Texas Aims To Revive All-But-Dead Green Hydrogen Industry

There goes Texas, again. Not content to continue being an epicenter of domestic oil and gas production, Texas also leads the US in wind power and it’s closing in on the #1 slot for solar, too. Now the state aims to put its renewable energy profile to work in the green hydrogen industry, squeezing hydrogen gas from water instead of extracting it from fossil fuels.

Green Hydrogen To US: I’m Not Dead Yet!

The US green hydrogen industry was all but killed in its cradle earlier this year, when US President Donald Trump’s new energy policy knocked the stuffing out of the Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs initiative, a $7 billion Biden-era program intended to diversify the nation’s supply of hydrogen, a key industrial and agricultural input.

Still, signs of life continue to emerge, and one of them has emerged in Texas. Earlier this week the US green hydrogen startup SunHydrogen reminded everyone that its hydrogen-producing solar panels are being installed at the Hydrogen ProtoHub demonstration and research facility at the J.J. Pickle Research Campus at the University of Texas at Austin.

The ProtoHub launched in April of 2024 under the umbrella of the school’s Center for Electromechanics, with support from the energy solutions consulting firm Frontier Energy and the independent not-for-profit corporation GTI Energy.

The SunHydrogen Green Hydrogen Solution

SunHydrogen began cropping up on the CleanTechnica radar more than 10 years ago in an earlier iteration as the California startup HyperSolar. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then, including the name change to SunHydrogen and a relocation to Iowa, where the University of Iowa has been working with the firm to bring its solar powered green hydrogen system to market (see more SunHydrogen background here).

SunHydrogen has been developing an alternative to water electrolysis, which is the primary means of producing green hydrogen today. The cost of electrolyzers has been coming down as the technology improves and economies of scale kick in. However, transportation and storage expenses keep pushing up the cost of green hydrogen at the user end. SunHydrogen is among the innovators aiming to solve that problem with a compact, all-in-one solution that enables on-site hydrogen production for the user.

The SunHydrogen system follows the photoelectrochemical model, in which the conversion step is integrated into a photochemical cell much like a plant processes water and sunlight to produce hydrogen, leading to the nicknames artificial leaf or bionic leaf. In contrast, conventional electrolysis systems run on electricity produced offsite.

Next Steps For The Artificial Leaf Of The Future

In August, the University of Iowa and SunHydrogen reported a key milestone along the road to commercialization, conducting a live demonstration of a single module measuring a little over 20 square feet (1.92 m²).

“The 1.92m² hydrogen module, which uses only sunlight and water to produce hydrogen, represents the most advanced version of SunHydrogen’s proprietary hydrogen production technology,” the school explained.

“Our 1.92 m² module demonstrates that hydrogen production directly from sunlight and water can progress beyond the laboratory to become a commercially viable clean energy solution,” said SunHydrogen CTO Dr. Syed Mubeen.

The demonstration took place in an open source prototype housing. In the next step, SunHydrogen will deploy the system in a custom-built, proprietary housing unit at the ProtoHub facility. A successful demonstration will show that the system can extract hydrogen and oxygen continuously while recirculating the water.

What Is This ProtoHub Of Which You Speak?

The ProtoHub demonstration will featuring sixteen green hydrogen reactors totaling an active area of almost 323 square feet (about 30 m²), marking SunHydrogen’s first multi-module trial to be deployed outdoors, operating on water and sunlight alone.

During the six-month trial period, SunHydrogen will work with its ProtoHub partners to validate performance, durability, and scalability. “A successful demonstration will confirm real-world viability, paving the way for larger deployments and commercial partnerships,” SunHydrogen notes.

As a showcase for SunHydrogen’s technology, the ProtoHub is no small potatoes. “With advanced infrastructure, strict safety systems, and experienced technical staff, the ProtoHub serves as a launchpad for projects that can shape the future hydrogen economy,” SunHydrogen enthused in a press statement.

The first-of-its-kind facility is designed to help innovators transition from the pilot stage into commercial application, supported by an advanced data modeling system. It also doubles as a training site for safety validation and workforce training involving the whole spectrum of employment, including system operators and engineers as well as professionals in the codes and standards sector.

In addition to water electrolysis systems powered by renewable energy, ProtoHub also focuses on producing hydrogen from renewable natural gas sourced in-state from a landfill. Plans for hydrogen produced at the site include supplying a stationary fuel cell to provide electricity for the Texas Advanced Computing Center. Other offtakers include a fleet of Toyota Mirai fuel cell EVs and fuel cell drones. “This approach marks the first time that multiple renewable hydrogen supplies and multiple end uses have been networked at a single location to demonstrate a scalable, economical hydrogen ecosystem,” the school notes.

Driving Down The Cost Of Green Hydrogen

The SunHydrogen solution is just one emerging technology that keeps the longstanding dream of a global hydrogen economy alive. Improvements in water electrolysis technology are also under way, with a particular focus on bringing down the cost of the catalyst used in proton-exchange membrane systems.

The expensive and rare transition metal iridium is currently the catalyst of choice, and the hunt is on for alternatives. Sorting through the vast universe of potential substitutes is a painstaking, time consuming process, though “green rust” has emerged as one promising alternative.

Researchers at Northwestern University in Illinois have also described an AI-enabled sorting process, through which they culled more than three dozen alternative catalysts from a “megalibrary” of 156 million (more or less) different nanostructures. “This study establishes a roadmap to accelerate catalyst discovery for energy conversion, and the platform is a route to large data sets that will facilitate the development of AI and machine learning algorithms that can identify key catalyst design features,” the team concluded.

Other cost-cutting pathways to bubble up in the laboratory include electrolysis systems that use seawater and other non-purified resources, one recent example being a new device that leverages waste heat from solar panels to produce distilled water for electrolysis.

Meanwhile, in the roller coaster world of commercial applications, the news highlights of the week include RWE of Germany, which has pulled out from a $10 billion green hydrogen project in Nambia, and the Houston-based energy services firm Kent, which has signed on to oversee the Yanbu Green Hydrogen Hub in Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, the irrepressible New York startup Plug Power has delivered its first electrolyzers to the Sines Refinery in Portugal.

For more developments, keep an eye on Ukraine, the Baltic states, and other frontline nations seeking any and all means to fortify their economies against Russian aggression.

Cover photo:  default