Everything About Hydrogen

For the second episode in this new season, the team interviews Oghosa Erhahon to discuss hydrogen opportunities in Africa, including the African Climate Summit in September, and what to look forward to at COP28.

Oghosa is a lawyer with experience in strategy on intersectionality topics across energy, climate and low carbon systems towards sustainability. She has experience with governments, International Development and Management Consulting working with donor-funded projects and impact initiatives. These have included; U.S Agency for International Development (USAID), United Kingdom Nigeria Infrastructure Advisory Facility (UKNIAF) and other donor funded institutions. Most recently, Oghosa was an Advisor for the GIZ Global Hydrogen Diplomacy Programme.

Oghosa is also co-author of the acclaimed ‘Touching Hydrogen Future’ book published by World Hydrogen Leaders in 2022. She has published several works and journals including Power in Nigeria - The Decade of Gas (2020), Natural Gas and the Energy Transition – Implications for the Nigeria Energy Industry (2022), and Lighting Africa’s Path to Sustainable Energy Transition - The Role of Green Bonds (2023).

She is develops Transforming Energy Access programmes; and has given sector-wide presentations, workshops, interviews, and a TEDx Talk on Carbon Neutrality. She is a notable contributor to social impact and Climate Change work streams, liaising with private businesses and organizations towards their Net-Zero ambitions, and Environment, Social and Governance Discourses.

Oghosa  holds a Masters in Energy and Environmental Law (LL.M) from Nottingham Law School and Law Hons (LL.M) from the University of Derby.

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Links to a few books and articles written by Oghosa:

Touching Hydrogen Future (2022)

https://europeangasmarket.eu

TedX Talk on Carbon Neutrality

https://www.ted.com/talks oghosa_erhahon_carbon_neutrality_small_changes_big_impact_jan_2022     

Lighting Africa’s Path to Sustainable Energy Transition: The Role of Green Bonds

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4228602

Oghosa on LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/oghosa-erhahon-a6042685

After a brief break over August the EAH team are back with a brand new season! On this week's episode, they are excited to welcome Håkon Volldal, the CEO of Nel, to the show.

Nel Asa has been manufacturing electrolysers since the 1940’s, with extensive deployments across the world in both PEM and Alkaline units. 

Recently Nel announced a series of new contract orders above 20MW and a significant expansion in their electrolyser manufacturing capacity. Crucially this investment was not made in Europe, but rather in the USA with many (including Håkon) emphasising that the Inflation Reduction Act made the US unavoidable for key players.

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Links

https://nelhydrogen.com/press-release/nel-asa-expanding-production-capacity-in-wallingford/

https://renewablesnow.com/news/frances-qair-jv-places-20-mw-electrolyser-order-with-nel-828503/

https://nelhydrogen.com/press-release/awarded-iberdrola-contract-for-20-mw-green-fertilizer-project-in-spain/

This week the EAH team discusses LIFTE H2's plans for the future and discusses the challenges in hydrogen markets expansion and rollout, the need for resiliency for offtakers, and how to build consumer confidence.  

About Matthew Blieske:

Matthew is co-founder and CEO of LIFTE H2 based in Boston and Berlin with projects globally. LIFTE H2 develops and deploys novel end-to-end hydrogen supply chains that deliver differentiated cost, reliability, safety and performance.

Matthew previously held the title of Global Hydrogen Product Manager at Shell Hydrogen where his group was responsible for project engineering, product & technology development, cost reduction, reliability improvement, and supply chain development for Shell’s hydrogen mobility business globally. Matthew built and led a global team that delivered hydrogen projects, products, and digital operations on three continents. 

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Links:

Matthew on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-blieske-27b8863b/

-LIFTE H2 Launches technology differentiated hydrogen infrastructure development service: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lifte-h2-launches-technology-differentiated-hydrogen-infrastructure-development-service-301391359.html

- LIFTE H2 -Burckhardt Collaboration: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lifte-h2-and-burckhardt-compression-announce-their-collaboration-for-hydrogen-projects-301590572.html

-Matthew Blieske at WHNA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugyRr4cTHoE

The EAH team discuss Nataliya’s plan for a green Ukraine, including working with the current government on the Hydrogen Road Map. We also get another example of incredible Ukrainian resilience and discuss its importance for the current and future energy system. 

