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As the world strives towards decarbonization, hydrogen has emerged as a crucial component.
However, efficient long-distance transportation and safe large-scale storage of hydrogen still pose significant challenges for industry players.
Addressing this issue is HySiLabs, whose innovative hydrogen carrier technology aims to simplify and streamline hydrogen transportation logistics.
HySiLabs has developed a unique and patented hydrogen carrier called HydroSil, which is a derivative of liquid silicon hydride.
HydroSil is stable, non-toxic, non-explosive, and poses no danger.
The carrier enables easy on-demand release of hydrogen at the consumption site without requiring any external energy input.
Additionally, HydroSil is reusable, making it sustainable and cost-effective.
HydroSil offers a complete logistic supply chain similar to existing liquid fuels and can be safely transported at ambient temperature and air pressure.
This solution significantly contributes to decarbonizing the industry and energy sectors.
In this episode of Climate Tech 100, Pierre-Emmanuel Casanova, co-founder of HySiLabs, will help us delve deeper into the technology developed by HySiLabs and how it compares to other solutions for hydrogen transportation, such as liquid organic hydrogen carriers, ammonia, and pressurized/liquefied hydrogen.
We will also discuss the types of partners that HySiLabs works with and the benefits that they can derive from this innovative technology.
Can you tell us more about the technology HySiLabs has developed to store and transport hydrogen, and how it contributes to climate change mitigation?
Hydrogen is a key element for decarbonising the industry and the energy sector.
Hydrogen is both the most-energy dense and the lightest molecule.
It is known to generate electricity efficiently and has always been considered as an excellent synthetic energy vector.
Nevertheless, its long-distance transportation and large-scale storage in a safe, sustainable and economic way are still challenging for key players.
HySiLabs helps deploy this zero-carbon hydrogen value chain of tomorrow by facilitating its logistics.
HySiLabs has developed and patented an innovative hydrogen carrier called HydroSil, a liquid silicon hydride derivative, which is stable, non-toxic, non-explosive and non-dangerous.
There are two associated patented processes for charging and releasing hydrogen managed by respective reactors.
All in all HydroSil allows to release hydrogen at the consumption site easily, on-demand and without any external energy input.
Furthermore, this carrier can be reused as many times as desired.
It generates hydrogen on demand through the combination of two stable liquids.
This enables a full logistic supply chain that is similar to existing liquid fuels: it can be transported safely at ambient temperature and air pressure.
How does your technology compare to other solutions for hydrogen transportation, such as liquid organic hydrogen carriers, ammonia, and pressurized/liquefied hydrogen?
HySiLabs’ competitive environment consists of delivery solutions that are operational and under development.
But let us look into each option available on the market in details.
Pressurised hydrogen sector has already been deployed for decades and remains very competitive for small volumes and for short distances.
However this solution is difficult to handle (needs 200-700 bars pressure), does not have a good volume-H2 transported ratio for big volumes and for long distances.
Moreover, there is a need for specific infrastructures.
Liquefied hydrogen is another possible option.
It claims good H2 density and is, in fact, a mature technology proven to be competitive at large scale.
However, the infrastructures are not deployed and the need of keeping a constant temperature (-253°C) is a major drawback.
Other impediments include its energy-intensive conditions for liquefaction and high boil-off (H2 losses over time).
It is also possible to transform hydrogen into ammonia allowing to exploit existing infrastructures and well-known production processes.
As a result we get a known substance with high H2 density, proven to be very competitive at large scale.
However the solution has not been linked to H2 transport yet.
It remains toxic, unconceivable for downtown usages, requires specialised staff and shows H2 losses when unloading.
More recent solutions include organic liquid carriers.
They fix hydrogen in a stable liquid at ambient conditions.
The liquid is adapted to existing infrastructures with no need of energy input for loading H2 into it.
The downside is the fact that they are carbon-based and age with time making them less sustainable.
There is also a need of energy input for releasing H2 from it, added H2 purification process after release and costly raw materials.
HySiLabs’ liquid non-organic carrier HydroSil provides all the advantages of a liquid carrier (safe, non-toxic, non-explosive, does not require specific temperature and pressure conditions) and is the only non-carbon and reusable solution making it sustainable.
There is also no need for energy input to release H2 from it which is a crucial point: normally you deliver hydrogen across long distances to places with high energy needs.
Also, our raw materials are rather cheap and the released hydrogen is reliably pure.
What types of partners does HySiLabs work with and how do they benefit from your technology?
Since HydroSil had been patented in 2018, HySiLabs has started a pre-industrialization stage.
It was necessary to identify the potential customers of HySiLabs, as well as the end users of hydrogen for the validation of the solution.
Today we consider that our solution can bring most value to three markets: long-distance transportation, strategic storage and heavy mobility (maritime sector in particular).
