Are we sleeping on hydrotech?

It’s one of the most versatile clean energy options out there – yet somehow, hydrogen still feels like the underdog of the energy transition. Yes, production is pricey. But when it comes to decarbonizing heavy industry, stabilizing energy grids, and storing clean power for the long haul, hydrogen isn’t just promising – it’s essential.

So why aren’t we talking about it more?

In this article, we unpack the roadblocks holding hydrogen back, the tech that’s breaking through, and why now might be the time to double down on hydrotech.

So, how do we actually make hydrogen?

Hydrogen isn’t something we can just dig up – we have to produce it, and how we do that makes a big difference. 

The most common method today is using natural gas. By heating it with steam, we strip out the hydrogen – but also release a hefty dose of CO₂. That’s grey hydrogen – and while it’s cheap, it’s far from clean.

The better way? Electrolysis – using electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. If that electricity comes from renewables, you get green hydrogen: zero emissions, just clean fuel. The catch? It’s energy-intensive and still expensive, partly because the tech relies on rare (and pricey) metals like platinum and iridium.

Now is the best time to act

That's the main takeaway from Dr. Carsten Heinz Joachim Borchers’, Managing Director at E.ON Hydrogen, keynote on “Hydrogen, the weightless warrior” at Energy Tech Summit 2024.

To illustrate where we stand, he used a surprisingly simple analogy: a 4x4 chocolate bar. Each column? A sector like power, mobility, industry, or heat. Each row? How far we've come in cutting emissions. The verdict? Only power is halfway there. The rest – barely touched.

That’s where hydrogen comes in. Sure, it’s been dubbed the “champagne of the energy transition” – expensive and exclusive. But Borchers argued that’s exactly why it holds promise. Just like manufacturing, hydrogen becomes cheaper and more efficient the more we produce. The key? Start now, scale fast.

So, how do we reduce production costs?

That same year, on Energy Tech Summit stage, Aleksandrs Parfinovics, Co-founder and CEO of Naco Technologies, presented how his company tackling this issue during a keynote on “transition to green hydrogen”.

“Hydrogen is the missing piece to a fossil-free economy, but the problem is that it’s too expensive” 

The main reasons? Corrosion and the use of rare, costly catalyst materials. Instead of searching for entirely new materials, Aleksandrs suggested a smarter path – use what we already have, but more efficiently.

And that’s exactly what Naco Technologies is doing. They’ve developed ultra-thin, high-performance catalyst coatings – just a few nanometers thick – that act like invisible armor. These coatings protect equipment from wear and corrosion, improve performance, and drastically cut down the need for rare metals. Their research showed they could use 40 times less catalyst material without sacrificing efficiency.

Using a high-speed, atomic-level spray technique, Naco is helping make green hydrogen production more reliable, cost-effective, and scalable.

More companies to look out for

Naco Technologies wasn’t the only star tackling the hydrogen challenge at Energy Tech Summit 2024. During the Energy Tech Challengers – annual startup pitch battle – a wave of innovators hit the stage, all with bold ideas for transforming hydrogen production.

Some standout companies of 2024 include:

• 1s1 Energy – like Naco, they’re developing advanced materials that make clean hydrogen production faster, cheaper, and less reliant on rare, expensive parts.

• HSL Technology – presents a unique hydrogen transportation solution HydroSil, that stores hydrogen safely and efficiently at room temperature and pressure.

• Hyperfuel Labs – first industrial-scale accelerator built for hydrogen startups only, helping them cut demo times by up to 75% and costs by nearly 30%..

• Sakowin Green energy – a deeptech startup, producing decarbonized hydrogen through a patented method called methane plasmalysis

• Jolt Activated Electrodes – 2024 Energy Tech Challengers winner, which produces Sparkfuze, a coating process for activated electrodes for more stable, efficient and cost effective performance.

2025 competition brought even more companies to the spotlight:

• ETGAS – builds compact plants that turn local waste into clean hydrogen on-site.

• H2Vector – develops green hydrogen batteries to make clean energy accessible at the consumer level.

• H2Refinery – using a patented plasma electrolyzer system (PES), they convert mixed waste into hydrogen and syngas.

• Matteco – replaces expensive electrolyzer materials with abundant metals like nickel, iron, cobalt to produce green hydrogen cheaper and more efficiently.

The hydrogen revolution is clearly gaining speed, and these startups are right at the front lines. Want in on the conversation yourself? Join Energy Tech Summit 2026, where the most important conversations about improving the energy industry take place. Meet startups, stakeholders and decision-makers, connect and make real deals happen.

Register: energytechsummit.com