About Nataliya Katser-Buchkovska:

Following a career in the private and public sector, Nataliya is the Founder of the Ukrainian Sustainable Fund. First, she headed the Corporate and Investment Department of DeVision Group at B&S Holding and then became Managing Partner of KCG Investment Consulting providing corporate and investment consulting on energy projects and sustainable development. Nataliya became a Member of the Ukrainian Parliament, VIII Convocation in 2014, and was appointed to the Committee on Fuel and Energy, Nuclear Policy, and Nuclear Safety and she was Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Sustainable Development, Strategy, and Investment.

In 2019, Nataliya founded the Ukrainian Sustainable Fund aimed at accelerating Ukraine’s renewable energy transition and bridging the gap between Ukrainian sustainable projects and leading international Green Institutions including renewables and hydrogen projects in the portfolio and pipeline. 

Nataliya is an Atlantic Council Millennium Fellow, a member of the Aspen community, and a Member of the National Commission for Attracting Investments in Gas Production (nine PSA competitions for the development of strategic fields in Ukraine). She co-authored systemic economic and energy laws on natural gas and electricity markets, the regulation of energy services markets, unbundling of “Naftogaz”, protection of economic competition, and ensuring transparency of the AMCU.

Nataliya holds Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Law from Ivan Franko Lviv National University, a Masters Degree in Law and Economics from University College London, and an Executive Certificate in Public Policy, a two-year Executive Course at Harvard Kennedy School. 

Nataliya is a well-known author and analyst on energy security, diplomacy, and sustainable development. She has had more than 30 articles published by the Financial Times, Newsweek, World Economic Forum, Atlantic Council, and KyivPost and has been cited by the BBC, Bloomberg, and Forbes.

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Links:

Nataliya on LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/katserbuchkovska

Nataliya’s Most Cited Publications:

• A New Agenda for U.S. – Ukraine Relationship (Newsweek, 2021)
• Decarbonization in Ukraine (Atlantic Council, 2021)
• The Future of Gas in the Decarbonization Era (KyivPost, 2021)
• Why LNG is a Regional Energy Security Solution (KyivPost, 2020)
• Unlocking LNG’s Black Sea Potential (KyivPost, 2019)

The team sits down with Tom Linebarger to discuss his epic career and the Cummins hydrogen strategy. Edifying for sure, but still left the hosts in awe of how such a management giant could be so damn nice. 

About Tom Linebarger:

Tom assumed the role of Executive Chairman of Cummins Inc. in August 2022. Previously, Tom served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for 10 years. Before that, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer from 2008 to 2011, Executive Vice President and President, Power Generation Business from 2003 to 2008, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from 2000 to 2003, and Vice President of Supply Chain Management from 1998 to 2000.

Tom was initially attracted to the Cummins purpose-driven approach to business. He liked the values, the people and the business challenges he found at Cummins and decided to join in February 1993. Prior to Cummins, Tom was an investment analyst and investment manager at Prudential Investment Corporation, working in both Singapore and Hong Kong.

In addition to his work at Cummins, Tom is actively involved with several global and local organizations. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of Harley Davidson since 2008. He is a member of the Business Roundtable (BRT), an association of chief executive officers of America’s leading companies working with government officials on crafting legislation impacting American businesses. In 2021, Tom was appointed Chair of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) and Co-Chair of the Global Hydrogen Council. 

Tom grew up in California and received joint undergraduate degrees in management engineering from Claremont McKenna College and mechanical engineering from Stanford University. He later returned to Stanford University to earn a master’s degree in manufacturing systems from the School of Engineering and a master’s degree from the Graduate School of Business.

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Links:

https://www.cummins.com/

https://hydrogencouncil.com/en/

On this episode of EAH, Chris Jackson, Patrick Molloy and Alicia Eastman speak with Maciek Lukawski, Head of Strategy at Amogy. Maciek explains the Amogy ammonia fuel cell technology, some of the target applications, and some background on a rapidly growing company with a huge number of excellent investors.

