Hydrogen Innovators : Recent Episodes
Stanford Hydrogen Initiative
This podcast, powered by the Stanford Hydrogen Initiative, aims to shine some light on top-notch innovators in hydrogen across academia and industry.
New episode of Hydrogen Innovators is out! ⚡️
In this conversation, Emma Kerr and I speak with Dolf Gielen, Hydrogen Lead and Senior Energy Economist at the World Bank, about what it will actually take to make green hydrogen projects bankable.
We discuss electrolyzer cost realities, the importance of affordable renewable electricity and financing, infrastructure and offtake challenges, and how emerging markets can build hydrogen economies that create local jobs, energy security, and long-term economic value. Green hydrogen will not scale on technology alone. Successful projects need the full ecosystem, competitive costs, credible demand, enabling infrastructure, thoughtful policy, and financing structures that reduce risk.
As artificial intelligence continues its rapid expansion, the energy and water demands of modern data centers are reaching a massive inflection point, threatening to push an already saturated electrical grid past its limits. In this episode of Hydrogen Innovators, hosts Emma Kerr and Milenia Rojas sit down with Yuval Bachar, Founder and CEO of Edge Cloud Link (ECL).
A veteran infrastructure architect who previously led hardware strategy at Microsoft, Facebook, and LinkedIn, Yuval discusses how ECL is disrupting the industry by pioneering zero-emission, zero-water, completely off-grid data centers powered by PEM fuel cells. Discover how modular design is transforming data center supply chains, how active-active battery architectures manage the volatile power transients of high-density AI chips like NVIDIA’s next-generation architectures, and why a culture of absolute competence—and zero fear of failure—is essential for the future of clean energy innovation.
In this episode of the Hydrogen Innovators Podcast, we speak with Pete Johnson, CEO of Koloma, about the promise of geological hydrogen, the lessons he has carried from scaling Monolith Materials, and the opportunities and uncertainties shaping the hydrogen sector today.
Tune in for a thoughtful conversation on scale, innovation, and one of the most exciting new frontiers in hydrogen.
HydrogenInnovators #WhiteHydrogen #NaturalHydrogen #HydrogenEconomy #CleanTech #EnergyTransition #StanfordPodcast #Koloma
Ammonia is often associated with fertilizers, but it might just be the "Trojan Horse" that allows the hydrogen economy to finally scale. In this episode of Hydrogen Innovators, we sit down with Seonghoon Woo, CEO and co-founder of Amogy, to explore how their breakthrough ammonia-cracking technology is unlocking carbon-free power for heavy-duty mobility and industry.
Seonghoon explains why ammonia’s energy density and existing global infrastructure (200+ ports and thousands of miles of pipeline) make it a more practical carrier than compressed hydrogen. We dive into Amogy’s rapid scale-up—from powering drones and tractors to the successful 2024 tugboat demonstration—and discuss their shift toward commercial deployment in the Asia-Pacific market. Seonghoon also shares candid insights on the "clean premium" of green ammonia, the necessity of strategic investors for hardware startups, and why he believes under-promising and over-delivering is the only way to build trust in the conservative world of heavy industry.
In this episode of the Stanford Hydrogen Innovators Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Marc Bednarz, an accomplished electrochemist, project developer, and CEO of Cohyba, who has spent over two decades building hydrogen and clean energy technologies across Europe, Asia, and the world. Marc shares a rare inside look at what project development really means for large-scale green hydrogen and Power-to-X projects — from technology selection and bankability to engineering integration, financing, and offtake.
Drawing on his experience leading CWP Global’s Hydrogen & Derivatives team, Marc explains where Europe is making the fastest progress, where bottlenecks remain, and what it will take to accelerate deployment at gigawatt scale.
In this episode, we sit down with Ivana Jemelkova, Chief Executive Officer of the Hydrogen Council, to explore global hydrogen progress and what it really takes to turn vision into scale. Ivana shares insights from the Council’s new Global Hydrogen Compass report, revealing over $110 billion in committed investments and 510 projects worldwide, and breaks down what’s driving momentum across China, North America, and Europe.
We explore the essentials for growth demand, policy clarity, standardization, and infrastructure, and why, as Ivana puts it, “the energy transition will move at the speed of trust.”
An inspiring conversation about how hydrogen is moving from ambition to delivery.
