Hydrogen Industry Leaders HOW WILL THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AFFECT HYDROGEN GROWTH IN THE US?
PAGE 12
04
Hydrogen Safety: How Can the Hydrogen Sector Safely Address Explosion Risks?
16 Stainless Steel: A Solid Future for Hydrogen Fuel Cells
24 Distilling a Greener Future: How Can We Decarbonise the Distillery Sector Using Hydrogen?
32 Why Innovating Heating is Vital for The Hydrogen Landscape
08
Episode 31: Decarbonising Tea to Transport with Compact Syngas Solutions
20
Aetherfuels
28
Five Impending Hydrogen Projects Across Europe
FOREWORD
c.vitale@peloton-events.co.uk
As we enter the third month of 2025, we have witnessed significant advancements into what is a nascent sector, but how can we keep this momentum going?
Although the future of renewable hydrogen cannot be predicted, there is a growing ambition across the industry. Large projects across the board are gaining approval and collaboration seems to be key in scaling future markets.
This edition dives deep into important issues such as hydrogen safety, transport decarbonisation and hydrogen applications in SAF.
From page 12 you can read about how Trump’s second term in office will affect the hydrogen sector in the US going forward. While there are programmes that are set in stone, uncertainty still looms over.
Then from page 24 you will see how companies like Supercritical Solutions are implementing their technology to decarbonise energy intensive sectors.
Finally, through our magazine you can find out more about our Hydrogen Industry Leaders events which aim to bring together industry leaders and professionals while discussing vital topics.
Cat Vitale Editor
Wintle Multimedia Journalist
Tianna Seniunas Graphic Designer
Hannah
How Will the Trump Administration Affect Hydrogen Growth in the US?
HYDROGEN SAFETY: HOW CAN THE HYDROGEN SECTOR SAFELY ADDRESS EXPLOSION RISKS?
BY CAT VITALE
As the world transitions towards a sustainable future, the hydrogen industry is poised for significant growth, with product development and technological advancements increasing. However, with the inherent flammability of hydrogen and recent explosions over the years, addressing the risks has emerged as a challenge for the sector.
Hydrogen can be explosive at concentrations of 18.3- 59%.
Although this represents a large range, it can come with potentially dangerous outcomes. Bodies involved in storing hydrogen must maintain awareness with handling of the gas as continued releases in a conducive scenario can create a chain of harmful overpressure.
In response to the “challenges posed by hydrogen’s flammable characteristics”, Rhino Hysafe, a subsidiary of the Rhino Engineering Group, is offering a solution to an unheeded issue in the sector. Through its design and engineering team, the company was able to patent products which could help alleviate the deflagration-todetonation properties of hydrogen.
The manufacturer has developed a range of explosion vents with the aim to create a “passive, and safe path” through which blast overpressure and flames may be directed to before damaging equipment, buildings or people.
VENTILATION AS A PROTECTION METHOD
According to the Department of Energy, for hydrogen to pose a fire hazard, it “must be confined.”
Due to its high diffusivity rate, hydrogen can quickly dilute into a non-flammable concentration when exposed to air under the right conditions. However, when hydrogen is confined in an enclosure, the risk of dangerous pressure buildup increases, turning a potentially harmless gas into a significant hazard.
This is where Rhino Hysafe’s explosion relief panels come in. Designed to safely vent excess pressure and direct explosive blasts in a controlled manner, the panels offer a critical solution for preventing catastrophic outcomes from hydrogen buildup.
The HySafe VERTEX vent panel has been developed and tested to demonstrate its reliable and rapid activation with the product featuring a “low-inertia rapid-relief venting system” tailored explicitly for hydrogen applications.
By creating a “safe path for pressure relief”, Rhino Hysafe is addressing a key gap in the market, helping companies “protect their workers and assets from hazardous environments”.
Speaking to Stuart Lawrence, the Group managing director for Rhino Engineering Group, Hydrogen Industry Leaders gained a deeper insight into how the product works and how Rhino Hysafe are helping the industry tackle this vital safety issue.
DESIGNING AND TESTING FOR AN “OPTIMAL” PERFORMANCE
Through its vigorous testing process Rhino Hysafe were able to provide a product which can sustain a wide range of overpressure and impulse conditions.
The company outlined its development process, which began by outlining analytical methods and conducting simplified preliminary tests, allowing for the “creation of a convenient pressure-impulse curve”.
With the success of initial testing processes, this paved the way for explicit finite element analysis (FEA), which was carried out prior to full-scale hydrogen deflagration testing.
Through industry aims of preventing hydrogen explosions, Rhino Hysafe noted how “effective venting is crucial while still in the early deflagration stage” to steer away from a dangerous transition to detonation.
The manufacturer took part in full-scale explosion tests in 2022 at the DNV Spadeadam test site in Cumbria using their 26m3 chamber. Through its eight tests, Rhino Hysafe were able to successfully mitigate the challenges, while providing explosion relief vents that “perform reliably under the demanding conditions of hydrogen deflagrations”.
USING EXPLOSION RELIEF PANELS
TO ENSURE SAFE HYDROGEN STORAGE
The explosion relief panels are mounted on standardised containers housing hydrogen processing equipment, with apertures along the roof allowing for optimal venting. This design ensures that “pressure is released safely”, while accounting for the possibility that the enclosure may not withstand an explosion.
Lawrence explained how the product targets a “pressure build up” forcing the panels to open “allowing the blast to be vented in a safe direction before it gets too high”.
Credit: Rhino Hysafe
““It opens very quickly to make sure the pressure inside doesn’t get up to an unmanageable level.”
“
“The purpose of this is, like, I say, is a relatively cheap and passive system, so it’s weatherproof, but it opens very quickly to make sure the pressure inside doesn’t get up to an unmanageable level” explained Lawrence.
