Everything About Hydrogen

‘Our Mission is No Emissions’ with Cornelius Matthes, CEO of Dii Desert Energy

The team had the honor of speaking with Cornelius Matthes, the CEO of Dii Desert Energy and the MENA Hydrogen Alliance. A leader in renewable energy, especially EMEA, we chat about his life trajectory, what makes a good conference, or party, for that matter 😊 and how the Desertec Industrial Initiative (Dii) partners benefit from working with the organization. We also discuss the unfolding clean energy revolution and ways to accelerate change.

About Cornelius:

Cornelius Matthes is a well-respected leader and investor in the renewable energy industry, building several successful clean energy businesses and start-ups within the Middle East and Africa. He has extensive board level experience from 10 years at Deutsche Bank (among others, youngest board member in Deutsche Bank Italy Group) and several leading renewable energy organizations and associations via pro bono work as well as different startup companies.

By building the international shareholder and partner network of Desertec Dii, Cornelius is at the forefront of the renewable energy revolution in North Africa and the Middle East. A keen entrepreneur and investor in emerging markets with recognitions such as “Solar Pioneer 2015” for the Middle East and the Visionary CleanTech Influencer of The Year 2022 by World Cleantech Awards. He lectures at several universities including St. Gallen and is a regular speaker at international conferences. He holds an MBA (Dipl. Kaufmann) from University of Passau, and speaks German, English, Italian, French and Russian.

His experience ranges from M&A transactions, asset management, developing utility scale renewable energy projects (including mid-market with private PPAs), pay-as-you-go solar to energy efficiency, including ESCO projects, clean hydrogen, ammonia and new business models. Some of the projects and companies were executed in challenging settings or countries. He has led sizable organizations both in startup environments and blue-chip companies and has raised funds from angel investments to US$100M projects with institutional investors.

About Dii Desert Energy:

Dii Desert Energy is an independent, international, industry network operating from Dubai. With its footprint in MENA, it is connecting people, countries and clean energy markets globally, paving the way for “net zero emission”, secure and affordable energy from the deserts. Dii Desert Energy aims at transforming the energy systems in desert areas of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in a holistic way, benefitting from the knowledge, expertise, and business connections from its professional staff and partners, including a top-level Advisory Board. Dii’s team consists of well-respected senior professionals in the international energy market, with experience in (green) energy industry management, projects, investments, regulations and public policy.

Dii GmbH, the legal entity of Dii Desert Energy, was launched in 2009 as an industry initiative in Germany (formerly ‘Desertec Industrial Initiative’) for accelerating the energy transition in the MENA region and export of “net zero emission” energy. Dii believes that once the domestic needs have been sufficiently satisfied with emission free energy, MENA will become a ‘Powerhouse’ of clean energy, both electrical power (electrons) and gases, fuels or solids (molecules including hydrogen), serving the world energy markets.

In 2019, Dii launched the MENA Hydrogen Alliance, which brings together private and public sector actors as well as science and academia to kick-start green hydrogen economies. The Alliance provides a platform for partners to meet and discuss pathways forward, to formulate common studies and connect producers and off-takers. The alliance acts as an impartial advisor to promote initiatives in the region, elaborates (potential) business cases and structure for large projects, proposes the necessary policy and regulatory frameworks, and educates different stakeholders on all relevant aspects of the hydrogen value chain, from ‘source to sink’, including export of virtual (renewable and carbon characteristics) and physical energy carriers.

In 2023, Dii launched a new initiative, the Zero Emissions Traders Alliance (ZETA), based in Dubai. Its aim is to create a global platform for clean energy traders, giving substance to Dii’s “no emissions” mission. ZETA will, thus, help energy markets and energy traders to reduce and avoid “greenhouse” effects based on market principles. In this context, Dii Desert Energy is giving guidance to climate neutral energy traders, energy suppliers and the off-takers community with a footprint in MENA.

Dii Desert Energy is connecting the regional and international industry with authorities and institutions and focuses in particular on practical conditions along the emission-free energy value chains. Dii’s platform of more than 120 companies from over 36 countries is mobilizing top executives, government decision makers, R&D institutions and academia.

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Links:

Dii - https://dii-desertenergy.org

Chris Jackson and Alicia Eastman had the opportunity to speak with Chris Dudfield, CTO of Intelligent Energy on its 25th anniversary since founding in 2001.

Dudfield detailed shifting applications over the years from an early automotive focus to material handling, aviation, drones, and now data center backup power. He noted that technology has improved massively: stack lifetimes rose from ~100 to 20,000+ hours and former use of platinum for the same power equipment was 25 times higher than today. Costs also fell from ~$660,000/kW in the 1950s toward ~$1,000 today.

