In this episode of the Hydrogen Innovators podcast, we sit down with Pierre-Etienne Franc, a global leader in hydrogen investment and infrastructure. As the CEO of Hy24, the world’s largest clean hydrogen infrastructure fund, and co-founder of both FiveT Hydrogen and the Hydrogen Council, Pierre-Etienne has played a pivotal role in shaping the hydrogen economy from multiple angles: finance, policy, and industrial deployment.

Pierre-Etienne walks us through his journey from launching Air Liquide’s Hydrogen Energy business to spearheading multi-billion-euro investments in clean hydrogen across the full value chain. He shares key insights into how Hy24 evaluates risk, aligns diverse stakeholders, and drives large-scale deployment at speed and scale. We also unpack common misconceptions about hydrogen, explore the emerging project hotspots around the world, and reflect on the leadership qualities needed to build lasting climate infrastructure.

Whether you're a policymaker, investor, entrepreneur, or student, this episode offers a rare inside look at the strategic vision and deep conviction driving one of hydrogen’s most influential voices.

Patrick Molloy, Principal at RMI’s Climate-Aligned Industries program and co-host of Everything About Hydrogen, joins the Hydrogen Innovators Podcast to explore ammonia’s rapidly expanding role in the clean energy transition—as a shipping fuel, hydrogen carrier, and critical input for fertilizers. This episode also marks the debut of our new co-hosts, Stanford PhD students Milenia Rojas Mendoza and Emma Kerr, who bring fresh insight and sharp questions to the conversation. Together, they discuss the impact of recent policy developments like the IMO carbon levy, the balance between centralized and decentralized production, and the global lessons emerging from hydrogen and ammonia deployment efforts. Patrick shares his personal path into the hydrogen space and reflects on the visionary leadership of Amory Lovins, offering a wide-ranging and thoughtful discussion on where this market is headed next.

In this episode of the Hydrogen Innovators podcast, we welcome Jimmy Rojas, founder and CEO of Evoloh, an innovative company transforming hydrogen production through advanced alkaline electrolyzer technology. Jimmy shares his journey from academia to entrepreneurship, highlighting how Evoloh uniquely reduces hydrogen production costs by using standard, high-throughput manufacturing techniques and 100% domestic supply chains. He explains Evoloh’s strategy of focusing exclusively on stack production, designed explicitly for compatibility with low-cost, commercially available equipment, drastically cutting the cost of hydrogen. He dives deep into the challenges of electrolyzer manufacturing, global hydrogen markets, and the importance of flexible load-following technologies for renewable integration. Tune in for insights into Jimmy’s leadership philosophy, inspired by fostering growth within his team, and hear who personally motivates him in his remarkable career. A must-listen for anyone interested in the future of green hydrogen and cleantech innovation.

Electric Hydrogen is working on carbon-free hydrogen production, leveraging advanced electrolyzer plants powered by solar and wind to compete with fossil fuels. Their cutting-edge technology offers hydrogen at nearly half the price of competitors, driving cost-effective clean energy.

With over $700M raised through venture capital, venture debt, equipment finance, and government grants, Electric Hydrogen strategically balances financial risk to power its mission. Their innovative project financing model separates project risks from the parent company, attracting diverse investors through ‘derisking’ tactics like insurance products and construction bonds.

Guided by values of hustle, loyalty, and respect, Electric Hydrogen is set to revolutionize heavy industry energy use. Excited to see their continued impact!

#GreenHydrogen #CleanEnergy #Innovation #HydrogenEconomy #Sustainability #RenewableEnergy #ProjectFinancing #EnergyTransition

In this episode we learn from Shunichiro Shimamura, COO at MOL Switch, the venture arm of Mitsui OSK lines, a major global shipping company. In 2021, MOL announced their goal to get to net zero by 2030. Find out how they aim to achieve that by listening!

In this episode, we learn from Jason Sebastian, EVP of Market Operations at Questek Innovations on material challenges related to H2 and how his team mitigates these challenges through ICME - Integrated Computational Materials Engineering. 

It hasn’t been all sunshine and roses in the green H2 industry lately, only 4% of projects announced by 2030 have reached FID. Find out below what key mechanism can help us remove barriers:

Reinsurance!!!

Thrilled to launch our 18th episode of the Hydrogen Innovators Podcast with Dr. Kathrin Ebner, working on risk and (re)insurance at Munich Re. Give it a listen and learn more about how Kathrin and her team remove barriers in the green hydrogen world by offering risk transfer solutions for electrolyzers

In this podcast, we learn from Andy Marsh, CEO at Plug Power, how Plug Power is a one-stop-shop enabling the green hydrogen industry. 

Some key learnings include: 

• The key to excelling when vertically integrating is M&A and partnerships
• The challenge of integration/putting all the building blocks together is vastly underestimated
• Plug Power sees a lot of potential for hydrogen in the long-term in the stationary power market, replacing natural-gas peaker plants. 

At the end of the podcast, Andy shares some of the principles that guide him as a leader incl: 

• The power of listening
• Stay calm during crisis and always move forward
• Character matters

In this episode, we learn from Florence Lambert, CEO of Genvia, a French high-temperature electrolyzer company. 

Key take-aways include 

• We will need a wide range of electrolyzer technologies to decarbonize our hydrogen industry:
  • Alkaline: (+) Proven tech, easy to manufacture (-) Less efficient, bigger footprint
  • PEM: (+) More flexible and smaller footprint (-) Not yet proven and more expensive 
  • SOEC (High-T):  (+) Solid oxide electrolyzers are at least 15% more efficient and 30% more efficient than low-temperature electrolyzers when waste heat is available (-) Less proven
• The attributes of high-temperature electrolyzers make them especially attractive in industrial use cases (e.g. steel, chemicals..) where heat can be recovered and integrated in the hydrogen production cycle 
• It isn't easy to win in manufacturing in Europe, which makes it even more important to be at the forefront of technology 

At the end of the episode, Florence leaves us with some golden career (and life) advice - "listen to your intuition, and take risks"