Rhino Hysafe’s product is specifically designed to fit standard ISO container installations, meeting the requirements of ISO 19880-1 and in accordance with NFPA 68, for easy integration and industry compliance.
In addition to its container panels (VERTEX-1), Rhino Hysafe has released its VERTEX-4, 6, and B panels which are wall or roof mounted and can be suitable for buildings for hydrogen processing and storage.
THE MISCONCEPTIONS OF HYDROGEN SAFETY WITHIN THE INDUSTRY
As the hydrogen industry grows, as does the need to ease hydrogen safety practices and the need to implement these into everyday operations.
Common misconceptions surrounding the handling and safety measures of hydrogen can lead to inadequate safety protocols with misconceptions hindering the industry’s growth and safety in the future.
““It opens very quickly to make sure the pressure inside doesn’t get up to an unmanageable level.”
“When exploring the misconceptions across hydrogen safety, Lawrence highlighted that one of the main misconceptions comes with a lack of choice across the industry.
“I think the misconception is that you don’t have a choice in how you deal with this, the safety aspect of it. It seems to us that the method of dealing with the risk of leaks from equipment in an enclosure is to try and detect the leak and try and keep the concentration levels down. But you know, the misconception really is, that that’s the only way”.
Many of the current safety systems focus on the detection of leaks and the maintenance of keeping concentration levels low but Rhino Hysafe are keeping the focus on the issues that remain at large.
Through adopting a more holistic approach that recognises the full spectrum of hydrogen risks and implements proactive safety measures, like explosion relief panels, companies can prevent catastrophic events before they happen.
With the right safety measures in place, the hydrogen sector can continue to grow confidently, knowing that safety is at the forefront of its development.
Credit: Rhino Hysafe
Credit: Rhino Hysafe
EPISODE 31: DECARBONISING TEA TO TRANSPORT WITH COMPACT SYNGAS SOLUTIONS
Hydrogen Industry Leaders is joined by Paul Willacy of Welsh based company Compact Syngas Solutions to discuss how their work and technology is highlighting routes to decarbonisation across multiple industries around the world.
QPaul:
You’ve recently won £4 million in government funding. How will this enhance your hydrogen production?
Since I founded CSS in 2020, we’ve been fortunate to get lots of different kinds of government funded projects and look at different ways of producing hydrogen and capturing carbon. The £4 million project we’ve been awarded by the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero is bringing all that technology together and building a technical demonstration facility where we’re producing hydrogen from biomass, capturing the carbon, right the way through to compression and storage and distribution of hydrogen to a vehicle.
QPaul:
I’d love to discuss your work specifically in the Kenyan tea industry with your Micro-Hub.
We focused on the tea sector because it’s a very unsustainable process. There’s a lot of wood that’s burnt for the drying of the tea, and there’s a lot of different byproducts that come from the production of tea, such as tea pruning’s, that could be used to produce the heat and power they need to actually help develop the energy they need for the factories and the processing of this stuff.
We were awarded a £250,000 grant from Innovate UK, which allowed us to really dig deep into the tea sector. We were able to do trials on various different feed stocks from tea pruning’s, eucalyptus, and bamboo, which are all readily available around the tea growing areas. And we successfully proved that these materials were a suitable feedstock for the production of syngas from our gasification process.
QPaul:
They’ve got the feed stock available, they’ve got a use for the heat, they’ve got a use for the power. And then the final piece of the jigsaw is that the biochar we produce actually goes back onto the land and enhances the soil as well. So it’s a very good environmental case, but also a very good financial case for us as well.
More recently, we’ve developed a relationship with one of the big energy companies and one of the biggest tea companies, and we’re looking to deploy our first pilot project over there. So, by the end of this year to early 2026, the first system will be operational in a tea factory, giving them the power and heat they need.
Could you tell me about the Micro-Hub itself, and how it might facilitate the future use of hydrogen?
The core technology that we’ve been developing for a number of years is the gasifier, and it’s a containerised system that produces a hydrogen-rich syngas which can be used for a number of different things. We concentrated initially on producing heat and power, which meant directing the syngas to a gas engine, which would then produce the heating power via that route. But the great thing about our technology is that what you do with the syngas at the back end of the process can be site specific and can develop as things move on.
Paul Willacy, Compact Syngas Solutions
Credit: Syngas
The equipment that we’ve developed for carbon capture and for hydro separation is a bolt on technology on the back end, so can always be retrofitted afterwards. And the hydrogen is then extracted using pressure swing absorption, which essentially is a molecular sieve which takes the hydrogen from the syngas, and the balance of the syngas is then still captured and can be used to produce power as well. What’s left over is carbon monoxide, methane and some hydrogen, which still has enough energy in it to run an engine.
What that really allows us to do is have three outputs. Once we’ve produced the syngas, we can separate and purify the hydrogen that can go to vehicles or industrial usage. And the balance of the gas then goes to produce the heat and power. Compressing hydrogen is quite energy intensive, so it’s quite nice that we can use that energy to recover the parasitic load that we’d need to compress the hydrogen for, compressing to 450 bar or whatever is needed for transport, without having to import any additional power.
QPaul:
QPaul:
You’re also looking to create a publicly-accessible hydrogen refueling pump - would you be able to tell me about that?
In terms of the infrastructure, I suppose to go with the analogy of the electricity supplies for electric vehicles, providing electricity is one thing, but distributing hydrogen around is something completely different. You’ve got to pipe it around, or you’ve got to use pressurised vessels and storage vehicles to move it around, and that’s not easy. So the way that we see our hydrogen hubs is that we take the solution to where the hydrogen is required, and where the feedstock is, so that takes away all that infrastructure requirement, because you produce it and utilise it all on the same site.