About Maciek Lukawski:

Maciek serves as the Head of Strategy and Business Development at Amogy, where he is responsible for commercialization of Amogy’s ammonia-to-power technology across a number of industries including maritime, heavy duty transportation, and distributed power generation. Prior to joining Amogy, Maciek worked at ExxonMobil in roles covering low-carbon fuels, LNG, and M&A. Maciek holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University, where he specialized in renewable energy systems.

About Amogy:

Amogy offers ammonia-based, emission-free, high energy-density power solutions to decarbonize transportation for a sustainable future. Founded in 2020 by four MIT PhD alumni with a shared vision, Amogy aims to enable the decarbonization of the heavy-duty transportation sector, accelerating the global journey towards Net Zero 2050. The company's Series A investors include Amazon's Climate Pledge Fund, AP Ventures, SK, Saudi Aramco and DCVC totaling US$70 million. Series B recently closed at US$150 million and included primarily Japanese investors Marunouchi Climate Tech Growth Fund, MUFG Bank, Mitsubishi Corporation, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industry (MHI).

Amogy's scalable ammonia-powered, zero-emissions energy system has been demonstrated with success in a drone, heavy-duty tractor, semi truck, and they are working on a tug boat.

Offices include Brooklyn, Houston, Singapore and Norway.

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Links:

Amogy website: www.amogy.co

New Scientist: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2367003-start-up-is-developing-worlds-first-ammonia-powered-ships/

New Atlas: https://newatlas.com/marine/amogy-ammonia-powered-ship-tugboat/

OffShore Energy: https://www.offshore-energy.biz/interview-with-amogy-ceo-were-really-excited-about-the-momentum-ammonia-is-getting/

Amogy Series B: amogy.co/amogy-increases-series-b-round-to-150m/

On this weeks episode we have Juergen Guldner, General Program Manager Hydrogen Technology at BMW. The role of hydrogen in passenger vehicles has for many years been seen as a lonely pursuit for Toyota and Hyundai but the landscape is changing. With the Warrego from startup H2X, the Ford H2 pick up, the Grenadier/Defender F-Cell from INEOS and now the BMW IX5, it is clear that the race to net zero is far from settled!

In this episode the team dive into the what, why and how of the BMW story towards one of the world's most exciting zero emission vehicle offerings. We explore the details of the vehicle and its performance, the reasons why BMW are exploring the potential for hydrogen and why now is the time they feel for hydrogen as a passenger vehicle solution to compliment BEV and finally the How, or rather the plan for the testing and broader roll-out of not only the IX5 but also the infrastructure that supports it. 

All this and more on the latest episode!

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Links: https://www.bmwgroup.com/en/news/general/2023/BMWiX5Hydrogen.html

On this episode we speak with Scott Weiss, Senior Vice President for Corporate Strategy, and Ashleigh Cotting, Senior Manager for Green Fuels Marketing with Apex Clean Energy. Apex has a history of developing utility scale renewables with more than 2GW under management and with nearly 8GW of renewables financed. Apex also partnered with Plug Power in April 2021 to develop a 345MW wind facility to support a 30 tonne per day green hydrogen production facility. 

We are excited to discuss the emerging opportunities in the US hydrogen market and learn more about the challenges and learnings that the first project is providing and how that helps the team build the next generation of production facilities, particularly in the Gulf Coast.

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Links:

Apex Clean Energy: https://www.apexcleanenergy.com/

Project partnership with Plug: https://www.utilitydive.com/news/developers-enter-largest-green-hydrogen-ppa-in-us-with-345-mw-of-wind-to-po/603366/ 

Gulf Coast Projects: https://renewablesnow.com/news/apex-partners-plan-gw-scale-green-hydrogen-hub-in-texas-774262/

Continuing from previous episodes about encouraging global investment in green hydrogen, Patrick Molloy and Alicia Eastman speak with Ignacio de Calonje, Chief Investment Officer, IFC Global Infrastructure. Ignacio breaks down the role of the IFC and its relationship with other Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) to encourage decarbonization and bespoke solutions for the Global South.

