Dynapower’s Director of Hydrogen, Bryan Allen , recently joined Jim Schafer on the Building Efficiency podcast . Starting with Bryan’s past experience, their conversion segued into a look at hydrogen, specifically green hydrogen. They discussed all things hydrogen: key applications, its role in hard-to-abate industries, and the 5-10 year outlook for the market. You’ll definitely want to catch the whole episode here – below are some excerpts to get you started.
Jim: Can you talk a little about some of your past experiences?
Bryan: When I was with a battery manufacturer, I learned a lot and got involved in the chemistry of battery manufacturing and in the components within. So that was a good opportunity and a career path progression for me. I had a strong interest in the renewable space and had that passion for some years, and batteries are a big component of our path to renewable energy. However, I did not make that leap initially because, quite frankly, there were a lot of false starts in the industry with challenges in bringing costs down and getting competitive with other fuels. So I sort of watched from afar as things became more sustainable and viable long term. And I was contacted by my current organization with an opportunity to join the renewable energy space. And I was sold on the product line and the long range plans for Dynapower.
Jim: As we look at all things hydrogen, tell me more about hydrogen, especially green hydrogen.
Bryan: Hydrogen is used in a number of applications today. The latest numbers I heard put global usage at about 120 million tons globally per year, so it’s already a largely consumed product. The goal is to produce it in a clean fashion so that it can be deployed in other markets. Dynapower produces a technology called rectifiers which convert AC power (from the grid) to DC power (which powers the electrolysis process). What’s unique about hydrogen is that while it’s the most abundant molecule in the universe, it’s always combined with something else so you have to separate it to get it in its pure form. Once you achieve that, you can burn it as a combustible gas where the byproduct is water…that’s how hydrogen fuel cell cars work – you’re combusting hydrogen through a fuel cell to create electricity to power a vehicle or a forklift or material handling equipment. So that’s one use case. The other use case is to produce pure hydrogen through electrolysis, which we just discussed. Once you achieve that, hydrogen can be stored underground and salt caverns. It can be transported in either burned. As as a fuel or used in a process where.
Jim: So maybe you could touch on that or just in general, right? If you fast forward five, 10, 15 years, where do you see the industry heading?
Bryan: That’s a really good question. I obviously believe in it since I’ve committed my career to it. I think the outlook is strong for clean hydrogen. The amount of energy and effort that’s being put into bringing the cost down currently is phenomenal on a global level as well. There’s a lot of key drivers there. There are some what we call hard to abate industries like steel or aviation or shipping? These are industries where traditional renewables like wind and solar are not a good fit. What makes hydrogen so appealing is its flexibility. It’s the only molecule that can be converted to electricity and then also burned as a fuel. And it can be easily transported globally. So there’s also what most refer to as energy security. It’s a big driver. If you’re very interested in the prospect of producing or importing clean hydrogen as an alternative source. For example, if you look at the conflict in Ukraine with Russia, Russia is a big natural gas supplier to large swaths of Europe. So there’s a huge need for energy security in those regions. So you’ll find a lot of activity, for example, in Germany, where many electrolyzer manufacturers are located, where they’re moving with potentially using hydrogen even as a building fuel, as a home heating fuel. There’s talk of using existing natural gas lines, blending with a percent hydrogen and piping it into homes and using it to heat homes.
Jim: And let’s say you’re graduating from North Carolina A&T University…to 22-year-old Bryan, what advice would you give to yourself back then?
Bryan: Search for your passion and your purpose early in life and pursue it with no excuses. That’s something that I struggled with in the beginning, because, I think to reach your true potential, you do have to be aligned with something that you’re passionate about. So if I were talking to my 22-year-old self, I’d say don’t delay. Just follow your heart, follow your passion, and the rest will fall into place.
