Green Hydrogen And Next-Gen Electrolyzers: Hystar’s CEO Calls For Norway’s Transition – Forbes.
This year Norway is the partner country of the German Hannover Messe, the most important European trade fair in the field of industry and automation.
From April 22 until April 26, companies and policymakers discuss the themes of industrial sustainable development, focusing on carbon-neutral production and hydrogen fuel cells, whereas companies can present their products in the fields of hydrogen, CCS, batteries, AI, and machine learning.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, inaugurated the event on Monday, where Norway wishes to promote its industry’s key role in the green transition.
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But some believes that to truly pioneering the green industrial transition – the theme of this year’s Hannover Messe – Norway needs to trust, and invest more in its tech solutions.
Hystar, a Norwegian high-tech company is present at the fair to demonstrate its avantgard system for producing green hydrogen through its patented PEM electrolyzers. The company previously benefitted from R&D funding released by the Norwegian government directed to green hydrogen and electrolyzers, but CEO Frederik Mowill wishes policymakers would do more for the Norwegian green industry.
Mowill believes that the effort to unleash tech development in the country will be the key to the future of Norway and its green transition, where now it heavily relies on its oil sector: “I would like to see Norway focusing on supporting the commercialization and industrialization of technologies and products that capitalise on the potential of renewable energy,” he told.
Green Hydrogen, electrolyzer technology
The green hydrogen market is projected to expand from about $1 billion today to $30 billion in 2030, according to MarketsandMarkets. The low cost of renewable energy and advancements in electrolysis technologies are the key elements expected to drive this growth.
Electrolyzers, powered by renewable sources like solar and wind, split water molecules to produce hydrogen gas, offering a clean alternative to fossil fuels. Companies like Hystar develop advanced technologies and optimize production processes to meet the rising demand for relatively lower prices.
There is no dominant player in the sector as the technology is nascent:
Mowill said during a tour in the Hystar facility in Høvik, Norway:
It is a wide-open field with a handful of different technologies, and we want to be one of the key ones.
The company, founded in 2020, strives to become both a market and tech leader, producing the energy source but also providing tech to export worldwide:
CEO of Hystar:
Our goal is clear: we want to be at the forefront of green hydrogen production.
Hystar’s electrolyzers have already several advantages for keeping their product competitive: “We have very high efficiency. Secondly, the way we operate electrolyzer with air circulation provides an extra dimension in terms of safety. And thirdly we have a big manufacturing advantage because some components we use are already produced at very high volumes,” explained Mowill. On top of that, Hystar is also investing in choosing next-generation materials to make their electrolyzers even more efficient.
Just across the office space, the company’s Innovation Center functions as the initial production facility, but it’s also where the team do testing and experimental development work.
The new 4,5 GW factory announced 6 months ago is now being built on the ground floor, with a very modern, fully optimized production system: “We design electrolyzers in such a way that they can be assembled easily and quality control can be fully optimized,” said Mowill.
The Hystar’s CEO believes that for Norway, now a primary energy source producer and exporter, it will be important to focus on delivering hardware innovation, rather than energy resources: “Producing hydrogen in Norway and exporting it in some cases is logical. But there are also other places in the world where it might make more sense to produce it,” he said.
He believes that tech development will be the key for the future of Norway and its green transition: “[In Norway] we need to promote advanced industrial companies producing hardware. So that’s a category which we are clearly in. We’re developing a very advanced technology, enabling highly competitive hardware products that we will export globally,” he continued.
Though Europe is a significant market for Hystar, the company is now looking to expand further in North America, as both Canada and the U.S. have favorable policies in place, as well as in Asia.
Top Industry Sectors
The sectors where green hydrogen could be utilized are numerous, among the current clients of Hystar there are energy company Equinor and Norwegian fertilizer giant Yara.
Industries and governments are recognizing the potential of green ammonia – used to produce green hydrogen – as a sustainable energy carrier, with a focus on areas such as maritime fuel, hydrogen production, and e-fuels for aviation.
Transportation, primarily for public transport or trains, could help countries decarbonize this heavy CO2 emission sector. Last year, the company won a contract with Poland’s largest private energy company, Polenergia. In 2024, Hystar will be delivering electrolyzers to produce green hydrogen for busses in southern Poland, and for a local regional bus company that operates fuel cell buses.
Additionally, the shipping sector should consider this option due to IMO regulations pushing the industry towards greener practices:”Green ammonia for ships does not bring much change in ship design, whereas companies currently use crude oil,” said Mowill.
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Green Hydrogen And Next-Gen Electrolyzers: Hystar’s CEO Calls For Norway’s Transition – Forbes. source