Hydrogen storage might not be flashy, but it’s foundational. In this episode of Hydrogen Innovators, we sit down with Kamden Maas, U.S. Sales Manager at Atlanta Cylinders, to unpack how Type I all-steel cylinders are helping projects move from pilot to deployment. Kamden explains why long-lived, stackable, high-pressure steel storage (700 bar U.S.; up to 1000 bar in the EU approvals) can cut costs versus composite alternatives, what third-party certifications (DOT/ASME vs. ISO) really mean for safety, and how storage design choices ripple through refueling, backup power, and site footprint. We also get a candid market tour—Spain/Portugal and Northern Europe’s momentum, steady progress in the U.S. Gulf—and a call for practical collaboration across suppliers, developers, and communities. Kamden closes with advice for early-career professionals on leading with authenticity and pushing the envelope in a constantly evolving industry.
In this episode of Hydrogen Innovators, co-hosts Emma Kerr and Melania Rojas Mendoza sit down with Sridhar Kanuri, Global Chief Technology Officer for both HyAxiom and Doosan Fuel Cell corporation. With decades of experience in hydrogen and electrochemical systems, Sridhar shares his insights on deploying fuel cell and electrolyzer technologies at scale—from hospital microgrids to hydrogen-powered AI data centers. The conversation covers everything from the challenges of scaling lab innovations to the importance of service infrastructure, global collaboration, and building the right team. Sridhar also offers thoughtful advice for early-career scientists and engineers and reflects on the global momentum driving the energy transition.
In this episode of the Hydrogen Innovators podcast, we sit down with Pierre-Etienne Franc, a global leader in hydrogen investment and infrastructure. As the CEO of Hy24, the world’s largest clean hydrogen infrastructure fund, and co-founder of both FiveT Hydrogen and the Hydrogen Council, Pierre-Etienne has played a pivotal role in shaping the hydrogen economy from multiple angles: finance, policy, and industrial deployment.
Pierre-Etienne walks us through his journey from launching Air Liquide’s Hydrogen Energy business to spearheading multi-billion-euro investments in clean hydrogen across the full value chain. He shares key insights into how Hy24 evaluates risk, aligns diverse stakeholders, and drives large-scale deployment at speed and scale. We also unpack common misconceptions about hydrogen, explore the emerging project hotspots around the world, and reflect on the leadership qualities needed to build lasting climate infrastructure.
Whether you're a policymaker, investor, entrepreneur, or student, this episode offers a rare inside look at the strategic vision and deep conviction driving one of hydrogen’s most influential voices.
Patrick Molloy, Principal at RMI’s Climate-Aligned Industries program and co-host of Everything About Hydrogen, joins the Hydrogen Innovators Podcast to explore ammonia’s rapidly expanding role in the clean energy transition—as a shipping fuel, hydrogen carrier, and critical input for fertilizers. This episode also marks the debut of our new co-hosts, Stanford PhD students Milenia Rojas Mendoza and Emma Kerr, who bring fresh insight and sharp questions to the conversation. Together, they discuss the impact of recent policy developments like the IMO carbon levy, the balance between centralized and decentralized production, and the global lessons emerging from hydrogen and ammonia deployment efforts. Patrick shares his personal path into the hydrogen space and reflects on the visionary leadership of Amory Lovins, offering a wide-ranging and thoughtful discussion on where this market is headed next.
In this episode of the Hydrogen Innovators podcast, we welcome Jimmy Rojas, founder and CEO of Evoloh, an innovative company transforming hydrogen production through advanced alkaline electrolyzer technology. Jimmy shares his journey from academia to entrepreneurship, highlighting how Evoloh uniquely reduces hydrogen production costs by using standard, high-throughput manufacturing techniques and 100% domestic supply chains. He explains Evoloh’s strategy of focusing exclusively on stack production, designed explicitly for compatibility with low-cost, commercially available equipment, drastically cutting the cost of hydrogen. He dives deep into the challenges of electrolyzer manufacturing, global hydrogen markets, and the importance of flexible load-following technologies for renewable integration. Tune in for insights into Jimmy’s leadership philosophy, inspired by fostering growth within his team, and hear who personally motivates him in his remarkable career. A must-listen for anyone interested in the future of green hydrogen and cleantech innovation.
Electric Hydrogen is working on carbon-free hydrogen production, leveraging advanced electrolyzer plants powered by solar and wind to compete with fossil fuels. Their cutting-edge technology offers hydrogen at nearly half the price of competitors, driving cost-effective clean energy.
With over $700M raised through venture capital, venture debt, equipment finance, and government grants, Electric Hydrogen strategically balances financial risk to power its mission. Their innovative project financing model separates project risks from the parent company, attracting diverse investors through ‘derisking’ tactics like insurance products and construction bonds.
