Hydrogen has been the white whale of the low-carbon energy sector.
It is immensely abundant and highly versatile and has long had the potential to decarbonise entire sectors of the economy. From cars and trucks to airplanes, trains and even household boilers, the universe’s lightest gas has no shortage of potential uses.
But it lacks successful applications. Cars and trucks? Until yesterday, I last saw a hydrogen car when I tested a Mercedes fuel cell B-Class … almost 15 years ago. airplanes? Not in the near future. And houses? Japan is testing the idea, but given the difficulty of adapting natural gas infrastructure to accommodate the leaking molecules, it’s unlikely to happen in the near future.
One place where hydrogen shows promise is in heavy industry, where intense heat and dense power are difficult to replicate with electrical sources. However, cost remains an obstacle.
That’s where Hgen hopes its modular electrolyzers will make an impact. The startup aims to decarbonise hard-to-crack industries such as steel and ammonia production by focusing on green hydrogen made using renewable energy. It was founded by Molly Yang, a Tesla alum who helped lead the Supercharger, residential energy and industrial energy teams, and Colin Ho, who led the propulsion and power systems for Starship at SpaceX.
The company exclusively told businesskinda.com that it has raised a $2 million seed round led by the Founders Fund, which was joined by Fontinalis Partners, Climate Capital, Yishan Wong and a handful of other angels.
Yang said Hgen is bringing Tesla and SpaceX’s focus on optimizing the entire widget to hydrogen production.
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