The actors integrating these projects have shown their interest in the HySiLabs solution once it will be deployed on a large scale.
That interest is shown by the letters of intent with major maritime players, regional oil and gas companies as well as automotive players.
With some partners we have already been able to move up to the next level of engagement resulting in signed memorandums of understanding.
Such major partners include European port hubs, strategic storage companies, small and middle scale engineering and industrial players.
All these collaborations are mutually beneficial as they allow our partners to include a competitive and innovative technology brick into their developments (such as zero emission vessels or major port hubs, for example) while allowing us to test, adjust and eventually scale-up HSL Solution.
Can you tell us about the regulatory landscape for hydrogen storage and transportation, and how HySiLabs is addressing any regulatory issues?
The legal framework and regulatory landscape are still work in progress for hydrogen value chain.
Technically, once the hydrogen is captured by HydroSil, it is no longer under the regulation imposed for hazardous goods, putting us on the same level as diesel fuel for example, but without any danger.
We are currently working on the needed certifications and regulations for the concerned markets.
In order to follow and contribute to this work in progress on regulations, HySiLabs is an active member of France Hydrogène association and Hydrogen Europe organization.
To date, there are still no specific regulations for the transport, import and export for non-compressed hydrogen.
Moving forward, what role do you see hydrogen plays in the renewable energy arena and how does it compare to other renewable energy sources?
The first thing to understand is that hydrogen is an energy carrier, not a source of energy per se.
It can be used to store, move, and deliver energy produced from other sources.
Today, hydrogen fuel can be produced through several methods.
The most common ones today are natural gas reforming through a thermal process without capturing the greenhouse gases emitted in the process.
Hydrogen produced using that method would be called grey hydrogen.
Another method used is electrolysis, which, when coupled with renewable sources (solar PV, wind) results in so called green hydrogen.
The result of both methods is still hydrogen, but it is the environmental footprint of the process that matters.
So naturally, when building partnerships we privilege green hydrogen issued from electrolysis powered by renewable sources.
Europe has the greatest planned electrolyser and associated renewable capacity globally, mostly from offshore wind and solar PV.
This is driven by the European Union’s green hydrogen targets and associated funding to scale up production to decarbonise hard-to-abate sectors in line with the bloc’s long-term Net Zero by 2050 target.
With excellent wind and solar resource availability, Australia has the second-largest pipeline following Europe, the country aiming to export green hydrogen and ammonia.
Similar drivers make the business case for electrolyser expansion in the Middle East and Eurasia.
In China and Latin America, projects announced for the long term remain limited, but the upside potential remains, especially to reduce curtailment and to abate CO2 emissions in the industrial sector.
What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in developing and implementing your technology, and how have you addressed them?
The challenges that we face today focus around two issues.
The first one is the seeming monopoly of established hydrogen carriers.
Naturally, some solutions despite their drawbacks have the undeniable advantage of being well-known and benefitting from well-installed infrastructure.
On the other hand, emerging carriers despite their rising competitiveness are still struggling to make a place for themselves.
This situations leads us to the second challenge which is the mentioned above regulation for the emerging and developing market of hydrogen which has not yet been unified or fixed.
In order to contribute to and take control of those two challenges, HySiLabs is an active member of Hydrogen Europe.
It is the leading organization representing European based companies and stakeholders that are committed to moving towards a (circular) carbon neutral economy.
Can you share any success stories or notable partnerships that HySiLabs has been involved in so far?
HyPlant is the pre-industrial demonstrator that has been inaugurated in June 2022, in our headquarters in Aix en Provence.
This demonstrator allowed us to start producing HydroSil in a industrial way, to register the molecule for its certification, and start projects already planned with our partners.
It is a notable milestone in our development plan leading us to the next stage involving pilot reactors for hydrogen charging into HydroSil and releasing it on demand.
Another success story is our latest EUR 13 million Series A financing led by Equinor Ventures (Equinor’s corporate venture capital arm dedicated to investing in ambitious early-phase and growth companies), and joined by the European Innovation Council Fund from the European Commission, EDP Ventures (a global energy company) and PLD Automobile (regional player), with the support of historical investors Kreaxi, Région Sud Investissement and CAAP Création.
The funding will support the continued development of our technology.
What are some ambitious future plans at HySiLabs that you can share with us?
In 2025, three industrial pilots will be installed to start using HydroSil in precise use cases with partners on the three targeted applications (hydrogen transport, long-term storage and maritime sector).
From 2027, the HydroSil solution will be fully commercialized and HySiLabs’ turnover will reach an industrial level.
This is the first step towards the industrialisation of HydroSil production by 2027-2028.
Summary
To learn more about HySiLabs, visit https://www.hysilabs.com/.
