Recently, the Indian Conglomerate Adani Group announced it would invest $9 billion in manufacturing and transportation infrastructure in its green hydrogen venture. Hydrogen storage has overcome key challenges in energy storage, such as the limited capacity and environmental impact of traditional batteries. With its high energy density and ability to store energy indefinitely, hydrogen is ideal for large-scale and long-term storage needs, which would explain why the Indian conglomerate is spending big money on it.
Additionally, hydrogen’s role in fuel cell technology provides a clean alternative for sectors like heavy transportation, showcasing its efficiency and environmental benefits in modern energy solutions.
However, despite its advantages, there are challenges in hydrogen storage methods and transportation.
This article explores five innovative startups pioneering hydrogen infrastructure development. It addresses the limitations of current energy storage methods and showcases the potential of hydrogen technology.
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1. H2Greem Producing Hydrogen With its PEM Electrolyzer Technology
| Founding Year | 2020 |
| Headquarters | Madrid, Spain |
| Total Funding Amount | Publicly Not Disclosed |
| Last Funding Round/Amount | Publicly Not Disclosed |
| Website | https://h2greem.com/ |
One of the primary challenges in this hydrogen energy industry is producing renewable hydrogen efficiently and integrating it into various sectors, including transportation, industry, and energy storage. These challenges stem from the need for clean, efficient, scalable hydrogen production methods and storage and transportation solutions.
H2Greem provides solutions through its proprietary PEM electrolyzer technology for developing, manufacturing, and marketing small to medium-sized electrolyzers. This technology produces up to 1 MW of power and 500 kg of hydrogen daily to meet each project’s specific needs.
The startup’s approach promises renewable hydrogen production through electrolysis, using electricity from renewable sources to split water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. It also emphasizes on-site production of green hydrogen with local resource use (water, electricity, or biogas) to enhance energy security by reducing the need to import resources.
H2Greem’s holistic approach promotes sustainability with measures to assess and mitigate environmental impacts, improve quality through training and new technologies, and constantly research, innovate, and develop its products and processes.
H2Greem’s CEO, Mario Carrero Maroto, leads the startup toward creating a green future. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology/Life Science from the University of Alcalá.
2. Redeem Supporting Hydrogen Production with Its Innovative Photoreactors
| Founding Year | 2023 |
| Headquarter | Graz, Austria |
| Total Funding Amount | Publicly Not Disclosed |
| Last Funding Round/Amount | Accelerator/Incubator |
| Website | https://redeemtechnologies.com/ |
Traditional hydrogen infrastructure faces significant complexities and cost challenges, primarily due to the requirements for specialized equipment like electrolyzers and storage tanks that must withstand high pressures and temperatures. These systems often involve extensive hydrogen production and purification energy, increasing operational costs. The infrastructure for transport and distribution is also complex, as it requires a network of pipelines or transport in high-pressure tanks, further escalating costs and logistical challenges.
Redeem Solar Technologies’ Redeem photoreactor addresses the complexities and costs associated with traditional hydrogen production systems. This system combines the functionalities of a PV solar cell, an electrolyzer, and a purification unit, all operating at ambient temperature without needing battery storage or special metallurgy.
Because of its customized catalysts and unique reactor design, it stands out for its versatility and capability to produce green hydrogen from various sources, including water types, ammonia, and LOHCs. The modular, scalable solution simplifies equipment needs, fostering affordable and pure green hydrogen production.
CEO Malek Ibrahim leads the startup with a team of skilled and experienced experts in diverse areas. Ibrahim holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He also has experience as a North Carolina State University postdoctoral researcher and senior scientist at the University of Graz.
Redeem Technology is backed by the Federal Ministry of Austria and AWS First incubator.
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3. Kaizen Clean Energy Converting Renewable Methanol to On-site Green Hydrogen
| Founding Year | 2020 |
| Headquarter | Tomball, Texas, United States |
| Total Funding Amount | $3 Million |
| Last Funding Round/Amount | $3 Million/Venture – Series Unknown |
| Website | https://kaizencleanenergy.com/ |
Zero-emission Vehicle (ZEV) infrastructure has high costs and reliability issues. There are also differences in DC fast charging rates and the marketed vs. actual hydrogen fuel costs. The gap in Hydrogen’s price is due to the buildup costs like CAPEX, OPEX, Transportation, and Gas Station infrastructure. The Transportation and Gas Station costs comprise ~60% of the total price at the pump.
Kaizen Clean Energy aims to reduce hydrogen fuel costs and improve the reliability of fuel supply and EV charging by eliminating midstream costs, producing hydrogen on-site, and providing scalable, lease-based solutions without the need for permanent infrastructure. Its approach disrupts the ZEV market by leveraging hydrogen generation technology to offer cost-effective Hydrogen-as-a-Service (HaaS) and Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS) solutions.