Sticking with the transport sector, how can the Micro-Hub can be used to produce sustainable aviation fuels?
Yes. We’re actually working on another DESNZ project with a project partner, and we’re using a slipstream of our gasification syngas that we’re producing alongside what we’re doing with the hydrogen. They’re taking a small quantity of our syngas and taking it into their Fischer–Tropsch reactor, so that’s then demonstrating the compatibility between what we’re doing and what they’re doing. Ultimately, this company we’re working with has a gas-to-liquid technology, and we’re a waste-to-gas technology, so the two processes complement each other very well.
The added complication with Fischer–Tropsch is that the level of cleanliness that gas needs to have to not poison the catalyst is really, really tight. So part of this process is to develop an integrating part that would basically purify the syngas to another level to make sure that it’s suitable for the catalytic process, or Fischer–Tropsch process, to produce the sustainable aviation fuel.
Q
Paul:
What’s next for CSS?
While the hydrogen sector is maturing, we’re going to embark on more of these applications, like the Kenya project. With all the work that we’ve done in Kenya, we’ve realised that it’s not unique to the tea sector and it’s not unique to Kenya. Wherever it’s wet and warm, biomass grows in abundance, and there’s technologies and agricultural businesses that can utilise a lot of heat and power and have the feed stocks available, the market is enormous.
In the short term, deploying technology for utilising biomass for heat and power in these areas and these regions is the initial income for us, and then in the meantime, we’ll also be developing hydrogen hubs – we’ve got a couple of sites in mind where we can actually situate hydrogen hubs, and we’ll be looking for funding to do that.
Ultimately, we want to build the plants to become a wholesaler of hydrogen. There’s lots of different things that we can see happening over the coming years, and I suppose we’ve just got to wait for everybody to be ready for it. The beauty of what we’re doing is we can get on the ground quickly, and as the industry grows, we grow with it.
HOW WILL THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AFFECT HYDROGEN GROWTH IN THE US?
BY CAT VITALE
The Biden administration took strides in hydrogen development programmes weeks before Trump’s inauguration, but now as the Trump administration settles into its second term, a level of uncertainty has been brought to the forefront of the hydrogen sector.
The US hydrogen sector has seen a surge of investment in recent years, particularly with the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (BIIJA) in 2021.
The act was established to develop clean hydrogen initiatives and featured a $9.5bn investment to cover “regional clean hydrogen hubs”, a “clean hydrogen electrolysis programme”, and “clean hydrogen manufacturing and recycling programmes”.
The potential for a shift in policy under a second Trump administration raises questions about the future of these initiatives. In his welcoming speech as Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright, set the tone for the outlook of energy production stating he aims to “unleash American energy innovation”.
Through the establishment of the National Energy Dominance Council in February 2025, which is chaired by Secretary of the Interior Doug Bourgum and Chris Wright, Trump has been advised on “strategies to achieve energy dominance”. With little to no mention on renewable energy, the council’s concerns lie in reducing its reliance on foreign imports alongside reducing economic barriers.
WHAT THE INDUSTRY IS SAYING
In a statement to Hydrogen industry Leaders, Peter O’Sullivan, CEO at Penspen, emphasised how there are factors that might mitigate in favour of continued investment in low-carbon hydrogen infrastructure under the Trump administration.
Although Trump has been critical of certain aspects of the energy transition, such as battery electric vehicles and wind power, he has not been as vocal about hydrogen, with his concerns focusing on the “untested technology”. O’Sullivan points out how “there are constraints on what Trump can do with regard to programmes that have already been established.” Key programmes like BIIJA and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) have been passed by Congress and signed into law, therefore, “Trump cannot revoke them by executive order”.
With $8bn of the fund being invested in hydrogen hubs, O’Sullivan highlighted how these are now “mobilising to build centres of low-carbon hydrogen production as well as the downstream projects to enable the use of this hydrogen”.
O’Sullivan suggested that the former president could, however, influence the “priorities” and “timing” of these programmes, which could still have an impact on the trajectory of hydrogen development in the US under his administration.
Credit: Adobe Stock
After an executive order on 20 January, which instructed government agencies to “immediately pause the disbursement of funds”, it threw into the air, the future of previous funding and aligned with Trump’s aims of terminating elements of the Green New Deal.
FACTORS FAVOURING CONTINUED INVESTMENT IN HYDROGEN
Despite potential political roadblocks, there are several factors that could alleviate drastic cuts to hydrogen initiatives under a second Trump term.
O’Sullivan noted how the previous lobbying of republican lawmakers helped preserve critical tax incentives for the hydrogen sector and how going forward defunding projects may prove politically unpopular. As “four of the seven approved hydrogen hubs include states that voted for Trump in the 2024 election”, it was expected that these hubs will create skilled, well-paying jobs in those regions.
With Trump’s “strong emphasis on growing the US energy sector” major oil and gas companies who have the facilities and experience for such infrastructure development, “could steer Trump to support these initiatives”.
“Much of the planned low-carbon hydrogen will be blue hydrogen” and with initiatives being supported by major oil and gas players like Exxon and Chevron, it is hoped they can “scale their financial resources to influence the Trump administration”.
As reported by S&P Global, many of the large energy companies including Air Products & Chemicals, ExxonMobil and Constellation Energy, have been “closely watching” for the outcome of results from policies such as the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) Section 45V hydrogen production tax credit programme.
Under the IRA Section 45V, producers of energy can determine qualification for the credit, while sticking to the act’s emission requirements for qualifying clean hydrogen. Another potential factor is the competition with China and the willingness of the Trump administration to reduce its reliance on foreign imports. As Peter O’Sullivan suggests, the fear of China cornering the low-carbon hydrogen market could motivate Trump to continue investing in these programmes”.
