Just now
Hydrogen, which is predominantly produced from fossil fuels today, accounts for more than 1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions annually. While green hydrogen produced from renewable energy sources holds the promise to bring down those emissions and decarbonize other hard-to-abate industries, it has historically cost more than gray hydrogen produced from natural gas, primarily due to the amount of renewable energy required in traditional electrolyzers.
A significant increase in energy efficiency that makes green hydrogen cost-competitive is essential for global decarbonization, and that’s why we’re excited to announce Toyota Ventures’ investment in Supercritical Solutions. Supercritical aims to lower the cost of green hydrogen by producing it directly at high pressure, using 20% to 30% less energy compared to traditional electrolyzers.
Based in London, England, Supercritical Solutions was founded in 2020 by Matt Bird (CEO), Mike Russ (chief technology officer), and Luke Tan (chief product officer). The company’s membraneless electrolyzer, invented by Mike Russ, can produce hydrogen using as little energy as 42 kWh/kgH2, compared to 55 kWh/kgH2 for the best-in-class electrolyzers today. The team’s goal is to reduce the cost of hydrogen production to less than £1/kgH2 and facilitate the green energy transition across industries.
Traditional electrolyzers perform electrolysis at relatively low temperatures (i.e. 50–80°C) and close to atmospheric pressure. After electrolysis, high amounts of energy and complex compressors are required to pressurize the gas, as necessitated for most uses of hydrogen. The Supercritical electrolyzer is unique in that it performs electrolysis at a much higher temperature and pressure, making the process thermodynamically efficient and producing hydrogen that is already at 220 bar. The post-electrolysis compression step is eliminated, resulting in significant savings from the lower energy consumption and the avoided capital expenditures for the compressors.
“Supercritical Solutions’ unique membraneless electrolyzer has the potential for groundbreaking energy efficiency that is critical to bringing down the levelized cost of hydrogen. We are delighted to support the team on their path to scaling their technology, as cost-effective green hydrogen is essential for decarbonizing hard-to-abate industries.” — Ethan Sohn, Principal, Toyota Ventures
Supercritical’s technology is ideal for decarbonizing sectors where hydrogen is being used today, such as ammonia production, which accounts for 34% of global demand and requires hydrogen at 200 bar. As the Supercritical team scales its technology, they aim to unlock further use cases, such as heavy-duty transport and low-carbon fuels.
Toyota Ventures is excited to co-lead Supercritical Solutions’ £14 million Series A round with Shell Ventures. Other participating investors include Al Mada Ventures, Blackfinch Ventures, Kibo Invest, Niterra / Global Brain, TOP Ventures (Thai Oil), Earth Ventures, and Alumni Ventures, in addition to returning investors Lowercarbon Capital and Anglo American Platinum. Climate Fund partner Lisa Coca and principal Ethan Sohn drove Toyota Ventures’ investment in the round.
Visit the Supercritical Solutions website or Toyota Ventures’ portfolio page to learn more.