Hydrogen technology is still very much in its early days but has the potential to be used in day-to-day life, meaning many startups are creating a business around it.
Combining hydrogen with oxygen atoms can produce electricity with the only excess products being water and heat. Compared to electricity it is quicker to replace.
Like many early-stage technologies, the issues plaguing hydrogen’s wider-scale adoption is availability, as well as the cost to produce and purchase the fuel.
The government has outlined in the UK hydrogen strategy the goal of having a 10GW of low carbon hydrogen production capacity by 2030.
has comprised this list of 5 UK startups to look out for that are looking to take advantage of hydrogen.
Tevva
Founded: 2012 Headquarters: London Funding: $140m (£121m) Tevva is a manufacturer of electric trucks, earlier this year the truck maker revealed its first hydrogen-electric truck, the first to be manufactured, designed, and mass-produced in the UK according to Tevva. The company raised £41m in a funding round in June to develop its all-electric and electric-hydrogen 7.5 tonne trucks. The 7.5 tonne hydrogen truck has a range of 310 miles (499 km), it will be followed by a 12 tonne and 19 tonne version next year.
Bramble Energy
Founded: 2016 Headquarters: West Sussex Funding: $53.6m (£46.2m) Spun out of University College London and Imperial College London in 2016, Bramble Energy aims to make hydrogen fuel cells cheaper and easier to manufacture. In August, the startup announced Dr Duncan Emery as COO, joining from his role at Johnson Matthey. At the start of the year, it secured £35m in Series B funding to continue the commercial use of its tech.
Levidian
Founded: 2012 Headquarters: Cambridge Funding: N/A
Levidian’s technology can turn methane into hydrogen and carbon without the need for catalysts or additives.
It signed an export deal worth £700m back in May with Zero Carbon Ventures with the aim of removing 500,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) in the UAE.
The company also produces graphene, through the process of plasma chemistry and uses methane as its main ingredient.
Octopus Energy
Founded: 2015 Headquarters: London Funding: $1.7bn (£1.4bn)
A tech-forward utility company, Octopus Energy provides green energy to the UK, Germany, the USA, Japan, Spain, Italy, France and New Zealand.
Octopus Energy has previously announced its intentions to construct green hydrogen plants in the UK by 2030 in a £3bn investment with energy firm RES.
Last month it invested £35m from its fund in battery developer and solar power company Exagen. After raising £455m in July from shareholders and a pension fund.
Hiiroc
Founded: 2019 Headquarters: Hull, East Yorkshire Funding: $34.3m (£29.6m) Hiiroc has developed a method of turning biomethane, flare gas, and natural gas into hydrogen using thermal plasma electrolysis. Production of the hydrogen is done through Hiiroc’s in-house made modular units and produces carbon as a by-product. This carbon has potential applications in car tyres, rubber, plastics and ink. Hiiroc was awarded KPMG’s UK Tech Innovator award for 2022.