Credit:
OVERCOMING THE CHALLENGES
While Trump has been vocal about his intention to reduce government spending, the hydrogen hubs and other “Green New Deal” initiatives have enjoyed bipartisan support.
A “challenge”, as noted by Ole G Jensen, Director of Business Development at Syzygy Plasmonics, is the economic reality of green hydrogen.
“The market is overreacting,” says Jensen. “The main issue with green hydrogen is that it remains too expensive, and consumers are not willing to pay a premium for it.” This, along with regulatory delays under the previous administration, could affect the pace of progress in the hydrogen sector.
Jensen suggests that with the new administration, there might be a shift toward prioritising transit solutions that offer a more marketfriendly, low-carbon option. This preference could help hydrogen solutions gain “more traction and support”.
As the U.S. hydrogen sector continues to evolve, much will depend on the priorities of the Trump administration during his presidency. “We will have to watch events closely as they unfold to determine the exact impact on investment in low-carbon hydrogen in the US” concluded O’Sullivan.
While there are significant constraints on his ability to undo established policies, Trump’s influence over funding, priorities, and regulatory frameworks could shape the future of hydrogen. The interplay between economic, political, and international considerations will likely determine the trajectory of hydrogen development and its role in the nation’s energy future.
Credit: Penspen
STAINLESS STEEL: A SOLID FUTURE FOR HYDROGEN FUEL CELLS
BY ANDY BACKHOUSE
Andy
Backhouse, Technical Manager at Outokumpu,
discusses the evolution of SOFC technology and the leading role that ferritic stainless steel grades can play in the new hydrogen economy.
As the energy transition accelerates, industry is becoming increasingly aware of which technologies hold up to scrutiny. Efficiency, versatility, and longterm stability are key indicators of performance. For hydrogen in particular, solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) stand out in all three categories. This makes them ideal for stationary power generation, which ranges from residentialscale applications to multimegawatt industrial systems.
Yet, despite their advantages, traditional SOFCs have faced a persistent challenge: intense operating temperatures, up to 1000°C. This has precipitated the use of costly, specialised materials — but a new generation of SOFCs, designed to function at a much more moderate 650–750°C, is shifting perspectives. This evolution is an opportunity to use readily available and costeffective stainless steel grades, without compromising on durability or performance.
CELL STACKING, AND WHY MATERIALS MATTER
At their core, SOFCs turn hydrogen into electricity via a highly efficient electrochemical reaction. Each cell comprises a porous anode, a solid electrolyte, and a porous cathode, forming a structure that facilitates ion transfer. Hydrogen fuel is introduced at the anode, while atmospheric oxygen enters via the cathode. As oxygen ions pass through the electrolyte, they react with hydrogen, generating electricity with only water as a byproduct.
But a single fuel cell generates a relatively low voltage. To achieve the power output required for commercial applications, cells must be stacked in series. The component holding these stacks together, while also conducting electricity and preventing gas mixing, is the interconnector plate. The material chosen for these plates is critical — it needs to withstand extreme conditions for many years.
To be functionally and economically viable, interconnector plates must exhibit:
• A thermal expansion coefficient compatible with other stack materials to prevent undue stress during heating and cooling cycles.
• Robust corrosion resistance in dual atmospheres — withstanding oxidation while resisting hydrogen permeation.
• Stable electrical conductivity over prolonged operational lifespans.
• Minimal chromium volatility, which would otherwise degrade the electrolyte layer and cell efficiency.
• High creep resistance, ensuring physical integrity during stack manufacture and under sustained thermal loads.
• Exceptional formability, allowing the creation of thin, precision-engineered gas flow channels.
For decades these stringent demands led developers toward highly specialist and costly materials. However, changing operating parameters in next-generation SOFCs now allow advanced ferritic stainless steels, usually in combination with specialist surface coatings, to take centre stage for the interconnects.
Andy Backhouse, Technical Manager, Outokumpu
THE RIGHT GRADE FOR THE JOB
Coated high-chromium stabilised ferritic stainless steels are an ideal material for SOFC interconnector plates. These grades offer good creep strength through precipitation of niobium and titanium carbides, good oxidation resistance due to high chromium content, and a low thermal expansion coefficient that aligns with the fuel cell’s ceramic components. Their affordability makes them a practical proposition.
Stainless steel grades like Therma 22FC™ were developed with the precise requirements of SOFC systems in mind. This nickelfree, high-chromium stainless steel features a 21% chromium content, which significantly reduces chromium evaporation — an issue that can poison the fuel cell’s reaction over time. By minimising chromium evaporation, it maintains long-term conductivity and integrity, even under cyclic thermal conditions. Another advantage is its formability. Interconnector plates must be thin yet structurally sound, precisely crafted to facilitate optimal gas flow while ensuring electrical connectivity. Therma 22FC™ enables manufacturers to fabricate these components more consistently.
BEYOND THE STACK
While interconnector plates serve as the backbone of SOFC stacks, stainless steel plays a far broader role in the overall system architecture. Most of the cells’ other materials must endure prolonged exposure to heat while resisting creep-induced deformation:
• Housing structures, which encase and shield the fuel cell stack.
• Tubing, responsible for fuel and exhaust gas transport.
• Support frameworks, which ensure mechanical stability.
For these surrounding components, heat resistant austenitic stainless steels such as Therma 253 MA® provide excellent creep strength, structural stability and cyclic oxidation resistance, making them suitable for components exposed to sustained high heat.
SOFCs are also part of a broader hydrogen ecosystem, where materials must meet the demands of storage, transportation, and gas conditioning infrastructure. Here, considerations such as hydrogen embrittlement resistance, superior corrosion toughness, and formability for piping and containment vessels come into play. Austenitic stainless steels, including 1.4420 (Supra 316plus®), 1.4435 (Supra 316L/4435) and 1.4404 (Supra 316L/4404) offer robust solutions for these applications.