Dudfield outlined some major milestones including the first manned hydrogen fuel cell flight (~2008), BMW's Leipzig automated guided vehicles, and aviation R&D with GKN Aerospace and Sky News. A new Northamptonshire site currently uses on-site solar/wind and electrolysis to generate hydrogen for testing.

EAH hosts closed on the wider UK hydrogen ecosystem (Protium, Geopura, ZeroAvia, Airbus) and expanding civilian drone uses like wildfire response.

Chris Dudfield

Chris Dudfield is the Chief Technology Officer of Intelligent Energy, a UK PEM fuel cell company he's been with since its 2001 founding, with roughly 35–40 years in the fuel cell industry (PhD sponsored by British Gas, CTO since ~2016). Under his leadership, the company has developed technology spanning the first manned hydrogen fuel cell flight (~2008), BMW's automated guided vehicles in Leipzig, UAV/drone power, and stationary backup power (including work with Sky News and GKN Aerospace on aviation R&D)

Intelligent Energy

Intelligent Energy is a leading UK-based hydrogen fuel cell company developing and manufacturing zero-emission power systems from 800W to multi-MW for applications including aerospace, drones, data centres, material handling and stationary power. Headquartered in Loughborough, the company combines decades of fuel cell expertise with innovative technologies, including its patented air-cooled and evaporatively cooled fuel cell platforms, to deliver lightweight and reliable power solutions that help customers reduce emissions without compromising performance.

Over 25 years, stack lifetimes rose from ~100 to 20,000+ hours while previous platinum use was ~25 times higher than today. The company runs R&D from Loughborough plus a solar/wind-powered hydrogen test site in Northamptonshire, and is a key player in the UK hydrogen ecosystem alongside firms like ZeroAvia, GKN Aerospace, and Airbus.

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Links:

https://www.intelligent-energy.com/news/category/company-news/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligent_Energy?wprov=sfti1#

David Shukman, former BBC science editor and author of The Response, joined the podcast to discuss how climate change is already causing serious harm, e.g. 2022 UK wildfires that destroyed 40+ homes, hospital IT failures, and the Bordeaux-area fires. He digs into why adaptation should not be seen as giving up on emissions elimination. He traced oil industry denial tactics back to a 1959 API conference and compared them to Big Tobacco’s playbook, while contrasting China’s aggressive clean-tech push (hydrogen, EVs, solar) with Western retreat. Despite the grim data, he is optimistic, arguing solutions are now cheap and available.

About David Shukman:

As the BBC’s first Science Editor, David Shukman led its coverage of the environment for nearly twenty years.

Praised by Sir David Attenborough as “a leader in raising awareness of the climate emergency”, he won awards for his pioneering broadcasts from remote frontlines including the Arctic and the Amazon.

After beginning his BBC career reporting on The Troubles in Northern Ireland, David became Defence and Diplomatic Correspondent witnessing the fall of the Berlin Wall and covering the aftermath of the Cold War. His assignments took him to mote than 100 countries.

From 2003 to 2021, climate change was one of David's priorities and he reported from a dozen of the UN's climate summits.

Now working as an independent speaker and consultant, David is a Visiting Professor in Practice at the LSE’s Grantham Research Institute, a member of the Advisory Board of Oxford University’s Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment and an adviser to The Goals House.

Launched in May 2026, David’s new book: ‘The Response: A Story of Fire and Flood in Britain's New World of Extremes’, focuses on the human costs of climate impact and what we can do about it.

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Links:

Shukman’s new book:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Response-Story-Flood-Britains-Extremes/dp/1529144280

Shukman website/blog:

https://davidshukman.com/

Shukman LinkedIn profile:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-shukman-3b1b1658

The team is back after a brief hiatus - unfortunately, not spent on the beach or at mountain retreats but dealing with the uptick in business!

The hosts discuss the state of the hydrogen market given policy changes, technology advancements and geopolitical considerations. Topics include the growing investment in H2 including 500+ global projects reaching FID in the UK, US, and ROW and hydrogen growing faster than wind/solar/battery did at the same stage. They also mull the ways in which semiconductors are interwoven with hydrogen and how the Iran conflict and resulting energy volatility is boosting interest in eFuels and energy security. Finally, a short overview of the EU maritime rules and dual-fuel shipbuilding as well as hydrogen’s next major challenge: safety and regulatory standardization.

The team chats with John Rossant, the CEO of the Monaco Hydrogen Alliance, under the patronage of His Serene Highness Prince Albert II. He provides a bit of background on his storied career mobilizing world leaders to effect change, and provides a glimmer of his plans to accelerate adoption of green electrons and molecules in all types of passenger and cargo transport.

About John Rossant:

John is the founder and President of the Monaco Hydrogen Alliance, the Monaco-based non-profit institution which promotes the use of clean hydrogen and H2 derivative fuels throughout the value chain of mobility and transportation. He also leads CoMotion, the Los Angeles-based events and media company focused on the revolution in urban mobility.