With the help of its partner, element1’s technology, the startup converts renewable methanol into green hydrogen. The method reduces costs by avoiding expensive hydrogen midstream expenses as it utilizes existing infrastructure for transport and storage. Kaizen can produce renewable methanol by combining renewable electricity, water, and carbon capture.
Renewable (Liquid) Methanol can be stored without cryogenic storage for extended periods and without product loss like Cryogenic H2. The conversion process is efficient and economical, with each system producing up to 200 kg of hydrogen daily at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods. As the methanol steam reforming needs to add water during on-site conversion, hydrogen output increases by 30-40% compared to alternatives.
KCE offers hydrogen infrastructure through H2 Fuelling Stations, Hydrogen Powered Generators, and Hydrogen-Powered Microgrids.
One of the founders, Robert Meaney, has a Mechanical Engineering Degree from Texas Tech University. He has worked with prominent companies such as Flour and SK Engineering.
Kaizen Clean Energy raised $3M in its last funding round, which was on December 28, 2023, from a Venture—Series Unknown round. Balcor Companies funded it.
4. Azolla Hydrogen Providing Biodrome Technology And Biomethanol for Hydrogen Production
| Founding Year | 2021 |
| Headquarter | Red Deer, Alberta, Canada |
| Total Funding Amount | Publicly Not Disclosed |
| Last Funding Round/Amount | Angel Investment |
| Website | https://www.azollahydrogen.com/ |
Producing low-GHG hydrogen without traditional power sources or fossil fuels aims to reduce carbon footprints but has challenges. These include high costs, the need for advanced technologies, scalability issues at initial stages, and a lack of established hydrogen distribution and storage infrastructure. Azolla Hydrogen also requires significant investment for a system as convenient as fossil fuel networks. With its biodome technology, Azolla Hydrogen offers cost-effective and modern solutions to these challenges.
With its Biodrome technology, the startup offers on-site hydrogen production infrastructure, fueling stations, bio-methanol supply for production units, remote power installations, and hydrogen integration consultancy.
Azolla Hydrogen’s Biodrome Technology produces hydrogen by reforming a bio-methanol and deionized water blend, offering on-site low-GHG hydrogen generation. Its AZ225 Biodrome offers a robust on-site hydrogen production solution capable of producing 225 kg/day.
The startup claims its Biodrome Technology and bio-methanol supply chain reduce GHG emissions by about 44% to 70%. Compared with industry standards for diesel, Azolla’s solution emits only 55% of baseline emissions, ensuring a minimum of 45% emission savings over a total travel distance of 1.46 million kilometers with the same level of service efficiency.
CEO Jared Sayers is leading this hydrogen infrastructure startup with his team of experts. He holds an Executive MBA from Ivey Business School at Western University. Sayers has experience in presidential and CEO roles with different companies, including HIVE Innovations and Flexxcore Technology Solutions.
5. Sohhytec Using Concentrated Solar Energy for On-site Hydrogen Production
| Founding Year | 2020 |
| Headquarter | Vaud, Switzerland |
| Total Funding Amount | $2.3M |
| Last Funding Round/Amount | Seed Round/$2M |
| Website | https://www.sohhytec.com/ |
The prevalent issue in the energy sector is the reliance on conventional fossil fuels for hydrogen production, which accounts for 96% of global output. This method is neither sustainable nor environmentally friendly, contributing to rapid resource depletion and pollution. Additionally, hydrogen transportation from production sites to end-users incurs costs significantly higher than the production itself, exacerbating the inefficiency and environmental footprint of the traditional hydrogen supply chain.
To address these challenges, SoHHytec has developed an onsite renewable hydrogen production system that harnesses concentrated sunlight, eliminating emissions and reducing dependency on fossil fuels.
Its innovative co-generation systems produce renewable fuel (hydrogen and oxygen) and power (electricity and heat) using a patented photoelectrochemical device. This approach leverages solar energy for water splitting and ensures hydrogen, oxygen, electricity, and heat co-production, enhancing cost-effectiveness and sustainability.
The technology stands out due to its patented photoelectrochemical process and high efficiency. Its advanced system, “Arb’s Pod,” concentrates sunlight by a factor of 1000. This system achieves a remarkable efficiency of up to 70%, significantly higher than existing solutions. It has a long operational lifespan of approximately 20 years with minimal maintenance, offering a comprehensive energy solution with minimal space requirements.
The startup is under the leadership of Co-founder and CEO Dr. Saurabh Tembhurne. He was a post-doctoral fellow in solar fuels and ‘artificial tree’ – Arb technology from EPFL (École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne).
SoHHytec raised $2 Million from a seed round on Jan 20, 2022, led by FUND FOR SUSTAINABILITY AND ENERGY (F4SE).
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Author: Naveen Kumar, Marketing.