IT’S INDUSTRY’S TURN
While next-generation SOFCs already demonstrate significant efficiency gains, further improvements — ranging from enhanced electrical conductivity to lower-cost fabrication techniques — are key to boosting commercial adoption. These challenges will require metals specialists, research institutions, and fuel cell manufacturers to work together to refine material properties and optimise system performance. Outokumpu’s decades of metallurgical expertise enable us to create tailored stainless steel solutions for a wide array of industries. The transition to lowertemperature SOFCs has opened the door for hydrogen applications, with high performance stainless steels set to play a crucial role.
SOFCs, electrolysers, storage and transport networks all demand materials that retain their properties as long as possible, in the most demanding of conditions. As applications scale from small residential units to megawattscale power stations, intelligent material selection will be a deciding factor in the hydrogen economy’s continued progress.
Credits: Outokumpu
AETHERFUELS
BY HANNAH WINTLE
Hydrogen Industry Leaders spoke to Conor Madigan, CEO of Aetherfuels, to gain an insight into how their approach to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production boosts efficiency and sustainability, and to hear how hydrogen might not only play a role in, but be supported by SAF production going forward.
QConor:
Can you tell me about yourself and Aetherfuels, and how the company is contributing to scaling the production of SAFs through your Aether Aurora technology?
Aetherfuels was founded in 2022, and set out with a business mission first, before we had assembled the technology, to find a way to deliver large scale drop in fuels for aviation and the ocean shipping industry. These two industries have a huge need for energy, and it’s not a good fit for batteries, and so in 2022, we took the technology that we assembled by partnering with a Research Institute in Chicago called GTI energy, transferred it into the company, and started putting it into a solution and maturing it to get it ready for commercialisation. So that’s what Aether Aurora is.
We optimise Fischer-Tropsch synthesis technology and, at Aurora, we innovated the first and third steps; the syngas generation and the upgrading. The reason we focused on that is that we looked at the whole industry and found that there had been a couple decades of really good innovations on Fischer-Tropsch, on how to get it cost effective for these sustainable fuel scale plants, which tend to be smaller than fossil plants. Where we come in is now we also have a syngas generation and upgrading technology that is really well optimized to those scales.
Our technology means we get much lower CapEx, so the plant cost is lower. We boost yield so we get more product out, but we do all of this while still being able to use a very wide range of feedstocks, so we have this very well optimized, very cost effective approach that has also a lot of flexibility.
Conor:
How does your approach using waste carbon differ from existing methods in terms of efficiency and sustainability?
Efficiency-wise, compared to a plant that would do the same thing using existing state of the art technology, our CapEx is about half, and that the yield that we can get out is as much as 20% higher product out.
Where sustainability is concerned, since our plant doesn’t have any internal steps where we have to combust any fuels, we have very low emissions from the plant, and we can take full advantage of these low GHG inputs, these feeds that are already considered wastes, and therefore come to us with very low or no carbon intensity.
Because we focus everything on waste, we’re also using streams that do not compete with food production and do not contribute to or have negative land use impacts. So it’s really the best case scenario for your fuels, and many of them can have almost zero GHG emissions, and all of the routes we are looking at are more than 70% reduction, and most are even more than 90% reduction, in GHGs.
AETHERFUELS HAVE DEVELOPED AN ECONOMICAL MEANS TO CONVERT WASTE CARBON INTO LIQUID FUELS, INCLUDING FEEDSTOCKS DERIVING FROM WASTE BIOMASS, MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE, BIOGAS, INDUSTRIAL WASTE GAS AND CAPTURED CO2.
QConor:
Is there a specific feedstock that is more promising in terms of scalability going forwards?
Because we have this flexibility to use these different streams, it’s also forced us to look at all of the geographies and regions where we could deploy the technology. What we found is that the answer to the best feed stock is very regional.
If you go to places where there’s a lot of agriculture, or places where plant material grows quickly, you find that there’s a lot of solid waste, and it makes a lot of sense to do gasification of solid waste and then take that stream into our plant to make the fuels.
In some places, we’re finding that biogas is becoming a stream that is developed in a very distributed way, so facilities can inject the methane into pipeline systems, and then that can be aggregated over pipeline systems. So you could use renewable natural gas as a feedstock.
In the places where renewable power is abundant and relatively inexpensive, then CO2 and hydrogen becomes the route that’s the most exciting.
“
“ So what we’re finding is that it’s really regional, which feedstock makes the most sense.
QConor:
What role will hydrogen play in SAF production and scalability?
There’s so many ways hydrogen will play a part in the overall energy transition. The thing we like to focus on in the SAF case is that one of the constant challenges with hydrogen is to move it from the point of generation to the point of use. You can do it, but it adds cost. So that often becomes one of the challenges; the place where you want to use it may not be the place where it’s cheap to make.
SAF presents an opportunity to take the hydrogen from the cheapest place you can make it, and convert it into something that is very easy to transport and is actually the most energy dense form of fuel that we know. We see this as such a great opportunity for being able to optimize the hydrogen value chain.
Essentially, every SAF route benefits from having hydrogen added. Even in the case of gasifying waste, that feedstock doesn’t really have enough energy to use all the carbon, so if I have a chance to get hydrogen into that plant, I can significantly boost the yield. And of course, the CO2 and hydrogen route intrinsically needs hydrogen. So we do think that hydrogen is going to be absolutely a critical piece to scaling SAF over the medium to long term, and we think that this ability to convert it into something, an energy form that’s very easy to transport, and then is usable in that form by the end user, will make it one of the most attractive ways to use hydrogen.
QWhat role will hydrogen play in SAF production and scalability?