He previously led the team producing the famous World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland every January and has been the producer of major World Economic Forum conferences in China, Latin America, Southeast Asia and Africa. In 2010, French President Nicolas Sarkozy asked John to organize the first global summit on the future of the Internet, the e-G8. John has worked with heads of state and government and leading CEOs from around the world.

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Links:

Monaco Hydrogen Alliance - https://monacoh2.org/

CoMotion - https://www.comotionglobal.com/speakers/john-rossant

The team had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Ivar Kruusenberg about clean mobile power generation and as per usual, accidentally stepped into the zeitgeist, rediscovering those deep bonds between green molecules and energy security.

Ivar has discovered a “niche” market that is actually quite large and has built a rapidly growing business, raising capital last December in a market that is reportedly “dead”. Ivar is a unique leader but perhaps one of the bright lights paving the way forward in hydrogen.

About Dr. Ivar Kruusenberg:

Ivar is a serial entrepreneur, Founder and CEO of PowerUP Energy Technologies. He holds a PhD in chemistry with a focus on fuel cells from the University of Tartu, completed postdoctoral work at UC Berkeley, and has nearly two decades of experience in the field. Dr. Kruusenberg works closely with governments on hydrogen strategy development and previously founded the successful scale-up UP Catalyst. Before his work in deep tech, Ivar was an Estonian national snowboarding champion.

About PowerUp:

Estonia-headquartered PowerUP Energy Technologies develops and manufactures hydrogen fuel cell generators that provide clean, silent, and reliable power for off-grid, backup, and portable applications. The products replace polluting diesel generators with zero-emission alternatives that can integrate seamlessly with renewable energy sources such as wind turbines and solar power. PowerUP’s product range is commercially available and actively deployed across the marine, healthcare, telecom, construction, and defence sectors.

PowerUP was founded in California in 2016, has raised over US$10 million and employs approximately thirty people.

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Links

PowerUP Site - https://powerup-tech.com/

PowerUP Blog - https://powerup-tech.com/news/

The team sat down with Alasdair Lumsden, one half of the Carbon Neutral Fuels (CNF) founding team, and discussed CNF’s plan to produce vast amounts of eSAF in the UK.

About Alasdair Lumsden:

Alasdair is Co-founder and Director of Carbon Neutral Fuels (CNF), a UK-based Sustainable Aviation Fuel developer.

About Carbon Neutral Fuels (CNF):

CNF was co-founded by Alasdair Lumsden and Sophie Zienkiewicz on the sidelines of COP26 in Glasgow in 2021.

Based in the UK, CNF is endeavoring to replace liquid fossil fuels with a more sustainable alternative and developing their modular and scalable Power-to-Liquid (PtL) flagship facility called Starling, a commercial-scale eSAF facility under development in Workington, Cumbria.

This facility will convert low-carbon electricity, captured carbon dioxide and water into 25,000 tonnes/year of synthetic kerosene with a 97% lifecycle GHG emissions reduction versus fossil kerosene. This is enough to deliver over 40% of the UK's mandated 2030 eSAF supply. To date, Starling has received £7.4m from the UK government.

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Links:

CNF site - www.carbonneutralfuels.com

CNF LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/carbonneutralfuels

As the hydrogen economy is hitting its "industrial scale" phase, the focus is shifting from electrolyser counts and toward the complex reality of the midstream. How do we physically—and cost-effectively—connect, convert and move green molecules across the globe?

In this episode, EAH sits down with Karlis Vasarais from Uniper’s Innovation team to discuss the energy major’s strategic evolution toward "Greener Gases". We explore:

* The Policy Blueprint - What can 20 years of biogas policy history can teach us about the future of e-fuels and hydrogen.

* Global Scale - Uniper’s landmark 2026 agreement to offtake 500,000 tonnes of green ammonia from India and their broader European production aspirations.

* The Midstream Missing Link - Why global supply chains—spanning transport, storage, and conversion—are the key to turning "stranded" green molecules into bankable commodities.

* Enabling Mandates - The tool kit of regulatory levers and "mandate ingredients" required to spur innovation, reduce the price gap, and unlock private sector investment

About Karlis Vasarais:

Karlis Vasarais works at Uniper as an Energy Transition Innovation Manager, where he’s involved in activities related to carbon capture, utilisation and carbon-tech innovation. His role includes engagement with broader energy and climate innovation networks, particularly in carbon-tech and sustainability initiatives, aligning with Uniper’s transition focus. He also engages with stakeholders around carbon capture, utilisation, and related technologies, including strategic discussions about scaling these solutions in Europe.

