Hydrogen technology advances

On Friday, 16 January 2026, fuelcellsworks.com reported that Clyde Hydrogen Systems has completed the build of its first fully integrated prototype system.Clyde Hydrogen is a spin-out from the University of Glasgow’s School of Chemistry, a global leader in electrochemistry research. The technology uses a decoupled electrolysis process, which aims to make hydrogen a significantly safer, simpler, and more affordable alternative to fossil fuels compared to conventional systems, according to the fuelcellsworks article.Decoupled electrolysisAccording to Clyde Hydrogen, the new system can be connected directly to renewable power sources and can store hydrogen in a non-gaseous form. Last year, the company achieved a major technical breakthrough by producing hydrogen at high pressure using its innovative decoupled electrolysis process for the first time.With the launch of its first fully integrated prototype system, Clyde Hydrogen will now focus on scaling up to a commercial demonstrator, with its first market-ready product targeted for release in 2028.In parallel, the company aims to secure up to £5 million (almost N$110 million) in seed funding by the end of the second quarter of this year. The funding will be used to develop the first commercial product and expand the team to meet growing demand.Clyde Hydrogen CEO James Peck said, “I’m incredibly proud of the team for completing the build of our first fully integrated prototype. It’s a massive moment for the business and will allow us to show potential investors and customers that our technology is here and offers a real shift in the way hydrogen is produced and utilised. We will now focus on finding the right partners for the next stage of our growth journey as we move towards demonstrating the benefits of our revolutionary technology in real-world applications.”Professor Mark Symes, co-inventor of the technology, added: “The journey from my first tiny-scale experiments in glassware with cobbled-together equipment to the expertly engineered system that the Clyde Hydrogen team has created has been quite simply staggering. We will now push on from here to develop an integrated end-to-end system for field trials and sales, and I’m confident that Clyde Hydrogen’s unique technology will prove revolutionary for the production of green hydrogen.”No more platinumIn a separate development, environmentenergyleader.com reports that researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have replaced platinum with light-absorbing, conductive plastic nanoparticles. For decades, hydrogen production has relied on platinum - a rare and costly metal used as a catalyst in solar-driven hydrogen systems.The researchers re-engineered conjugated polymers, commonly used in solar and electronic applications, to function in water, overcoming previous compatibility challenges. In laboratory tests, the polymer-based system produced hydrogen rapidly under simulated sunlight, generating visible streams of gas without the use of platinum.According to the research team, a single gram of the material produced approximately 30 litres of hydrogen per hour, demonstrating performance levels comparable to conventional catalysts under test conditions. Early findings also suggest that the conductive plastics can be manufactured without particularly hazardous chemicals, according to environmentenergyleader.com.The current system still relies on vitamin C to drive the reaction - a common laboratory solution that is not suitable for large-scale deployment. The next phase of research will focus on full water splitting, generating both hydrogen and oxygen from water using only sunlight and without external additives.For industrial users and utilities evaluating green hydrogen pathways, this innovation offers the potential to reduce both costs and risks associated with critical minerals. Hydrogen is already widely used in sectors such as chemicals, refining, and fertilisers, and is increasingly seen as key to decarbonising shipping, steelmaking, and long-term energy storage. However, most global hydrogen production still depends on fossil fuels, as solar hydrogen has struggled to achieve scale and affordability.Namibia still committedPhillipus Katamelo, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, attended the 16th session of the Assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) earlier this month in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Held under the theme “Powering Humanity: Renewable Energy for Shared Prosperity”, the assembly brought together around 1 500 participants from IRENA’s 171 member states.Katamelo told delegates that Namibia’s momentum in green hydrogen did not stem from a single policy decision, but from a sequence of deliberate reforms that created clarity, credibility, and confidence for investors. “First, strategic clarity and political anchoring were decisive. Government signalled early that green hydrogen is a national economic pillar, embedded within Vision 2030, the Fifth National Development Plan, and Namibia’s updated climate commitments,” he said.According to Katamelo, institutional coordination and procurement clarity have been critical in unlocking delivery. “The establishment of a dedicated national green hydrogen programme created a single entry point for investors, streamlined decision-making across ministries, and clarified how projects move from concept to approval. This reduced fragmentation and accelerated timelines.”He added that private-sector entry frameworks were intentionally de-risked through a partnership-led model, using competitive processes, strategic memoranda of understanding, and phased project development to balance public oversight with private innovation while ensuring national value creation.State land access and permitting reforms addressed early bottlenecks, while risk-sharing arrangements were embedded from the outset. “Government absorbed early-stage coordination and planning risks, while private developers carried construction and operational risk. This balance, supported by engagement with development finance institutions, helped crowd in capital at scale,” Katamelo said.

Hydrogen technology advances

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Republikein 2026-04-27

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Hydrogen technology advances

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