There’s an interesting question that I do periodically get asked which is: Are we going to see hydrogen as the primary fuel, as opposed to SAF as the primary fuel? When we started the company, we did an analysis supposing that hydrogen is available at whatever point of production you have, and relatively inexpensive. We asked, is it better to bring that hydrogen to the airport and put it into a hydrogen plane, or is it better to turn that same hydrogen into SAF, transport the SAF and put it into a conventional plane?
What we found when we ran the numbers is that, because SAF can take full advantage of the rising or lowering cost of hydrogen, it really doesn’t ever make sense to switch to hydrogen as the primary fuel because of the transport and storage costs and the redesigns that would be required. So, not everybody agrees with that, but that’s our view on that.
In terms of SAF adoption, the biggest drivers at the moment are the EU and UK mandates and then the coming online mandates in Japan, and they’re setting out a roadmap where I think we’re going to be looking at 10% and then 30% adoption over the next 15-20 years. But this will not be realized unless we bring the costs of SAFs down significantly from where they are today.
So the homework now is on us to bring SAF down to be one of the cost competitive ways to abate carbon. And so we have set for ourselves the goal that we’ll enter the market at a price that is already competitive, and then, over time, we will be able to cut prices to well below where they are today. And if we do that, then I think we can continue to meet the targets the EU has set.
Conor:
Credit: Aetherfuels
DISTILLING A GREENER FUTURE: HOW CAN WE DECARBONISE THE DISTILLERY SECTOR USING HYDROGEN?
BY CAT VITALE
As the push for renewable energies surges on, a concerning eye is placed on energy intensive sectors and how they can contribute to both sustainability and decarbonisation goals.
One of these industries is the alcoholic beverage sector and in particular the distillery processes that carry them, which have long relied on carbon-emitting fossil fuels.
Through its clean energy source, hydrogen can be used to decarbonise these energy-heavy sectors via its ability to produce net-zero emissions. However, the widespread adoption of hydrogen has proved difficult for many across the industry due to its barriers such as high costs, safety applications and unstable supply.
Although recognised as a “hard to treat” sector in terms of emission reduction, Hydrogen Industry Leaders spoke to companies like Supercritical Solutions who have invested in hydrogen technology to boost the distillery’s sustainability output whilst aiming to overcome the barriers.
“
Hydrogen
can be used in a pot still distillation process while still achieving equivalent quality.
“ - Luke Tan, Co Founder, Supercritical Solutions
The potential remains high across the sector, with distilleries having the capacity to reduce their emissions by half a million tonnes every year.
Based on a report from the International Journal of Green Energy, the UK is leading in the European countries ranking of emissions produced by the spirit industry. This may come as no surprise, as the whisky industry represents the largest food and drink export sector in the region.
USING HYDROGEN TO BOOST SUSTAINABILITY
WHILE ACHIEVING “EQUIVALENT QUALITY”
UK-based hydrogen technology company Supercritical Solutions are developing its electrolyser technology for large-scale hydrogen distillery use enabling the industry to lessen its reliance on non-renewable fuels.
Through Supercritical’s partnership with Suntory Global Spirits, a leader in the global beverage sector, they were able to demonstrate that “hydrogen can be used in a pot still distillation process while still achieving equivalent quality”.
Supercritical partnered with Suntory on a 100% hydrogenfuelled spirit distillation trial at the Suntory Yamazaki Distillery in Japan proving its possible to replicate processes previously fuelled by fossil fuels such as natural gas in order to create a net-zero distilling process.
Speaking to Luke Tan, Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer at Supercritical we gained an insight into a partnership which aligned with their aims of “decarbonising the hardest-to-abate sectors with hydrogen”.
The two-part collaboration not only proved that hydrogen could produce spirits of equivalent quality to those made with traditional fossil fuel-based methods, but allowed Supercritical to take its technology “out of the lab for the first time”.
The project further resulted in the design and construction of a dedicated hydrogen production facility in Teesside, allowing the electrolyser developer to expand the “scalability of its technology”. Tan highlighted how the company’s aim is to make hydrogen “cost competitive with fossil fuels” while finding the applications where the transfer to hydrogen would be the “right choice”.
Reflecting on the evolution of the whiskey sector, Tan draws parallels between the transition from coal to other fossil fuels stating that “hydrogen is just the next step”.
Embracing these future developments, Supercritical received £3 million in Phase 2 funding from the UK government’s Green Distilleries Competition supporting them to advance their hydrogen solutions for the sector.
The
main reason for not adopting hydrogen as an alternative is the cost implications “
“
- Luke Tan, Co Founder, Supercritical Solutions
BATTLING THE COST FACTOR
As stated by ARUP, current estimates of blue hydrogen is twice the price of natural gas, while green hydrogen is five times the price after long-distance shipping. So when it comes to full adaptation of hydrogen in industries, cost remains a significant factor.
“When we’re talking to whisky operators, the main reason for not adopting hydrogen as an alternative is the cost implications,” Tan admits.
Emphasising the importance of making hydrogen costcompetitive, Tan added how “the benefit that Supercritical can bring is helping them reduce that cost of hydrogen, getting close to cost parity with fossil fuels” rendering it a “no-brainer”.
In Scotland where the Scotch Whisky industry brought £7.1bn to the UK economy in 2022 while supporting around 70,000 jobs across the region, we can understand the value that the liquor brings to the market.
COLLABORATION MAY BE KEY FOR SUCCESS
In a statement to Hydrogen Industry Leaders, Ruth Piggin, Director of Industry Sustainability at the Scotch Whisky Association highlighted the association’s responsibility to address the climate crisis in all areas where its production and distribution “have an impact”.
Piggin stated that in order to achieve decarbonisation goals, “each distillery must assess the most suitable efficiency and reduction solutions tailored to their specific needs “whether that be biogas, electrification, hydrogen or something else”.