Guided by values of hustle, loyalty, and respect, Electric Hydrogen is set to revolutionize heavy industry energy use. Excited to see their continued impact!
GreenHydrogen #CleanEnergy #Innovation #HydrogenEconomy #Sustainability #RenewableEnergy #ProjectFinancing #EnergyTransition
In this episode we learn from Shunichiro Shimamura, COO at MOL Switch, the venture arm of Mitsui OSK lines, a major global shipping company. In 2021, MOL announced their goal to get to net zero by 2030. Find out how they aim to achieve that by listening!
In this episode, we learn from Jason Sebastian, EVP of Market Operations at Questek Innovations on material challenges related to H2 and how his team mitigates these challenges through ICME - Integrated Computational Materials Engineering.
It hasn’t been all sunshine and roses in the green H2 industry lately, only 4% of projects announced by 2030 have reached FID. Find out below what key mechanism can help us remove barriers:
Reinsurance!!!
Thrilled to launch our 18th episode of the Hydrogen Innovators Podcast with Dr. Kathrin Ebner, working on risk and (re)insurance at Munich Re. Give it a listen and learn more about how Kathrin and her team remove barriers in the green hydrogen world by offering risk transfer solutions for electrolyzers
``` In our 17th episode, we learn from Paul Nelson Managing Partner at Saoradh Enterprise Partners. In his conversation with Karen Baert, we learn about their data-driven approach to investing. Some key insights include: 💡 Today’s price for delivered grey hydrogen varies from ~1.5-10$ depending on the purity requirements, volumes and proximity to producers 💡 With 150 hydrogen projects announced today, the majority is in the announced/planning stage with only ~20-30% in FID or construction 💡 Equal amount of innovation/IP on electrolytic (green) and natural-gas based (blue, purple) hydrogenAt the end of the podcast, Paul shares some of the principles that guide him as a leader incl:⚡ Be guided by giants who created an inflection point in history⚡Be focused on creating some kind of positive change ⚡Never stop learning
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In this podcast, we learn from Andy Marsh, CEO at Plug Power, how Plug Power is a one-stop-shop enabling the green hydrogen industry.
Some key learnings include:
- The key to excelling when vertically integrating is M&A and partnerships
- The challenge of integration/putting all the building blocks together is vastly underestimated
- Plug Power sees a lot of potential for hydrogen in the long-term in the stationary power market, replacing natural-gas peaker plants.
At the end of the podcast, Andy shares some of the principles that guide him as a leader incl:
- The power of listening
- Stay calm during crisis and always move forward
- Character matters
In this episode, we learn from Florence Lambert, CEO of Genvia, a French high-temperature electrolyzer company.
Key take-aways include
- We will need a wide range of electrolyzer technologies to decarbonize our hydrogen industry:
- Alkaline: (+) Proven tech, easy to manufacture (-) Less efficient, bigger footprint
- PEM: (+) More flexible and smaller footprint (-) Not yet proven and more expensive
- SOEC (High-T): (+)Solid oxide electrolyzers are at least 15% more efficient and 30% more efficient than low-temperature electrolyzers when waste heat is available (-) Less proven
- The attributes of high-temperature electrolyzers make them especially attractive in industrial use cases (e.g. steel, chemicals..) where heat can be recovered and integrated in the hydrogen production cycle
- It isn't easy to win in manufacturing in Europe, which makes it even more important to be at the forefront of technology
At the end of the episode, Florence leaves us with some golden career (and life) advice - "listen to your intuition, and take risks"
In this episode, David Jaramillo, Co-founder and CTO at Verne, explains how Verne's technology innovation enables cost-effective clean hydrogen storage and refueling to decarbonize heavy-duty transport.
Verne's unique storage technology cry-compression enables a higher energy density than liquefied or pressurized (up to 700 bar) hydrogen at at least half the cost.
Sheldon Kimber, CEO and Founder of Intersect Power, demystifies hydrogen project development. Some of his golden rules and insights on effective project development include:
1️⃣ Innovative financing for large projects is typically
2️⃣ Not every long-term contract is a good contract
3️⃣ The current “flight to quality” for financiers leads to a consolidation in the project development market
4️⃣ Hydrogen deployment is much more than just a technology game. The business model matters!
Nuggets of inspiration
💡It is not about how fast the company can grow, it is about how fast you can grow
💡 Sheldon’s version of success is being a transcendent leader and being “good” at the same time
“Some companies see it as an existential thread, we see it as a growth opportunity.”
