In this episode, Oklahoma Memo founder and curator Ryan Welton talks with engineer and entrepreneur Colby DeWeese about Tobe Energy, a hydrogen-tech startup with a prototype system designed to make green hydrogen cost-competitive with hydrogen made from fossil fuels.

The company has raised $1.8 million, built its own manufacturing and testing facility in Oklahoma City, and is partnering with Tulsa-based Zeeco to speed up commercial deployment.

Key topics discussed:

• Why hydrogen production hasn’t changed in over a century

• How current systems waste energy as heat — and how Tobe’s design fixes it

• Why hydrogen is already essential to agriculture, food and petrochemical industries

• How hydrogen solves the “solar and wind don’t run 24/7” problem

• The emerging market for synthetic fuels made from captured CO₂

• Why Oklahoma’s infrastructure, workforce and industrial land give it an edge

• The founder’s engineering background and the influence of his father’s work at TV Guide