However, “common barriers” resist added Piggin, particularly regarding the accessibility of zero-emission fuels like green hydrogen and the necessary energy infrastructure.
Despite these challenges, collaboration remains a cornerstone of the industry’s strategy. “Through knowledge sharing and collaboration with supply chain partners, researchers and regulators, we are working together to drive our full emission profile down as far and fast as possible, aiming to achieve net zero emissions across all scopes by 2045,” Piggin adds.
CAN HYDROGEN
OFFER A SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION?
Hydrogen presents a promising solution for decarbonising the distillery sector, offering a pathway to reducing emissions without compromising product quality.
Yet, widespread adoption faces challenges, including high costs, infrastructure limitations, and safety concerns. Overcoming these barriers will require continued innovation, strategic collaborations, and supportive policy frameworks.
The potential impact on the industry is substantial, especially as global demand for spirits continues to grow. According to the International Wine and Spirits Record (ISWR), “India, China, and the US are expected to add $30 billion in incremental value by 2028.” This surge in demand underscores the urgency for sustainable practices and positions hydrogen as a pivotal player in achieving net-zero emissions across the sector.
As collaboration and technological advancements continue, the vision of a carbon-neutral distillery sector moves closer to reality. By embracing hydrogen and other renewable solutions, the distillery industry can lead the way in sustainable production, ensuring that economic growth and environmental responsibility go hand in hand.
FIVE IMPENDING HYDROGEN PROJECTS ACROSS EUROPE
BY CAT VITALE
The EU has priorities of producing renewable hydrogen with aims set of producing 10 million tonnes and importing 10 million tonnes by 2030. Through the EU’s ambitions to deploy hydrogen technologies, Cat Vitale gives a run-down of the largest impending hydrogen projects across Europe.
The European Union has demonstrated a big push towards renewable energy sources and aims to create a hydrogen pipeline connecting major players across the region.
Carrying a large potential, the hydrogen sector has the ability to decarbonise major energy intensive sectors like transport and manufacturing, while aligning to net-zero goals in the industry.
By 2050, renewable hydrogen is to cover around 10% of the EU’s energy needs, so with that comes the potential for both investment and new innovations. The EU has launched many funding and research and innovation initiatives on hydrogen, enabling companies to collaborate on such projects.
A special mention should be given to CIP, who have demonstrated a large push to support hydrogen projects and renewable energy investments. The Danish investor, as highlighted below, has outlined two major projects in its green investment pipeline which includes Project Anker and the Danish Hydrogen Island.
So, let’s take a look into the largest upcoming hydrogen projects to be implemented across Europe in the future.
ANKER PROJECT, FRIESEN ELEKTRA GREEN ENERGY & CIP - 800MW
Project Anker, which is estimated to have a 400MW electrolysis capacity, with plans to extend to 800MW, will feature a green hydrogen production facility in Sande, Northern Germany.
Through its commitment to an increased renewable source output, CIP has noted that its new complex will seek to produce 80,000 tons of green hydrogen annually.
Noted by CIP, the project has the potential to reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 2.4 million tons annually, aligning their plans with decarbonisation goals set by the EU.
Project Anker is set to feature a varied network of renewable energies which includes offshore and onshore wind, as well as solar energy.
SPAIN
The project is set to feature “world scale” hydrogen production at bp’s Castellón refinery with production totaling to 2GW of electrolysis capacity by 2030.
BP have stated that through this plan they aim to make Valencia region a leader in green hydrogen production, with potential earmarked investments of €2bn depending on progress.
Supporting decarbonisation of the refinery the facility is set to increase production of biofuels by three-fold to 650,000 tonnes per year.
The green hydrogen produced by the facility is set to enhance energy intensive sectors across the region including the ceramic industry, chemical industries for the production of green ammonia and in heavy transport.
BP’S HYVAL PROJECT- 2GW
Credit: Friesen Elektra Green Energy
Credit: BP
SPAIN DENMARK
4.
Credit: Cepsa
ANDALUSIAN GREEN HYDROGEN VALLEYMOEVE (FORMALLY CEPSA) - 2GW
The project, which features over €3bn of investment, will oversee construction of two facilities – based in Huelva and Campo de Gibraltar. The facilities are set to contain a combined electrolysis capacity of 2 GW with the aim of producing up to 300,000 tonnes of green hydrogen a year.
Maintaining the company’s predominant focus on green hydrogen, the project will align with green hydrogen goals set by the Spanish government.
According to Moeve, the Green Hydrogen Valley project will transform Andalusia and Spain into a “European energy power”. The project is set to be completed by 2027.
BRINTØ (HYDROGEN ISLAND) - CIP: 10GW
In 2022, Danish investment firm Copenhagen Investment Partners announced plans to create an artificial island featuring a 10GW hydrogen capacity. The project, which will be built on the Danish part of the North Sea, is expected to produce up to one million tonnes of green hydrogen per year.
According to CIP, the output from the island will correspond to 7% of Europe’s hydrogen demand by 2030. Strategically placed on a 20,000 km2 sandbank, the area is aimed to provide the “best conditions” for producing low-cost green electricity.
Focussing on four main elements, the island will provide services for: offshore wind, an artificial island, Power to X facilities and a hydrogen pipeline for exports.
PORTUGAL
GREEN
H2 ATLANTIC PROJECT -
- 100MW
The GreenH2Atlantic project, which is being supported by the HYTLANTIC consortium, will oversee the creation of a 100 MW hydrogen production hub in Sines, Portugal. The project, which features a consortium of 12 EU members, was awarded €62m by the Innovation Fund and will aim to produce 10,000 tonnes of green hydrogen.