David Burns, VP of Clean Energy at Linde, sheds light on Linde’s journey in hydrogen from legacy to pioneering new tech. Some of the key insights are:
1️⃣ Linde can build on its decades of experience in hydrogen to catalyze the clean hydrogen industry
2️⃣ For short-distance transport, David sees potential in hydrogen pipelines where possible and liquified hydrogen in other cases.
3️⃣ For long-distance, intercontinental transport David sees potential in hydrogen carriers incl. methanol and ammonia
4️⃣ David points to ammonia's potential as energy carrier, not necessarily hydrogen carrier, by finding use-cases for ammonia directly”
5️⃣ To keep costs down, the best option is still to limit the need to transport hydrogen. This is the concept behind the regional US hydrogen hubs
Nugget of inspiration
💡Since David switched to working on clean energy, the new generation (amongst which David's kids) are more interested in and inspired by his work
Commercial aviation has been identified as a contributor of greenhouse emissions, and is perhaps one of the most difficult industries to decarbonize--but there is a plan! Amanda Simpson, Vice President of Airbus Americas for Research and Technology and Head of Sustainability, talks about the options and opportunities within the aviation industry which will help achieve the goal of net-zero carbon aviation by 2050. Listeners will gain insight into the technological challenges, development timelines, and infrastructure impacts of potential solutions that will influence the aerospace industry.
"Getting to net zero is the defining challenge and opportunity of the 21st century..."
In this episode, we learn from Dr. Arun Majumdar, Dean of the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability about the exciting and challenging times in energy today. Dr. Majumdar shares his perspective on where hydrogen should and should not play a role in our energy transition. Lastly, he talks about the role the Doerr School aims to play in this transition as well as what every institution and every individual across the world can do to help us move in the right direction.
Want to find out how to decarbonize industry through hydrogen with existing infrastructure today? All of that while producing a valuable carbon by-product? Learn from Mothusi Pahl, VP of Business Development and Government Affairs at Modern Electron in our 8th episode.
Spoiler alert: This episode has an on-the-field component to it!
In this episode, we learn from Professor Stefan Reichelstein, Emeritus Professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and Professor at the Department of Business Administration at the University of Mannheim. Internationally known for his research in economics, Professor Reichelstein demystifies what it will take to get to cost-effective clean hydrogen
1-1-1 Hydrogen cost of $1 per 1 kg in 1 decade. Can we get there?
“No One Can Whistle A Symphony, It Takes An Orchestra to Play It”
As Director for the U.S. Department of Energy's (DoE) Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office, Dr. Sunita Satyapal is often referred to as the mother Theresa of hydrogen for her steadfast commitment to the industry over decades of ups and downs.
When President Biden asked the Secretary of Energy what more they could do that advance the energy transition, the DoE came up with its bold Hydrogen Shot (1-1-1), seeking to reduce the cost of hydrogen to $1/kg. Bullish about the industry, Sunita points out that, unlike many “false” turning points in the industry in the past, we are at a unique point in history where the hydrogen industry is no longer a decade away.
Learn from Tom Linebarger, Executive Chairman of the Board and previous CEO of Cummins on the role of hydrogen in decarbonizing the power sector. Tom puts hydrogen into perspective compared to alternative clean power solutions and stressed the importance of a global carbon tax to advance our clean economy.
We end on a personal note and learn about the importance of "life outside of work" and "providing a hand-up for others"
About what a little bit of serendipity, a lot of hard work and a lot of support from giants can mean...
Did you know that the mass of steel produced yearly is four times the mass of humans on this planet? Did you know that the steel industry accounts for almost 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions?
In this episode, we learn from Assistant Professor Leora Dresselhaus-Marais. She leads a lab at Stanford focused on decarbonizing this massive and ever-growing sector.
Did you know that in 1825, none other than Jules Verne predicted that one day we would use water as a fuel?
In this podcast, we learn from Dr. Ilham Kadri, the CEO of multi-billion dollar global chemicals company Solvay. Guiding Solvay through its sustainability transition, she experiences the growing role of hydrogen in our decarbonized world first-hand. While Solvay is technology and use-case agnostic, its materials advance the industry across the entire value chain. Don't miss Ilham's golden nuggets of wisdom at the end of the podcast (19:30)
- If an ambition doesn't scare you, it's not ambitious enough
- Never waste a good crisis - take the opportunity to emerge stronger
- IQ is a commodity, EQ is what will make the difference
- Invite diversity to the dance and dance with it