Microsoft founder Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-Shing, Japan’s Sumitomo Corp, and automaker Hyundai Motor Co have invested $22 million in an Israeli green hydrogen startup called H2Pro. H2Pro is a startup that aims to develop hydrogen generators based on the E-TAC (Electrochemical–Thermally Activated Chemical) process.
Unlike current methods to make green hydrogen such as alkaline water electrolysis, H2Pro takes a two-step approach in its hydrogen generation process. Instead of electric energy, H2Pro uses thermal energy for releasing the oxygen gas at the anode.
This way, the company claims it can make green hydrogen for $1 per kilogram by the second half of the decade. H2Pro is reportedly capable of making 100 grams of hydrogen a day with its prototype. The startup has plans to scale up its operations to make 1 kilogram of hydrogen a day. So, H2Pro will use the new funding capital to scale up its research and development to make commercial electrolyzers.
