public data simulations in order to optimize the use of solar panels and batteries for a residential building. Then, they explored the optimal orientation of photovoltaic panels to maximize their efficiency.
Students also studied the differences in energy mix between France and Germany to assess the impact of using microgrids.

Current challenges and prospects for improvement

The online collaboration (COIL project) was a real challenge, especially in terms of communication between students. Working solely through platforms like Zoom or Teams limits spontaneous interactions and can complicate the creation of bonds between participants despite planned ice-breaker sessionsWe also had to take into account the disparity in using the digital tools: some students were connected individually, while others worked in groups from the same room, creating an imbalance in knowledge exchanges.

This year, several adjustments are planned:

  • Metaverse platform: A virtual environment will be set up to enable informal knowledge exchanges and strengthen social interaction before the projects get started.
  • French and German mixed teams: The groups will be restructured with students from both institutions, and a competitive aspect will be introduced with the presentation of results in the form of mini-competitions.

Synergies between pedagogy and research: opportunities to be explored

This partnership goes beyond students. The project was defined taking into account both the educational needs and the research themes of the CESI LINEACT laboratory and teacher-researcher Michael Arndt’s research projects at THM.
The subject covered last year was particularly inspired by the research work supervised by Roozbeh Sadeghian, a professor-researcher at CESI. Michael Arndt and Roozbeh Sadeghian are now collaborating on energy-related subjects.
Mourad Zghal, research director for the Eastern region, recently published a letter of intent to develop a joint research project with German partners, thus highlighting the growing interest in these knowledge exchanges.

Although this partnership is still at its infancy, it offers many opportunities, both at educational and research levels. With the planned adjustments to improve interactions, we hope to strengthen the collaboration between CESI and THM. Energy themes, which are particularly relevant in today’s world, are an excellent basis for further developing this partnership.