Previously, Karlis led Valent alongside Tim Haig, both experienced entrepreneurs who have built significant expertise in fuels science, industrial process optimization, early-stage financing and technology scale-up. The team raised over $250 million for six companies, leading to the commercialization of numerous R&D-stage innovations in renewable energy and clean technologies in Canada, including BIOX (World Energy), Mara Renewables, and GreenMantra Technologies.

About Uniper:

Uniper is a European energy company focused on secure energy supply and the energy transition. Headquartered in Germany, Uniper operates power generation assets, energy trading, and gas infrastructure across several countries, while increasingly investing in low-carbon solutions such as hydrogen, carbon capture, and flexible power to support decarbonization and system reliability.

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Links:

Uniper - https://www.uniper.energy/

Uniper Energy Transition - https://www.uniper.energy/sustainability

Dr. Kanga shares what it's like emerging as a cornerstone, next-generation technology in the current investment climate, how the hydrogen industry may evolve (especially when breakthrough value-chain technologies dovetail into the ecosystem and deliver step-function cost savings), and how new emerging markets like India seek to leapfrog the rest of the world.

About Dr. Jehan Kanga:

As well as Founder and CEO of Rux Energy, Jehan is a multi-award winning scientist. Previously, Jehan was an emerging clean tech leader at KPMG Australia, completed a PhD in Chemistry at the University of Sydney, and has been listed as 40 Under 40 Most Influential Asian Australians in 2019 by Asialink, and was awarded India Australia Business Council Young Professional of the Year 2021. Jehan is a recognised thought leader, presenting at major hydrogen conferences and events in Australia, USA, UK, Singapore, Europe and UAE.

Rux Energy:

An Australian advanced materials startup delivering breakthrough efficiency gains for dispatchable hydrogen storage, Rux enables step change efficiencies for heavy mobility, maritime, rail, road, energy distribution networks, and heavy industry.

Rux is commercialising their breakthrough nanoporous MOF materials, which stands for Metal Organic Frameworks, a new field of advanced material for which the Nobel Prize was awarded in 2025. Rux is focused on industrial gas storage, in particular safer, more energy efficient, high volumetric density and lower cost hydrogen storage - a key part of the sector's value chain.

Rux has won a number of major international awards for their novel approach, including the prestigious CMA CGM Startup Award 2025 fo Safe & Compliant Transportation of Hazardous Goods, and the Australian Technologies Competition 2025 which recognised their innovative green & circular manufacturing and Safe & Sustainable by Design approach. Rux is about to launch its first commercial systems for construction, mining, maritime and bulk last-mile distribution, supported by large-cap industrials including Joint Development Projects with Bureau Veritas and R&D collaborations with Serco UK, the largest operator of British-flagged vessels.

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Links:

Rux Energy - www.ruxenergy.com

CMA-CGM Startup Awards 2025 - https://ruxenergy.com/rux-energy-wins-at-the-cma-cgm-startup-awards-2025-in-marseille-france/

The EAH team was happy to welcome Jürgen Guldner back on the show to give us an update on BMW’s hydrogen mobility program, which is…wait for it - ahead of schedule!

In our first conversation, the focus was on the pilot fleet and after successful global testing, BMW has fast forwarded the road map. Instead of 2030, BMW will bring the iX5 Hydrogen into series production in 2028.

Jürgen explains why BMW must meet the demands of different customers and therefore offer battery electric as well as hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. He also explains the roadblocks that must be overcome for both product lines including infrastructure, grid technology and fuel production partnerships.

About Jürgen Guldner:

Jürgen is currently the General Program Manager of Hydrogen Technology for the BMW Group. He has spent 15 years working in the Munich area on hydrogen programs for BMW Group, 4 years in the US primarily launching the Hybrid X6, and began his career at BMW almost thirty years ago in different divisions.

Jürgen holds an undergraduate degree from Technical University of Munich, a Masters in Science from Clemson University as part of the Fulbright Scholars program, as well as advanced degrees in electronics and robotics from University of Tokyo and Deutsches Zentrum für Luft-und Raumfahrt (DLR) / Technische Universität Munchen. His Post Doc is from the University of California, Berkeley.

About the BMW Group:

With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is one of the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial services. The BMW Group comprises over 30 production sites worldwide and a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2024, the BMW Group sold over 2.45 million passenger vehicles and more than 210,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the financial year 2024 was € 11.0 billion on revenues amounting to € 142.4 billion. As of 31 December 2024, the BMW Group had a workforce of 159,104 employees.

BMW Group credits its success to long-term thinking and responsible action. Sustainability is a vital element of corporate strategy, from the supply chain through production to the end of use phase of all products. 

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Links:

BMW Group - https://www.bmwgroup.com/en.html

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Reach Episode Hosts and Guests on LinkedIn:

@Jurgen Guldner

@Alicia Eastman

@Patrick Molloy

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Contact Episode Hosts via email:

[email protected]

[email protected]