By replacing the former coal-fired power plant with a renewable hydrogen production hub, the offset project is aligning with EU goals of reducing reliance on energy intensive fuels.
Using wind and solar renewable electricity sources to supply hydrogen to the Sines refinery, the power source will blend into the natural gas grid.
According to the European Investment Bank, the project contributes to the lending arms objectives on Climate action and Economic and Social Cohesion.
In January 2025, ERM, a European sustainability consultancy, supported the HYTLANTIC joint venture. The project was one of eight hydrogen production proposals invited to the grant agreement phase.
WHY INNOVATING HEATING IS VITAL FOR THE WIDER HYDROGEN LANDSCAPE
BY HANNAH WINTLE
It is widely accepted and understood that in order to meet global net zero targets, energy systems around the world will need to be diversified. This ‘no silver bullet’ mentality is driving innovation across the entire energy landscape as a wider tapestry of renewable energy sources is woven together.
The conversation around where and how each energy source can be used most efficiently is still ongoing, and hydrogen is becoming an increasingly dominant discourse. Decarbonising industry is vital to reduce overall emissions, but the households throughout Europe continue to be one of the largest CO2 emitters in the continent, and present a unique challenge to overcome. Where heating is concerned, hydrogen could represent an opportunity to target both industry and housing.
Housing Industry Leaders delved into the nuances of this topic with Tim Hannig, Founder and Managing Director of HYTING, a heating technology company founded in 2021 that seeks to deliver carbonfree heating fuelled by hydrogen: no CO2, NOx, or particulates.
AN ADAPTABLE AND COST-EFFECTIVE APPROACH TO HYDROGENPOWERED HEAT
HYTING’s heating innovation offers a new approach to the heatingwith-hydrogen landscape. Their forced-air heating system utilises a molecular, exothermic catalytic reaction to turn a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen from the air into heat, producing water as the only by-product. This flameless oxidation process is at the heart of HYTING’s heating systems, developed in answer to the globally recognised challenge to decarbonise heat.
Importantly, HYTING’s system can support already established technologies, such as working as a hybrid with heat pumps, where the heat pump provides the base load of heating, and the hydrogen system is used at peak times.
“It can do both,” Tim said. “We can provide heating units that are purely heated with hydrogen, or we can do a hybrid, where a heat pump does the base load and hydrogen provides the heat load.”
The system, therefore, also promotes a positive business case for hydrogen in places like Germany, for example, where companies pay for the electricity they consume, as well as paying for peak consumption.
“As heating is a significant part of the energy consumption, you have to electrically heat and pay for the peak consumption, whereas if we do what we call peak shaving, you can–with a third of the power of your heat pump–cut off two thirds of the price for the electricity.”
“That means you save a lot of money, and if you replace that with hydrogen, which is expensive today, you still get a positive business case.
“
As well as promoting cost benefits for consumers, this approach also bolsters the hydrogen economy by creating a positive business case for using hydrogen at its current cost, which will only improve as hydrogen becomes more readily available and more competitively priced.
“I strongly believe that we have a technology that is actually very simple, and therefore the costs are low. If we offer a hybrid heating system, the pricing would be similar to what a pure heat pump system costs,” Tim added.
He also noted that in applications where hydrogen is already accessible, such as in industry, the system actually works out cheaper: “If you do pure hydrogen, it would be lower cost than a heat pump system. And therefore, if you combine it with any other consumer of hydrogen, such as fuel cell systems, the investment to use the hydrogen is substantially lower.”
RESIDENTIAL APPLICATIONS
REPRESENT A HUGE DECARBONISATION OPPORTUNITY
While at present, HYTING’s primary customer base is in industry, Tim emphasised the potential to use this technology wherever heating is required, and that as such, there is a great opportunity to decarbonise heat in the residential sector, too.
“
The system can be used anywhere. It doesn’t matter to the system what building it heats.
“
For the time being, the focus is on scaling up through their recent partnership with ebm-papst, a global leader in air technology and heating technology, which will enable HYTING to accelerate the development and market launch of its heat generator portfolio.
Following the growth achieved through this strategic partnership, Tim highlighted that theres is a significant potential to roll out this technology through the residential sector and help to decarbonise homes around the world. “We can see a huge opportunity in any houses with forced air heating, which is very common in North America specifically,” he said.
“We’re definitely looking into opportunities in the forced air heating market, but our development plan is also to use the same principle to create a complete NOx free boiler so that we can do water heating as well.”
Residential is the biggest market in the world. It wouldn’t be smart not to move into it.” “ “
INNOVATION AND BRAVERY WILL DRIVE CHANGE SOONER THAN POLICY
In order to get there, and capitalise on hydrogen’s potential to become a viable heating solution, Tim emphasised the importance of innovation and courage to take bold steps within the sector.
Credit: Hyting
Historically, he highlighted, the big advancements in energy and infrastructure have been facilitated by industry leaders taking the initiative to implement them. Adopting an ambitious and pragmatic approach has, and can continue to, facilitate progress.
The same is true for hydrogen. Tim said: “There are waves in politicians, but then there are the entrepreneurs who change the world most of the time, the innovators and the fast followers. I strongly believe the future of hydrogen lies with the innovators.
“When somebody invests into an electrolyser that’s been built and provides hydrogen, then people around start using it, and then there is another one elsewhere, and then another, it spreads. Then the pipelines will be the ones connecting it afterwards.
“ “
These individual or industry initiatives will pave the way for hydrogen as an energy source.”
In the case of heating, whether it is in industrial settings or in people’s homes, having the expertise, pragmatism, and determination to develop an ecosystem where hydrogen can flourish, could help to decarbonise one of the most carbon-intensive systems in our world today. As Tim concluded: “The technology is there. If we have the will to implement it and to execute it, we can do that, and that’s what we should be doing.”
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