Ignacio de Calonje:

Ignacio de Calonje is the Chief Investment Officer (CIO) of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Global Infrastructure Department. He is based in London, and amongst other responsibilities, co-leads the IFC Global Green Hydrogen Hub team.  IFC established a Green Hydrogen Hub team to bring together IFC expertise across the low carbon value chain and evaluate opportunities in the area.

In addition to this role, Ignacio also leads the IFC Sustainable Finance practice in the infrastructure space, focusing on supporting IFC clients to issue green, social, sustainability and sustainability-linked financial instruments. He is also responsible for managing a number of key IFC Western European clients in the energy and mining sectors. Prior to his posting in London, Ignacio was based in Istanbul, Cairo, and Washington DC. Ignacio has extensive experience in the field of international finance, having worked on numerous equity and debt investments in emerging markets. Ignacio was also a non-Executive Director of Alcazar Energy (a renewable energy company with 400 MW of solar and wind assets in operation in Egypt and Jordan) from 2019 to 2021 and non-Executive Director of Kuwait Energy (an oil & gas company with operations in Iraq, Egypt and Oman) from 2017 to 2019. 

Ignacio holds a BSc in Business Administration from Universidad San Pablo-CEU (Madrid) and a Masters Degree from Columbia University (New York).

IFC:

A member of the World Bank Group, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in developing countries. IFC advances economic development and improves the lives of people by encouraging the growth of the private sector in developing countries. IFC aims to achieve this by creating new markets, mobilizing other investors, and sharing expertise. In doing so, they create jobs and raise living standards, especially for the poor and vulnerable. Their work supports the World Bank Group’s twin goals of ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity.

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Links:

IFC - https://www.ifc.org

IFC Hydrogen Project in Barbados -

https://pressroom.ifc.org/all/pages/PressDetail.aspx?ID=27193

On today’s show, Chris, Patrick, and Alicia speak with Petra Schwager from UNIDO about her work promoting global green hydrogen development with particular emphasis on the Global South.

Petra Schwager:

Petra Schwager is Chief of the Climate and Technology Partnership (CTP) Division, and Directorate of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Innovation and Economic Transformation (IET) of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO). She has more than 20 years of experience in building up global and national programmes for inclusive and sustainable industrial development. She has worked closely with governments, financial institutions, universities and industries in more than 40 countries in Asia, Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, and Latin America.

At her current position at UNIDO, she develops and manages strategic partnerships and technical cooperation on climate and technology innovation. She heads the UNIDO Global Programme for Hydrogen in Industry promoting Green/Renewable Hydrogen in industry to support net zero industrial and economic transformation in developing and transition countries.

She coordinates UNIDO’s engagement and is a regular speaker at high-level climate related policy events, e.g. G-20 and COP 27.

Her field of expertise covers the promotion of innovative and circular economy approaches, green hydrogen, resource and energy efficient solutions, renewable energy, sustainable/eco-industrial parks, green chemistry and sustainable performance based business models. In her projects she pays special attention to gender parity, supporting women participation and leadership.

She is co-author of the books "Chemical Leasing-Function to Impact" and "Chemical Leasing goes Global" and managed UNIDO's global chemical leasing programme. Chemical leasing is an innovative performance-based and circular economy business model for sustainable use of chemicals. In close cooperation with the Yale University, she initiated UNIDO's Global Green Chemistry Programme.

About UNIDO:

The UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is the specialized agency of the United Nations that promotes industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive globalization and environmental sustainability. UNIDO's mandate is to promote and accelerate sustainable industrial development in developing countries and economies in transition, and work towards improving living conditions in the world's poorest countries by drawing on its combined global resources and expertise. In recent years, UNIDO has assumed an enhanced role in the global development agenda by focusing its activities on poverty reduction, inclusive globalization and environmental sustainability. UNIDO services are based on two core functions: as a global forum, they generate and disseminate industry-related knowledge; and as a technical cooperation agency, they provide technical support and implement projects. They focus on three main thematic areas, in which they seek to achieve long-term impact: productive capacity-building, trade capacity-building, and sustainable production and industrial resource efficiency.

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Links:

www.unido.org

linkedin.com/in/petraschwager

https://iap.unido.org/articles/industrial-and-innovation-policy-can-speed-green-hydrogen-transition